Kofi Annan, the former secretary general of the United Nations, has said that those with a scientific or business education background ¡°have an advantage¡±?in an uncertain economic world?to deal with crises before they materialise.

Responding to a question from Times Higher Education during a keynote appearance at a conference organised by IMD, a business and management school?in Lausanne, Switzerland, Mr Annan said that in a post-Brexit world, those with business school educations can ¡°anticipate the changes coming¡±.

¡°The world is changing and changing very fast. Those that have scientific skill[s] in a way, have an advantage. In some situations those with skills with vocational training will have the advantage,¡± Mr Annan said.

¡°Those who have had this sort of education you¡¯re having, going to business school, anticipating these changes, have a major advantage because you can see these changes coming. Some companies are forward-looking, they could see the changes coming and are trying to adapt and prepare for it.¡±

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He also voiced his concerns about peace in Europe, which he said could be threatened if other members of the European Union follow the UK¡¯s lead and decide to leave the bloc.

Responding to a question by Mike Wade, professor of innovation and strategy at IMD, Mr Annan told the Orchestrating Winning Performance event:?¡°What is remarkable is that the impact of the European Union on peace in Europe never came up [in the debate]. The union came out of two world wars, and in?my judgement and those outside Europe, we believe that in many ways the union has been a triumph.

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¡°For?most people, a major war?in Europe is unthinkable today, and I think it¡¯s one of the achievements of the union, but nobody seems to talk about it.¡±

When asked if the UK¡¯s leaving was a challenge to a peaceful Europe, he said:?¡°I?think if it were to lead to an unravelling of the union, it could be. But I really hope it doesn¡¯t.?I hope this is one more urgent?reason for the remaining 27 countries to work harder, stay united and build a stronger Europe. Because you don¡¯t want to see it unravel. I think it is a wonderful achievement.¡±

Mr Annan said that the Brexit outcome was a ¡°shock¡± but that it was not a mystery given the disparity in prosperity that exists in the UK. He also said that the government should take some blame for anti-EU feeling in the country.

¡°You will notice that the prosperous parts of the country, London for example, voted to remain,¡± he said.?¡°All of the other regions which are industrially deprived areas, [have] difficult economic conditions, voted [Leave]. Their conditions have been developing since the ¡¯80s.¡±

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He said he felt that politicians ¡°have to take some blame. As I travel around Europe and talk to people, everything that goes wrong [gets blamed] on Brussels and the EU. They never explain things to their citizens, and [the people] are so far away from Brussels [that] they think it¡¯s Brussels interfering with [their] welfare, [their] life¡­and now you see what has happened.

¡°The problems they blamed on Brussels will persist.¡±

john.elmes@tesglobal.com