This month, London played host to CSCLeaders, an annual global leadership programme which assembles exceptional senior leaders selected from government, businesses and NGOs across the 52 countries of the Commonwealth. CSCLeaders is a partnership between Common Purpose and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh’s Commonwealth Study Conferences (UK Fund).

This year’s CSCLeaders participants explored the Challenge: “What could be the future of energy in Commonwealth cities?” Using the city as their classroom, they discovered numerous ways in which London has responded to its urbanization, energy and climate issues by visiting organizations and projects that are challenging the traditional energy models and shaping the future of energy.

At City Hall, they heard from Shirley Rodrigues, Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy. Participants then went on to explore organizations as diverse as Battersea Power Station Redevelopment, East London Mosque, FareShare, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Energy Centre and the Peabody Trust. HRH The Princess Royal, who is President of the HRH The Duke of Edinburgh’s Commonwealth Study Conferences, joined participants throughout the programme.

Following the visits, the participants gathered to develop innovative prototypes in response to the Challenge.

“Common Purpose has been drawing on its deep local knowledge to develop leaders for nearly 30 years. We were delighted to welcome leaders from across the Commonwealth to learn from London’s innovations as well as its challenges. The positive impact of CSCLeaders is that it truly develops leaders who can cross global boundaries to solve big, complex problems. It was also a huge privilege to be joined by HRH The Princess Royal; her passion and commitment to developing leaders in the Commonwealth is an inspiration for our participants.”

Marie Mohan, CEO, Common Purpose UK

Find out more about CSCLeaders