Andrew Scott is Professor of Economics at London Business School, having previously held positions at Harvard, London School of Economics and Oxford. He has published widely in leading international academic journals and his book, The Hundred Year Life, is an international bestseller published in 14 languages. 

He said: “To make longevity a real asset for society, it is necessary to change current socio-economic perceptions and approaches to care, as well as existing organisational and governance structures, in order to achieve a more active and inclusive understanding and experience of the ageing process."

Susie Crowder, Director of Bright Futures LBG, said more needs to be done to change people's perceptions of age and 'see beyond an individual’s date of birth or physical appearance'. 

“We need to start to identify the potential for and ongoing practices with regard to social innovation and active ageing," she said. "This includes identifying the key factors which drive innovation in social support and longevity, innovation that then, in turn, can aid the transformation of this evolution into an engine for sustainable socio-economic progress.

"The identification of these key factors will build comprehensive future scenarios describing how an integrated, age-friendly approach can be realistically attained for the benefit of everyone. To achieve this and to realise the economic potential of this human capital, we need to change our perception of age and see beyond an individual’s date of birth or physical appearance when recruiting team members.

"We appear to have an ageist society and our employment legislation, prima facie, supports this. As a society, we have been gradually living longer and healthier for decades, yet we have not adapting our legislation, saving habits or lifestyle to support this gift.”

Tickets are limited for the event, which is sponsored by Rothchilds and Rossborough, but can be searched for through Eventbrite.

Pictured top: Professor Andrew Scott