FORUM EVENTS

A platform for outstanding leaders to share stories and expertise. Forum Lectures are designed to inform, inspire and equip leaders across sectors.

A chance for leaders within a specific sector to gather together to identify and solve pressing challenges within their context.

Evening drinks events for those across sectors to meet, connect and build relationships.

An opportunity for participants to build deeper relationships in an unpressured environment designed for reflection and discussion.

Smaller dinners that provide an environment for building closer relationships and sharing challenges, insight and ideas. 

Those who have previously spoken at Forum events include:

Martin Ivens

Martin Ivens is a widely respected figure in the world of journalism, with a long-standing career at the Times, having spent the last seven years as Editor of the Sunday Times. Renowned for well-informed, shrewd coverage throughout his career, he has presided over major global stories, and used his platform to provide readers with balanced coverage and quality analysis, while holding political figures to account.

Erica Komisar

Erica Komisar is a leading expert in the development of emotionally and mentally healthy children, an adviser to leaders across society and a regular commentator in the media. An excellent and inspiring communicator, Erica offers thoughtful insights for all who want to transform the outcomes for the next generation.

James Graham OBE

James Graham is an Olivier award-winning British playwright and screenwriter. His works including “This House”, “Labour of Love” and “Ink” have been staged throughout the UK and internationally at theatres including the Bush, Soho Theatre and the National Theatre. He received an OBE in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to drama and young people in British theatre.

Zeinab Badawi

Zeinab Badawi is one of the best-known broadcast journalists working in the field today. Her current work includes Hard Talk for the BBC, which features some of the world’s most notable personalities and politicians; and presenting Global Questions and World Debate on BBC World TV. 

Baroness Grey-Thompson

Baroness Grey-Thompson is a Welsh politician, television presenter, and as a former Paralympian, is one of the most successful disabled athletes in the UK.

Rabbi Lord Sacks

The late Rabbi Lord Sacks was an award-winning author and regular contributor to national media, frequently appearing on BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day and writing opinion pieces in some of the UK’s leading newspapers.

Natasha Kaplinsky OBE

Natasha is a presenter and journalist who is best known for her roles as a studio anchor on Sky News, BBC News, Channel 5 and ITV News. She was a member of the Prime Minister’s Holocaust Commission and serves as a patron of The Willow Foundation and an Ambassador for Save The Children.

David Goodhart

David Goodhart is a British journalist, commentator and author. He is the founder and former editor of Prospect magazine.

The Rt Hon John Anderson

John is the former deputy Prime Minister of Australia, who spent 19 years in the Australian parliament as a senior politician. He is known for his cross-partisan approach, and has spent his career advocating for quality debate between those that disagree.

Her Excellency Yamina Karitanyi

HE Yamina Karitanyi was appointed the High Commissioner for the Republic of Rwanda to the United Kingdom in 2014, and has been since, having previously served as Minister Counsellor at the mission since August 2010.

Niall Ferguson

Niall is a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University and one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. He is also a bestselling author and writes a column for the Sunday Times.

Julia Immonen

Julia is a double world record holding Atlantic rower, and a campaigner against modern slavery and human trafficking.

Sir Richard Dearlove

Sir Richard is the former head of the UK Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), and former master of Pembroke College, University of Cambridge.

Baroness Newlove

 Baroness Newlove is Victims Commissioner for England and Wales, and Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords.

James Timpson OBE

 James is Chief Executive of Timpson. He is also the Chair the Employers Forum for Reducing Reoffending, Chair of the Prison Reform Trust, and has appeared in the Sunday Times 500 Most Influential list.

Baroness Williams

Baroness Williams is a politician and academic. She is Professor Emerita of Electoral Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She is the daughter of the writer, Vera Brittain, and philosopher Sir George Catlin.

Arthur Brooks

Arthur is a best selling author, social scientist and President of the American Enterprise Institute and one of the world’s leading thinkers on the juncture between culture, economics and politics.  

Cristina Odone

Cristina is a journalist and commentator, formerly the Editor of The Catholic Herald, and Deputy Editor of the New Statesman. 

David Brooks

David Brooks is one of America’s foremost commentators and cultural critics. He has written a column for the New York Times since 2003. Previously with the Wall Street Journal, he has been a contributing editor at Newsweek and the Atlantic Monthly. He is the author of a number of books. His latest, the Road to Character, is a New York Times bestseller.

Bettany Hughes

Bettany Hughes is an award-winning historian, author and broadcaster. Her documentaries have been watched by over a 100 million viewers worldwide. She is passionate about learning from the past in order to shape the future and lists loyalty and bravery amongst her favourite qualities.

Fraser Nelson

Fraser Nelson is the Editor of the Spectator and a columnist for the Daily Telegraph. Under his leadership the Spectator is selling more copies than at any time in its 189 year history and print circulation is growing at its fastest rate since 1989.

Lady Edwina Grosvenor

Lady Edwina Grosvenor has spent more than 15 years campaigning for prison reform.

Os Guinness

Os is an author, public speaker and social critic who has written or edited over 30 books. He regularly address’ leaders from business, politics and the arts around the globe.

Rhidian Brook

Rhidian is a novelist, screenwriter and broadcaster, whose latest best-selling novel The Aftermath has been translated into over 30 languages and is currently being adapted into a film directed by Sir Ridley Scott.

Liz Earle

Liz Earle is a retail entrepreneur whose eponymous brand is one of the biggest-selling luxury skincare brands in the UK.

Nick Grono

Nick is the CEO of the Freedom Fund, the world’s first privately philanthropic initiative dedicated to ending modern slavery, which has impacted over 200,000 since its inception in 2013.

Patrick Dixon

Dr Dixon is a futurist keynote speaker and CEO of Global Change.  He is one of the world’s leading experts in how the speed of change is affecting business, the arts, and every other part of our lives.

Those who have attended Forum events come from a broad range of backgrounds including:

Actors, advisers, authors, anti-slavery campaigners, business owners, comedians, economists, entrepreneurs, faith leaders, film makers and directors, financial specialists, fine artists, fund managers, journalists, lawyers, opera singers , professors, politicians from the House of Commons and the House of Lords, script writers, social entrepreneurs, think tank leaders and those who scale social enterprises to maximise their impact.

If you know of someone who may like to attend a Forum event, we welcome nominations / suggestions. Please use the form below including the individual's name, organisational affiliation, and why he or she would be a great fit for the Forum community. We will get back to you very soon.