Three Guernsey students will be heading to London next week (26-27 September) to hear from a range of world leaders, opinion formers and global business figures thanks to an initiative supported by the Ana Leaf Foundation.
Post A-level students Gilbert Bishop-White and Olivia Wynne-James both from the Grammar School Sixth Form Centre and Fergal Morrissey from Elizabeth College earned the all-expense-paid trip to London after winning the Ana Leaf Foundation’s 2015-2016 ‘Directors of Tomorrow’ competition.
The winning students will attend the Institute of Directors (IoD) Annual Convention at The Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday 27 September. The theme this year is ‘‘thriving in a changing world” and the convention will provide the Guernsey students with the opportunity to meet and network with a handful of influential business leaders.
The ‘Directors of Tomorrow’ competition, now in its seventh year, invites nine local students, selected by teachers for their interest in current affairs, to attend the Guernsey IoD’s annual Convention (formerly debate). Each student is asked to write a blog providing an account of the evening. The authors of the three best blogs are then given the opportunity to attend the Institute of Directors Annual Convention in London the following year.
This year’s convention will explore moments in history where there has been dramatic changes such as the moon landings, the internet and even the fall of the Berlin Wall. Speakers including first minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon and Dame Kelly Holmes will be discussing the exact meaning of Brexit, how mobile technology is producing a new generation of entrepreneurs, the threat of cyber-crime on a global level alongside a variety of other topics.
Hayley de Putron, a trustee of the Ana Leaf Foundation and sponsor of the Directors of Tomorrow initiative, said: “The annual IoD convention is a rare yet fantastic opportunity for the Guernsey students to hear from a variety of inspiring global leaders. I hope they relish this experience and find it helpful in their future studies and careers.”
The initiative will again be hosting nine students at this year’s Guernsey IoD Convention which takes place on Thursday 6 October. Celebrated journalist and newscaster Alistair Stewart will be moderating the event entitled: “To Prosperity and Beyond! Unlocking Health, Wealth and Happiness in Guernsey”.
The key note speaker at this year’s Guernsey IoD Convention is change management guru Jonathan MacDonald who will be joined on the panel by Economic Development president Deputy Peter Ferbrache, President of the Guernsey Chamber of Commerce Martyn Dorey, non-executive director Meriel Lenfesty and a former Microsoft vice president, Chris Atkinson. The panel will focus on looking towards the future and what can be achieved as a community if business, Government and the third sector work together.
For more detail of the London IoD Annual Convention visit: http://www.iod.com/connecting/events/annual-convention-2014