On September 18th 2025, CEPH, in association with the School of Social Sciences and Philosophy, hosted CEPH Director John Turner and CEPH Associate Michael Aldous as they presented a public talk titled The CEO: Examining Executive Impact on Business Performance. This talk was based on their new book The CEO, The Rise and Fall of Britain’s Captains of Industry which was published in June 2025 by Cambridge University Press.

Chaired by Tom Lyons (The Currency) and held in the historic Irish Stock Exchange, the event was a resounding success. John and Michael delivered an excellent presentation exploring the seven elements they feel make up the modern CEO, and how these have evolved and changed across a century of business development.

The book has reviewed extremely well, and is an exemplar of the kind of public engagement which economic history is so adept at. By combining a long-run perspective with a hot-button issue such as business leadership, it combines a variety of interests into a very popular package.

A recording of the event will be available soon.