On 18 June 2025, we welcomed friends, partners and collaborators to the BT Tower in London to mark a significant milestone: 21 years of the Leadership Centre. Over two decades, we’ve had the privilege of working alongside leaders across public services, local government, health, civil society and beyond – supporting them to lead adaptively, collaboratively, and with courage in complex and fast-changing environments.
Mark Rogers welcomes everyone
The day began with a welcome from our CEO, Mark Rogers, who reflected on what it means to practise adaptive leadership in 2025. In a world of growing complexity and shifting systems, he reminded us that the need for shared leadership across boundaries has never been greater.
The theme for the day, “How do we lead when the rules aren’t clear?” — framed a wide-ranging panel discussion, expertly chaired by Mel Nebhrajani CB, Director General for Litigation with Justice and Security at the Ministry of Justice, Leadership Centre Trustee and Future Vision alumnus.
Panel Reflections
We were joined by a distinguished panel:
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Simon Godfrey, Head of Government Relations at BT Business
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Lucy Smith, Heywood Fellow at Oxford and former Director General at Defra
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Jean Templeton, Chief Executive of St Basils
Together, they explored the tensions of leading in uncertain times, the importance of cross-sector collaboration, and the shared responsibility of rethinking our future.
Lucy Smith
Lucy Smith shared more about her research into how to make it possible to introduce a collective practice of national strategy-making – thinking about shared horizons as far away at 2040: “As a nation, we are being force to confront choices that we haven’t had to in the past – unavoidable trade offs. When we create joint horizons for the long term it allows the whole system to plan for the future on a shared basis. I don’t think the civil service is the steward of the long term on its own. The whole system needs to shift in how we think about the future. We must be much more outward looking and able to share ideas across central government, places and private organisations.”
Jean Templeton
Jean Templeton echoed concerns about short-termism and challenged us to consider how we design a system which avoids exclusion:“Short-term plans and funding are always an issue. We need radical creativity and strategic ‘doing’ to really tackle some of these issues. Strategy can’t just be a document that everyone agrees and then you file away – it must be something from which action flows on a very practical level. I’m surrounded by so many people who are dealing with the immediate, pressing issues day-to-day but these people are also often very well placed to understand the systemic needs and issues. The reality is that silos under pressure become more siloed – you end up with people using rules as ways to protect their own ‘silo’. But if you think of homelessness as the ultimate exclusion it brings the whole system into view. We have to design systems which eradicate exclusion – because if you design for the most vulnerable in society, you often create a system that also works well for everyone else.”
Mel Nebhrajani CB in conversation with Simon Godfrey
Simon Godfrey brought the voice of business into the conversation, sharing how he felt trust had been eroded, and how vital it was that business played it’s part in trying to restore trust with communities: “There’s an important role for business to step in and work alongside local, regional and central government to build a better bedrock of trust with people in places – because if we can’t reinvent our democracy in a way that we can trust each other then we have a big problem. Without trying to over engineer things, that is fundamental to our country’s future.
Mel added a powerful provocation about the role of the civil service: “We’ve been guilty, at times, of believing that leadership starts and ends with us; that we hold the answers. But that mindset doesn’t allow space for a different kind of conversation. It’s important that across the whole of the system we begin to think differently – perhaps it is about breaking the current rules, in order to re-form them?”
The floor also raised questions about the legacy of siloed leadership, the challenges leaders face in moving from defending their corner to leading for the whole system and what courageous leadership looks like in the current context.
Action Labs
In the afternoon, we moved into Action Labs – small, interactive table discussions that brought together diverse experiences and perspectives. These sessions invited participants to explore some of the most pressing challenges facing leaders today:
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How do we lead without clear rules?
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How can we build shared commitment under pressure?
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What does it take to lead beyond authority?
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How can trust, values and story drive system-wide change?
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What can we learn from places that get it right?
These conversations grounded the day’s ideas in practical challenges and opened up space for fresh thinking and honest reflection.
A View from the Top
As the event drew to a close, we gathered at the top of BT Tower on one of the most beautiful days of the year. Over a meal in the revolving restaurant, we enjoyed breathtaking views across London – a fitting way to mark 21 years of looking outward, leading across boundaries, and reimagining what’s possible.
Thank you to all of our contributors, speakers, facilitators and participants for making the day such a rich and meaningful celebration. You brought insight, challenge, creativity and energy – and reminded us why this work matters and is so crucial right at this moment in time.
As ever, we are here to support you. Whether you’re navigating complexity in your place, leading transformation in a system, or finding courage to lead beyond your authority – we have programmes and offers designed to help. Explore what’s available at here and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you would like to chat further.
Here’s to the next 21 years of great leaders and great places!