Turning ambition into action: A forward look for 2025 | Insights

Our 40th-anniversary celebration last November was a moment to reflect on how far we’ve come—and to look ahead to the work still to be done.

One of the key takeaways from the anniversary reception was this: the complex, interconnected challenges of our time—whether in public services, business, or society—demand unified, multi-sector leadership and action for lasting change.

As we step into 2025, this insight feels more pressing than ever, building on our recent impact.

Looking back…

In 2024, we made significant strides in fostering cross-sector leadership and collaboration, including:

  • Over 5,400 leaders who expanded their knowledge and networks through our cross-sector strategic policy dialogue programme;
  • 70,087 hours of cross-sector skill sharing and learning empowered organisations and individuals through mentoring, secondments and raids; and
  • 200 leaders who honed their skill set and mindset needed for today’s collaborative and forward-thinking leadership through development programmes.

We also published our ‘Cross-sector Collaboration at Work’ roadmap with our action plan out to 2030 to boost cross-sector collaboration to help drive economic growth and prosperity, built on insights from a survey of over 270 cross-sector leaders.

All of this is a testament to the unwavering commitment of our cross-sector membership network, and we thank you for your support in driving forward our work for the UK to be the best place for leaders to collaborate to help our country prosper.

… and looking ahead

And our work together continues. Technological disruption, climate change and the need for sustainable growth are deeply interconnected and offer opportunities to boost long-term economic growth and productivity by:

  • Unlocking the potential of education, skills, technology, and science;
  • Delivering on net-zero and sustainability goals; and
  • Providing world-class infrastructure, health and public services.

Achieving meaningful progress in all these areas and beyond - supporting the UK government’s growth agenda - requires leaders from all sectors to build more trust and confidence in each other. And as the lines between sectors blur, the potential for shared impact remains significant.

Of course, we also recognise the reality of the moment. Businesses, charities, universities and public bodies are navigating significant challenges, balancing immediate complexities with the need to think long-term.

We are here to help by providing a safe, trusted space to reflect and connect with other forward-thinking leaders. By working together across sectors, not just overcoming today’s obstacles, but also by building a prosperous future together.

There are three key ways to do this:

1. Develop cross-sector capabilities: The exchange of knowledge, skills, and talent between leaders across sectors is key to maximising the impact of collaborative work on shared challenges. Our tailored leadership development programmes, cross-sector secondments, mentoring, and NED and trustee placements will enable leaders to collaborate confidently across the sectors.

2. Engage in strategic dialogue: This is the foundation of trust, collaboration and progress. Through our hybrid policy dialogue programmes and networking sessions—briefings, senior roundtables, webinars, workshops, and dinners—we will create opportunities for leaders and decision-makers from across the sectors to exchange meaningful insights, build relationships, and tackle shared policy challenges.

3. Benchmark against best practice: Effective solutions require evidence of what works and what doesn’t. We will deepen partnerships with our global and regional collaborators to benchmark successful cross-sector initiatives. We will offer in-depth case studies, leadership series, and organisational raids that allow leaders to learn from best practices across sectors and equip them with the actionable insights they need to succeed.

I look forward to working together in the year ahead!

Written by

Neil joined WIG as CEO in May 2023 at a time when the charity’s purpose of encouraging better leadership, dialogue and collaboration across sectors for social, economic and environmental benefit is more vital than ever.

Neil spent over seven years as CEO at the charity WorldSkills UK, a network for raising training standards in apprenticeships, technical and professional education to world-class levels. Neil was previously Deputy Director-General and Chief Operating Officer at the business organisation the CBI, working for 12 years at the highest level of the business and government interface nationally and internationally.

Neil was also the former CEO of OUTstanding, a business network for LGBT leaders and their allies, and former deputy chair of Stonewall, the LGBT equality charity. He holds a PhD in race equality in the workplace and was awarded an OBE for services to diversity and inclusion in the 2019 New Year’s Honours List. In 2019, Neil was also awarded an honorary doctorate by Middlesex University for services to STEM education.

Neil enjoys reading and travelling and supporting his husband in the garden.

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