Another incredible 2 days at Ditchley Foundation Park thanks to Coalition for Global Prosperity as part of their Future Leaders programme.
Every session was invaluable, fascinating, & thought-provoking with lots of focus on defence, development, & diplomacy - as well as insights into being an effective leader in politics and public life.
Our 1st session was with Ruth Davidson, former leader of the Scottish Conservative Party. I'm lucky enough to work with Ruth on the board for John Smith Centre but it was really great to hear about her political journey & work in foreign affairs.
We then heard from British International Investment about the role of trade & investment in development.
We had a fascinating session with former Downing Street Director of Comms & Strategy Alastair Campbell. He'd heard about our visit to Jordan from Rory Stewart - what a privilege to be able to meet both hosts of The Rest is Politics!
We then heard from Sir Peter Westmacott, former UK Ambassador to the US on the Transatlantic Relationship & diplomacy
We were privileged to hear from Attorney General Victoria Prentis about her incredible work on Ukraine & from Lord Peter Ricketts, former UK National Security Adviser.
We started day2 with a virtual overseas visit led by MAG (Mines Advisory Group). The work they do is inspiring & terrifying.
We then heard from Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, co-developer of the Astrazeneca Covid vaccine, Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, MD of UKRI and Joe Cerrell from the Gates Foundation about the UK as a "Science Superpower".
We had an "In Conversation" with The Rt Hon Lord Peter Mandelson about his many decades in politics, & then learned about global challenges led by former UK National Security Advisor Sir Mark Lyall-Grant.
We ended with a session by Stefan Dercon, former Chief Economist for DfID and professor of econ policy at Oxford.
Thanks once again - to CGP for an amazing programme, and to my fellow Future Leaders for sharing their knowledge so generously.