This panel brings together perspectives from academia, industry and policy to examine how green industrial policies can deliver sustainable growth in an increasingly uncertain global environment. Panellists will explore the role of innovation and international linkages, particularly through global value chains, in achieving net zero, and unpack why creating everything 'at home' may have unintended economic and environmental consequences. They will discuss current evidence on sustainable growth opportunities, including the interactions between net zero and broader technological change, and how businesses are responding to evolving policy landscapes.

Speakers

Oliver Harman is a spatial economist and economic geographer at LSE's Department of Geography and Environment. His research focuses on urbanisation, global value chains and regional development. He is co-author of Harnessing Global Value Chains for Regional Development (Routledge, 2023, with Riccardo Crescenzi) and the forthcoming Cambridge University Press book Green GVCs for Sustainable Regional Development. Previously, he spent nearly a decade advising local government ministries and mayoral teams across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean on sustainable urban development and fiscal policy.

Louise Hellem is Chief Economist at the CBI and a member of its Executive Committee. She shapes the CBI's overall view on economic and fiscal policy, leads discussions with senior politicians and policymakers, and oversees CBI Economics, the organisation's economic consultancy. Her recent work includes leading research on the UK's net zero economy, which found the sector now generates over £83 billion in gross value added. Prior to joining the CBI, Louise spent 13 years at HM Treasury as a member of the Government Economic Service, where she led on analytical and policy issues including National Living Wage policy and assessing economic and distributional impacts of policy measures. She holds an MSc in Economics from the University of Bristol and a degree in Economics and International Development from the University of Bath.

Anna Valero is Director of the Growth Programme and a Professor in Practice at the Centre for Economic Performance, LSE, and Deputy Director of the Programme on Innovation and Diffusion (POID). Her research focuses on sustainable growth, innovation diffusion, and industrial strategy. She currently serves as Industrial Strategy Adviser to Chancellor Rachel Reeves, having previously served as a member of the Council of Economic Advisers. She is a member of the Royal Economic Society Council.

David Willetts is a member of the House of Lords and President of the Resolution Foundation, the leading cross-party British think tank. He has served as Minister for Universities and Science 2010-2014, and was Member of Parliament for Havant from 1992 to 2015. He previously worked at HM Treasury and the No.10 Policy Unit.

Chair

Riccardo Crescenzi is Professor of Economic Geography at LSE and a leading expert on foreign direct investment, global value chains and regional development. He has held a European Research Council grant and advised the European Commission, World Bank, OECD, and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. He is author of Harnessing Global Value Chains for Regional Development (Routledge, 2023, with Oliver Harman) and co-author of the forthcoming Cambridge University Press book Green GVCs for Sustainable Regional Development.

For more information, visit LSE Events.

More about this event

This event is part of the LSE Festival: How to save the planet running from Monday 15 to Saturday 20 June 2026. This year's Festival explores how existential threats including the climate crisis, conflict and AI are affecting all parts of the world, transforming the way and where we live, and how our societies function. With a series of events asking what can we be doing to save the Earth, its people and environment? Booking for all Festival events will open on Monday 18 May.