We are delighted to be welcoming Thomas Lingard, a former student at Hills Road with expertise in sustainable development from both a large company and a think tank perspective.

Thomas leads the Centre for Future Generations – a think tank based in Brussels – which conducts policy research in emerging technologies including AI, biotech and neurotech.

In Thomas’s talk, he will share his story along with insights into what he has learnt about the challenges of climate change and how this can inform our approach to emerging technologies.

The talk is free of charge and takes place in the main Hall at College. It will last approximately 40 minutes, after which there will be an opportunity for questions from the audience.

About Thomas Lingard

Thomas Lingard (Hills Road 1993-1995) began his career in IT and finance with consumer goods company, Unilever. After a two-year secondment to the environmental policy think tank, Green Alliance, he returned to Unilever in 2010 to lead the company's global external advocacy work on sustainable development and climate change.

This took him to the Rio+20 Earth Summit, several UN COPs, and even the World Economic Forum at Davos, helping to use the power of progressive business to build support for the Sustainable Development Goals and increase the ambition of the Paris Agreement.  He also wrote the company's first Climate Transition Action Plan, approved by over 99% of shareholders at the AGM. 

While climate ambition is at risk in many parts of the world, Thomas was drawn to new governance challenges, particularly those related to social media platforms, AI and other and emerging technologies. In 2025, after a masters in AI Ethics & Society at Cambridge, Thomas left Unilever to join the Centre for Future Generations - a think and do tank based in Brussels.