Taking a moment to pause is a key leadership skill. Life calls us to be always on but it’s in quiet moments that the skies clear and clarity arrives. As I sit here with a great cup of coffee under sunny London skies, reflecting on all the events that marked the 70th Anniversary of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Commonwealth Study Conferences in London, one message resonated above all others.
“When systems are pressurised and unstable, trusted relationships are the glue.”
These words, shared by Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Tania Baumann, captured not only the spirit of the CSC 70 celebrations but also the essence of what the Commonwealth Study Conferences have been building since 1956.
Across the week, alumni, delegates, speakers, and partners gathered to celebrate a remarkable legacy. Yet what stood out was not simply the history of the programme, but the living network it has created — thousands of leaders connected by a shared commitment to service, collaboration, and impact.
Our time together started with CSC Global Alumni CONN+CT. After lots of planning, collaborating, sharing, hustling and a bit of stressing it was exactly as planned and as unexpected as ever. You see the magic in CSC is never in the smart planning or the clever people you meet (don’t get me wrong those are definitely additive), but actually in the little moments when something so profound is said you wonder why you never understood this before.
Firoz Patel set great context in the Redbridge Library by reminding us that it’s easy to look at problems from altitude and think you can know the solutions but actually this has risks because “you’re a bit out of touch with the streets.”
This was the start of our study tour with the Redbridge Independents. A key theme that resonated across all the speakers was, what can we create that is bigger than us?
For the Redbridge Councillors and community it was a story of not knowing where to start but having the tenacity even so:
“I wanted to make a difference, but I didn’t know where to start… I was terrified… we didn’t have the resources, but we worked our socks off” to “it was a quiet revolution – movements begin like that, not with strategy but with a small voice or action”
It was about doing it even though you weren’t sure of the outcome:
“I didn’t expect miracles to happen… it was about sowing the seeds for my kids and their kids – having a mind shift – laying a platform for change.”
To the doggone determined:
“I walked 16000 steps a day” and “I should have started earlier”
And then we hit the streets of Redbridge. We saw the people, we heard the stories and then we slowed down for a moment at Valentines Park where kids played, young love relaxed under the trees and family connected. This was were we shared lunch and a few ice creams before heading for Frenfords, a place for the youth of Redbridge to connect, play sport and grow up … a place filled with the dream of:
“always being open 9am – 10pm, 7 days a week, a safe place for all youth”
It was here that Agnes di Leondardi, David McCredie and Faraz Khan shared their stories as alumni of how they found ways to use the lessons they had learnt on their CSC programmes to create something of impact.
Day 2 took a different shape as we sat in a wonderful space at Deloitte’s, surrounded by the hustle and bustled that is business doing its thing and explored the art of the possible. Here we got to tune into the incredible work being created by two passionate alumni, connected through shared experiences on their CSC programme, Nick Stubbs from Yorkshire in the UK and Sydney Henry from Jamaica. The potential they are creating is such a fine example of what happens when you don’t care who gets the credit.
And then there were new impact ideas galore thanks to artful facilitation by Suzanne Knight, with just a few bottles of Canadian maple syrup used for inspiration (and a bit of bribery)!! We are excited to bring these ideas to life with the passion of our alums to lend a hand. Think mentorship opportunities, platforms for knowledge sharing, networking, in-kind impact and an exploration of the possibility of building a CSCGA Impact fund.
We will keep you updated as these ideas come to life and welcome your input and support to take these to the next level. Full update coming soon!
Day 2 closed with an incredible dinner at St James Palace where HRH Princess Anne spoke passionately about relationships and partnerships.
We started the following day at Marlborough House at the CSC 70 Leadership Forum hosted by CSC Pakistan and Commonwealth Leaders Dialogue Canada, discussions explored the future of leadership, public trust, influence, technology, and the rapidly evolving challenges facing our societies. While perspectives varied and debates were robust, there was a common recognition that no single sector, nation, or institution can address today’s complex challenges alone.
Throughout our time together we were reminded that the true strength of CSC has never been the conferences themselves. It has been the relationships forged through the collective leadership community created. So, as we celebrate 70 years since His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh founded this remarkable experiment in leadership, remeber that its greatest achievement is not measured by events or milestones, but by the thousands of alumni who continue to carry its values forward.
These more than 8,000 CSC alumni across the Commonwealth form a unique leadership community — one connected not by geography or profession, but by a belief that meaningful change happens when people invest in relationships, build trust, and work together in pursuit of something greater than themselves.
The immediate CSC 70 celebrations may have concluded, but the work continues.
The challenge for all of us as alumni is not simply to honour the past, but to harness this extraordinary network to create new opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and impact for future generations across the Commonwealth.
Join us in the coming months as we continue to come together as alumni:
- to talk about the critical issues of the day at our online 3rd Tuesday speaker sessions,
- let us know how you are creating impact but dropping us a line and become part of our soon to start Impact series,
- and get together with your local alums and make an impact as part of our Global Shout out Day on the 27th July 2026,
- Add your voice to our CSC Impact study,
- Finally, play your part in contributing to growing the impact of this community by signing up as a CSC Global Alumni Fellow.
Because in a world facing increasing complexity and uncertainty, trusted relationships remain our greatest asset.
For more updates follow our CSC Global Alumni LinkedIn page.