One of the few positive effects of the Pandemic was that it made us all realise how much we valued things that we had previously taken for granted. The poet Edward Thomas wrote that ‘to name a thing beloved we sometimes fail’ and I think that there is great truth in this. Meeting colleagues face to face, chatting with them over coffee, swapping stories and experiences- these are all things that  were commonplace until Covid changed everything.

Over recent months I have had the privilege of attending leadership conferences in places as diverse as the UK, Cyprus and Singapore. At all of them I was struck by how much delegates valued the opportunity to spend time in one another’s company, sharing experiences and just catching up with one another. Whilst all of the conferences had an excellent set of keynote speakers, one of the most valuable parts of each event was this process of mutual sharing and learning from one another.

ICP colleagues will have seen that booking is now open for our Council Plus meeting in Singapore from 27-30 October. The event provides us all with that same chance to meet face to face and learn by spending time with one another. Council Plus offers a fantastic venue, a wonderful keynote speaker in the form of our friend Anna Pons from OECD and an exciting set of cultural tours. However, just as importantly, it also offers the chance for ICP members to meet face to face for the first time in three years. Please take this very special opportunity to spend time with the ICP community by coming to join us as we gather in Singapore.