The Institute of Directors Guernsey hosted its annual Spring Seminar last week, with speaker Andrew Doyle looking back at Guernsey’s many economic reinventions to inspire the audience to consider the island’s next phase of growth.
Against a backdrop of limited growth and productivity over the past 15 years, the seminar looked at Guernsey’s historical resilience and called for renewed collaboration, innovation and leadership to shape its future.
The event opened with a video presentation from Tristan Claridge, the researcher behind the Institute of Directors’ 2024 ground breaking Social Capital report, who set the scene by discussing the strengths and weaknesses and in the context of Guernsey’s current economic climate. He pointed to cultural barriers such as nostalgia, risk aversion and lack of consensus as reasons for stagnation and outlined how these attitudes can erode social cohesion and slow down progress. He encouraged more shared perspectives across different parts of the community and better support for leaders driving change.
Keynote speaker Andrew Doyle (pictured) – author of Reinvention Island – explored Guernsey’s economic history, tracing a pattern of reinvention through industries including wool, shipbuilding, granite, tomatoes and finance; each lasting between 50 and 200 years. Mr Doyle highlighted how storytelling plays a central role in economic identity and direction and challenged the current narrative of decline. His comments that Guernsey “delivers a masterclass in business success stories” was well received by the audience of local leaders. He called for Guernsey to adopt a more outward-facing mindset, considering how the island’s next ‘reinvention’ must be shaped by consumer needs and the global context.
A fireside chat followed, featuring Mr Doyle and transformation specialist Charlotte Light – moderated by Institute of Directors (IoD) Guernsey Chair, Glen Tonks. Mrs Light spoke about the need to engage the wider community, particularly through social media, and to support those driving change. She acknowledged the challenges of innovating within established sectors and stressed the value of backing early-stage ideas and emerging industries.
The conversations reinforced the need for a clear, compelling narrative about Guernsey’s future. Panellists agreed that continued adaptation and a move beyond traditional industries are essential for the island to stay competitive but there is much to be positive about.
Glen Tonks, Chair of IoD Guernsey, said: “The Spring Seminar showed there’s real appetite to talk about Guernsey’s future – not just the challenges but the opportunities too. Andrew Doyle’s message that Guernsey has always reinvented itself was timely, especially when you look at recent investment activity and transactions, represent a significant vote of confidence in Guernsey.
“To quote the IoD’s Economic Lead, Richard Hemans, “others see Guernsey as an attractive place to do business, and we should too.” That outside confidence is something we can build on.”
