SPE Annual Dinner 2026

 

On Tuesday 22 September, we hosted our annual SPE Dinner at the Institute of Directors, generously sponsored by Oxford Economics. Once again, it was a hugely popular sell-out event! Our Guest Speaker was the highly esteemed Professor Joachim Nagel, President of the Bundesbank.

The SPE’s Chair, George Buckley, started the formal speeches by thanking Oxford Economics on behalf of the Society for generously sponsoring the dinner, and updated guests on the latest Society news and growth and thanked his fellow council members, and non-council members for the valuable support they offer. George also thanked all our sponsors including KPMG for its kind sponsorship of the Rybczynski Prize before handing over to SPE President, Sir Dave Ramsden, to introduce Professor Nagel. 

During his talk, Prof Joachim Nagel, said that new geoeconomic realities are creating challenges for Europe, but stressed that both the UK and the EU have the energy and inherent strengths to respond effectively. He outlined three key ways the EU can adapt: strengthening competitiveness by making better use of the Single Market, improving digital resilience through European payment infrastructure such as the digital euro, and harnessing artificial intelligence while managing its potential cybersecurity and financial-stability risks. Nagel also emphasised the importance of closer cooperation between the UK and EU, noting that despite Brexit, both sides are already working towards greater collaboration in areas such as youth mobility, defence and security.

To read the full speech, click here. 

We hope everyone thoroughly enjoyed the evening and we look forward to seeing you at the SPE Annual Dinner 2027. 

Thank you again to Oxford Economics for generously sponsoring this event.