Aims & Focus:
As global populations age, there is an urgent need for these communities to work together to address both the opportunities and challenges associated with ageing societies. The Ageing, Business, and Society Special Interest Group (SIG) aims to foster a deeper understanding and collaboration between the fields of Gerontology, Business, and Public Policy.
Hosted by the British Society of Gerontology and led by a voluntary team of the UK’s leading experts in ageing and business, the SIG serves as a platform for collaboration among innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, and policy leaders to better meet the needs of older adults and ageing populations, ensuring a positive societal impact.
The SIG’s mission is to facilitate collaboration between gerontology, business and civil society - enabling people to age independently through the life course and do the things that gives their lives meaning. It delivers value to its members by facilitating collaboration between Gerontology, Business and Civil Society, facilitating knowledge exchange Society through collaborative events, publications and outreach and by leveraging the strength of its network of partners and allied organisations.
In fulfilling its mission and purpose, the Ageing, Business, and Society SIG will enhance the capacity of stakeholders to address the growing needs of an ageing world, promoting economic opportunities, improving well-being, and strengthening the societal response to population ageing.
Members:
Leadership Team
Chair - Rob Walton, Founder & Principal, Covostra Ltd
Catherine Foot - Director of Phoenix Insights
Debbie Keeling - Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor for Knowledge Exchange and Interim Executive Dean, University of Sussex Business School at University of Sussex
Eric Kihlstrom – UK Ambassador, Aging2.0
Laura Walker – Executive Director, The Longevity Forum
Dr. Xuan (Lorna) Wang – Co-Director, Centre for Research on Ageing and Generations, Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Revenue Management, University of Surrey
Anthony Howarth – Research Fellow at the Institute of Population Ageing at the University of Oxford
Judith Phillips – Professor of Social and Environmental Gerontology at Swansea University
Dr. Ian Philp, Founder and CEO of Age Care Technologies
Dr Cynthia Bullock, Director, Healthy Lives at Innovate UK
Joining the SIG:
Membership of the Ageing, Business & Society SIG is open to all. Please click the link below and complete the form with your details to be added to our membership list. Please indicate if you are simply joining a member or are a part of the British Society of Gerontology or related organisations.
Complete the membership form: https://forms.office.com/e/sdzv2X6ndV
If you would like to contact the Ageing Business Society SIG team, please email abs-sig@britishgerontology.org.
Opportunities:
To be involved in speaking opportunities with the Ageing, Business and Society Special Interest Group please email abs-sig@britishgerontology.org.
Events:
Loneliness in Later Life: A National Challenge with Human Consequences
As part of the official agenda for Longevity Week 2025, this virtual event - hosted by the Ageing Business Society Special Interest Group and supported by the International Longevity Forum - will bring together leaders from across government, business, academia, healthcare, and civil society to address one of the most pressing and persistent issues of our time: loneliness in later life.
It will take place on Nov 12 at 5:30pm GMT.
Find more information and register here: https://loneliness-in-later-life-longevity-week.eventbrite.co.uk
You can watch our past workshops recordings here: https://bit.ly/AgeingBites