Ten things we learned from our London Bravest Conference 2019

Wow, what a day. From surgery under gunfire to DJing at Downing Street, the amazing stories kept coming; we hope you enjoyed hearing them as much as we did.

For those of you who couldn’t be there, our speaker videos will be on our website shortly – but for now, here are some highlights:

1. The truly brave never think they are; instead, they have a determination to do the right thing and express their true selves. As Oxfam’s Helen Evans said: “A brave leader doesn’t walk away from the problem, they just think: we’ve got to tackle this.”
2. Psychologist Rob Poynton revealed the importance of pausing. “We can’t add more time to our life, but we can give more life to our time”. Use discount code "PAUSE" for a special offer on Rob’s latest book.
3. London Business School’s Professor Dan Cable reminded us that “work is not a commute to the weekend” and that it’s hard to inspire others if you don’t feel inspired yourself.
4. John Allan CBE, President of the CBI, believes that marketers have a particular need to be brave because they are the ones who must challenge the status quo. “And if marketers don’t speak up for change, who is going to?”
5. Former RAF Group Captain and CEO of British Ski and Snowboard Vicky Gosling OBE shared the secret to success, “be brave, never give up and kick the ass out of life.”
6. Former head of ‘Britain’s worst school’, Harrop Fold, Drew Povey gave a masterclass in holding an audience of 400 spell-bound with charisma and a bag of Quality Street.
7. Thomas Barta revealed bravery really works. Our Braveometer survey across 62 countries demonstrated that being braver matters more to your success than your expertise, your job title and even your personality.
8. Elizabeth Varley, CEO of Tech Hub, revealed that as a leader you need to “motivate, but don’t stress out your team” and celebrate failure – that’s how you learn.
9. Activist Gina Miller: “I’m not brave, I just do my best and speak up if something is wrong". "There’s a whole world out there that you can go and change. Do it."
10. And finally, our Chairman Craig Inglis wrapped up the day with the reminder that “it’s our responsibility as leaders to create the conditions for people to be brave.”

Our final speaker, the incredible Billy Monger, is also looking for sponsorship to help fulfil his racing ambitions. Please email Billy's PA, Eve Merrell, if you'd like to get involved.

We would love to know your thoughts on our Conference this year.

Diamond Anniversary Dinner

We’d love to see you at our Diamond Anniversary Dinner on 27 November. We have a handful of tables left, so join us to celebrate 60 spectacular years of the Society and our industry - book yours now.