As a group of us head off to the Eden Project tomorrow to join the third national gathering that is Anthropy25, our job as this year’s communications partner is to make sure that people hear about the event and its mission to help Reboot Britain. Over three days from Wednesday 26 March, 2000+ attendees from business, non-profits and government will share insights and ideas, forge connections and start new collaborations with the aim of making the UK a better place, both commercially and culturally to benefit everyone.
Alongside our colleagues running the media hub, Nikki Francis-Jones and I will be moderating events and hosting conversations with prominent national figures; Baroness Martha Lane-Fox, Sir Loyd Grossman and Will Hutton. Their respective early careers as an internet entrepreneur a broadcaster and an editor were stepping stones to public service, helping shape the institutions that inform and inspire our work and leisure time.
On Wednesday, Nikki is also going to moderate a panel discussion on Creativity and Causes with Michelle Dickson from Arts Council England, advertising legend Robin Wight CVO CBE, B Corp ambassador Matt Hocking of LEAP & Goodfest and World Woman Foundation’s Rupa Dash. They will be exploring how creativity drives solutions for societal challenges.
I will be talking to experienced Board members, and those who advise them, about the Influence of Non Executives, addressing some of the challenges that companies are grappling with as political sentiment internationally shifts away from the representation of broader stakeholder interests and issues like climate change and equality. Portfolio Chairs Rita Clifton (John Lewis Partnership) and Steve Holliday (CityFibre) are joined by FTSE Women’s CEO Vivienne Artz and Chapter Zero’s CEO Vicky Moffat.
And finally, in a week in which the Netflix drama Adolescence is all anyone can talk about, Wilful’s own event Breaking the Doomscroll which brings together a leading academic, public policy thinker, journalist and digital entrepreneur to share ideas and insights about how to protect adolescent mental health in particular by changing the way we approach our consumption of news and social media.
Digital entrepreneur Jim Morrison will set the scene by sharing his theory of change to help counter the pernicious power of the algorithms that are designed to hold our attention at any cost.
Dr. Amrit-Kaur Purba, of the Digital Mental Health Group at Cambridge University will be sharing where the science is currently on the causal links between health and social media use, Sarah Gordon, LSE’s Visiting Professor will give her views on whether the media companies are stepping up enough with solutions, while the BBC’s Kamilah McInnis will talk about her view as someone who is both a multi-platform journalists and a mental health advocate.
These and circa 200 other events will be happening in different areas of the Eden Project, from the Core visitor centre to the rainforest among ferns and waterfalls. Not at all your average gathering!
