Held each September alongside the UN General Assembly, Concordia is a leading convener of business, government and non-profit leaders, brought together to address the world’s most pressing issues. This year, 5 Marlborough College pupils were privileged to participate at the invitation of Libra Philanthropies through its Rising Global Leaders programme, which supports emerging leaders through mentorship, immersive learning and peer exchange. They joined 5,000 delegates, among them forty heads of state, at the Sheraton New York Times Square.
This year’s programme ran across six themes: Democracy, Security and Geopolitical Risk; Global Economy and Trade; Innovative Technology; Health Opportunities and Challenges; Energy, Environment and Transition; and Advancing Human Rights and Social Progress.
Day One, beyond George Logothetis’s barnstorming keynote, ranged across geopolitics and economics: reconnecting the Middle East to the global economy; Latin America, including a conversation with the President of Honduras; defending NATO’s eastern flank, with the former President of Poland and the Foreign Minister of Estonia; building critical mineral supply chains in the Americas; and the impact of artificial intelligence on investment and the future of work.
Running alongside was a thread on leadership: Lonnie Ali of the Muhammad Ali Center on leading with compassion, one act of kindness a day; Chris Bradley of McKinsey on a century of progress; and Patagonia’s Chief Executive Ryan Gellert, receiving the Concordia Leadership Award, on building a life around what you are naturally passionate about. The show-stopper was Wyclef Jean, in conversation with Iván Duque, former President of Colombia. His message was opportunity and respect: never look down on anyone.
Day Two was gridlock day in New York: UNGA 81, security exclusion zones, closed avenues, and motorcades sweeping out of the city’s finer hotels. A few blocks away, President Trump offered Iran a choice between a deal and annihilation. New York, in UNGA week, does not do understatement.
It began early, with an invitation to The Women’s Table, hosted by Nitzia Logothetis of the Seleni Foundation. Then the most moving moment of the Summit: the 2026 Concordia Leadership Award to María Corina Machado, Nobel Peace laureate and leader of Venezuela’s democratic movement. She appeared on screen. The award was accepted in person by her daughter Ana: heartfelt and dignified.
Other highlights: General David Petraeus on the new global security landscape. The US-Gulf Conversation. Rewiring Global Trade, with McKinsey and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund on supply chains being redrawn for a fragmenting world. A conversation with Prince Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Shah of Iran and the exiled figurehead of its opposition. Anthropic on AI for good. General Wesley Clark, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, on keeping accountability and a human in the loop on AI-enhanced kill chains. Baroness May on confronting forced labour worldwide. And, for those who chose it, Elmo.
The last talk was 9/11 at 25. Remembrance, first and foremost. But also, the sobering reflection that the unity of those days has long since fragmented, and the threats remain.
The Summit closed for us at the Libra Learning Lab, where the Rising Global Leaders programme held an inspirational event on achieving influence and impact. Diana Award holders gave moving testimony of the change they have made in their own communities: proof that impact starts where you stand.
What struck the pupils most across both days was the diversity of perspective in the room, and one consistent message from leaders addressing immensely difficult questions: optimism, with caution. One described the experience as being “a tiny cog in this incredibly complex machine of people”. A broader understanding of the world and the people shaping it, in two days. They came away inspired to make an impact.
We are extremely grateful to Mr Logothetis and Nitzia Logothetis (TU 1999-2001), and to Libra Philanthropies, for their generous invitation and hosting, and for the opportunity to be part of an eye-opening platform addressing global and societal challenges.
Owen Moelwyn-Hughes
