Future Leaders Conference 2025

Last week, our Careers and Employability Team proudly hosted the second Future Leaders Conference 2025, bringing together a group of nominated students who consistently demonstrate leadership qualities across the college.
Hosted at The Chairman's Club, Etihad Stadium, the event was designed to help students collaborate with like-minded peers and further develop their leadership skills through engaging talks and workshops.

The day kicked off with a warm and inspiring welcome from our Centre Principal, Lisa Richards, who shared powerful reflections from her own leadership journey. As the driving force behind our college community, Lisa set an energising tone for the day, emphasising the significance of strong leadership and the value of transferable skills. Her words encouraged students to fully engage with the experience, recognising the personal growth and future opportunities it could unlock.

Lisa commented:

"What a fantastic day! As a college, we have a responsibility to play our part in encouraging and developing future leaders. Our student delegates and those from our partner high schools enjoyed hearing from a line-up of inspiring guest speakers who looked at leadership from different perspectives as well as participating in a range of activities to develop their own leadership skills. They represented themselves and their college/school exceptionally well and took a step further along the way to the very bright future I know they will have. A big thank you to our delegates, our guest speakers and college staff who made the day possible."

This year’s line-up of speakers was particularly inspiring, featuring Richard Bradley, European IT Director at Kellonova, Ed Darling, founder of Project Charisma and public speaking specialist, Grace Payne, Forensic Psychologist currently working at Styal prison, and Kathryn Burn, entrepreneur and finalist on BBC's The Apprentice. Each shared powerful insights from their personal and professional journeys, showing the many different paths that leadership can take. Students asked thoughtful, challenging questions and contributed with maturity and curiosity throughout the sessions.

Students also took part in a series of workshops, including a Leadership Qualities session led by our Vice Principal, Sheridan Lewis, alongside sessions run by academic staff that encouraged reflection, collaboration, and goal setting.

Event organiser Tony Payne, reflected:
“The Future Leaders Conference 2025 was a huge success, with students fully immersed in every part of the day. The speakers brought leadership to life and inspired students to pursue their ambitions with confidence. It was a proud moment seeing them engage so thoughtfully with our guests — they represented the college brilliantly and are well on their way to becoming future leaders themselves.”

Rachel Smirke, Assistant Principal - Curriculum and Progression also commented:

"This was the 2nd year of our Future Leaders Conference, and once again, it exceeded all expectations. The energy, passion, and insight demonstrated by our students truly showcased the incredible potential of tomorrow’s leaders. It was inspiring to see so many young minds engaged, motivated, and ready to make a difference."

The Future Leaders Conference 2025 not only enriched our students’ learning experience but also reaffirmed the college’s mission to empower and equip young people to lead with confidence, integrity, and purpose. Following the success of this year’s event, we hope the conference will now become an annual highlight in the college calendar.