Dr. Kevin Fong

Seconded to NHS England in March 2020 as part of the response team to COVID-19, Dr. Kevin Fong benefited from a unique view of the pandemic that transformed our lives. He also witnessed the incredible collective effort of those on the NHS frontline to deliver the vaccine in the fight against coronavirus. With the roll-out of 100s of vaccine trials over just a few months, this pace of advance in science and medicine had never been seen before. The development of a vaccine was in no way easy, but it was in every way inspirational. In this talk, Kevin shares the lessons he learned about leadership, reveals some of the difficult decisions that had to be made in the face of extreme pressure and shines a light on the sense of hope that pushed people forward in a time of uncertainty. The lessons learned must never be forgotten, and this talk is essential for any leader who is responsible for delivering change. 

50 years ago Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin skilfully flew their lunar module to the surface of the Moon; landing for the first time in the history of our species on the surface of another world. But their 13 minutes of final descent were riddled with hazards. The mission constantly teetered on the brink of failure but ultimately they were victorious. In this talk, Kevin examines how the disaster was averted by unpicking their 13-minute descent. The mission of Apollo 11 – and their successful landing on the Moon – is a masterclass in organizational endeavors and real-time risk management. Half a century on from that historic mission in space there are still plenty of lessons for those of us here on Earth.

Since the first lockdown in the UK began, everything about our lives has changed. For those working on the front lines of the health service, it has been an extraordinary time. They have had to move swiftly and at scale to transform their way of working; massively expanding intensive care bed capacity, meeting challenge after challenge, day in and day out, to get past the first peak. In March 2020 Kevin was seconded to NHS England as part of the response team for COVID-19. In this talk, Kevin will share some lessons that can be learned from his experience working on the front line of the pandemic; the importance of deferring to expertise and delegating authority, shredding red tape, and embracing risk when it is outweighed by benefits.