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The Provost in Conversation with Baroness Sharon White

Provost Paul Johnson will be joined by Baroness Sharon White who is Chair of Frontier Economics and Head of Global for La Caisse (Canada’s second largest pensions fund). Her career has spanned the private and public sectors. She was Chair of the John Lewis Partnership through Covid (2020 to 2024). Previous to that she was Chief Executive of Ofcom, the media, telecoms and postal regulator.

The major part of her career was spent in the civil service where she did a variety of roles in the UK and internationally, and was second Permanent Secretary to the Treasury for the public finances. She received a Damehood for public service in 2019 and sits as a cross bench member of the House of Lords. 

The Provost in Conversation with Rain Newton-Smith

Provost Paul Johnson will be joined by Rain Newton-Smith who is the CBI’s Chief Executive. Before taking up the role, she was Managing Director, Strategy and Policy, Sustainability and ESG at Barclays.

From August 2014 until March 2023, Rain was Chief Economist at the CBI where she led its economic policy, analysis and survey teams and the CBI’s work with HM Treasury. She also led the international team, focused on global business leadership around the B7 and B20, and championed the CBI’s work to support the transition to a low carbon, sustainable economy. Rain was instrumental in shaping the CBI’s work to help business navigate through the Covid pandemic.

Prior to joining the economics team at the CBI, Rain was Head of Emerging Markets at Oxford Economics, where she was the lead expert on China.

Rain’s earlier career included nine years at the Bank of England, where her responsibilities included preparing global forecasts for the Monetary Policy Committee. During her time at the Bank, Rain was seconded to the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC.

Rain holds an MSc in Economics from LSE and studied Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University, and is now a Policy Fellow with the Department of Economics at the University. In 2012, Rain was honoured by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader. 

The Provost in Conversation with Ed Balls

Provost Paul Johnson will be joined by broadcaster, writer, and economist Ed Balls.

A regular co-host on ITV’s flagship breakfast show, Good Morning Britain, Ed also presents an award-winning weekly podcast, Political Currency, with former Chancellor George Osborne and has presented a number of documentaries for the BBC. He is Professor of Political Economy at King’s College, London, a Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and co-Chair of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.

He is a former member of Parliament, Shadow Chancellor, Cabinet Minister and Chief Economic Adviser to the Treasury.

The Provost in Conversation with Sir Dieter Helm

Provost Paul Johnson will be joined by Sir Dieter Helm who, as well as being Professor of Economic Policy at Oxford, is the UK’s foremost authority on the economics of energy, climate change, sustainability and natural capital.  

Sir Dieter is author of bestselling books on these topics, and has fascinating insights, often at variance with the received wisdom. From 2012 to 2020, he was Independent Chair of the Natural Capital Committee, providing advice to the government on the sustainable use of natural capital. In his latest book, Legacy: How to Build the Sustainable Economy, he addresses the question: what would the sustainable economy look like and what would it take to live within our environmental means?

The conversation will cover climate change policy, energy transition, and the natural environment.

Julia Doyle  soprano
Esther Lay  mezzo-soprano
Guy Cutting  tenor

Choir of The Queen’s College, Oxford
Academy of Ancient Music
Owen Rees  director

Handel’s Messiah lies at the very heart of Christmas musical festivities. The oratorio follows Christ’s life from the prophecies of the Old Testament through to his birth, passion and resurrection, and the final conquest of sin with the promise of eternal life. Handel uses his consummate skill as an opera composer to inject vivid colour and intense drama into his score. First heard in 1741, it remains just as popular today as it did in Dublin nearly 300 years ago. Arias of mesmerising beauty and triumphant courage sit alongside virtuoso choruses of stunning power – including the famous ‘Hallelujah Chorus’.

This concert continues the acclaimed collaboration between the Choir of The Queen’s College, Oxford and the world famous Academy of Ancient Music, a combination of the finest choral singing and an orchestra with a worldwide reputation for excellence in baroque and classical music.  Previous performances of Messiah in this collaboration, also with star-studded line-ups of soloists, have sold out months before the event and early booking is advised. 

Choir and orchestra are conducted by Owen Rees, Director of Music at The Queen’s College, hailed as ‘one of the most energetic and persuasive voices’ in this field.

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