A group of six Directors of Tomorrow students had the opportunity to attend the Institute of Director’s (IoD) mid-term event at St James on Wednesday 14 March thanks to an initiative created by the Ana Leaf Foundation nine years ago.
The students from the island’s sixth form colleges had been selected by their teachers for their interest in business and current affairs and were part of the 2017/2018 Ana Leaf Foundation’s Directors of Tomorrow.
The IoD (Guernsey branch) Mid-Term Review fell six months after its Annual Convention and focused on the island’s Digital Connectivity; one of the key “Infrastructure” deliberations discussed at the Convention.
The three winners of the 2017/2018 Directors of Tomorrow initiative; Nick Hutchinson, Eleanor Wallis and Abigail Dempster each commented following the breakfast event.
Miss Dempster said: “A key idea that struck me was that keeping up-to-date with the latest technologies is only effective if Guernsey has a specific purpose or aim in mind. This is certainly something for companies and for the States of Guernsey to consider when weighing up the cost and potential benefits of prospective technological investments.”
Mr Hutchinson said: “It was very intriguing listening to the panel discussing the comparison between Guernsey’s digital footprint and the rest of the world. It was clear to see that we should not be concerned about our digital infrastructure because it is nearly the same or just behind that of the UK. However, one thing which really stood out is the importance of education of using this modern technology.”
Miss Wallis also found the debate very interesting. “I was not particularly aware of digital infrastructure. It was interesting to learn about the scale of cables in and around Guernsey and also why many people are not paying for super-fast broadband,” she said.
The Directors of Tomorrow students attended last year’s IoD Annual Convention and drafted blogs summing up their experiences of the evening and expressing their views on the topics discussed. These blogs can be found on the Guernsey IoD website here: http://iod.gg/directors-of-tomorrow/
Miss Dempster from the Guernsey Grammar School & Sixth Form Centre, Mr Hutchinson from Elizabeth College and Miss Wallis from The Ladies’ College wrote the winning blogs which has earned them an educational trip to London this coming Autumn.
The 2017 chair of the IoD committee, Linda Johnson, said: “The Directors of Tomorrow initiative gives students the fantastic opportunity to sit amongst industry leaders and listen to their opinions on the current economic and political challenges. Digital connectivity directly impacts our businesses, our schools and our homes, and this impact will continue to increase with ongoing technological advancement.
“We are thrilled that six students, our leaders of tomorrow, were able to attend the Mid-Term Review as a forum for them to engage in local political and business discussions on digital connectivity, and feedback their thoughts and views accordingly.”
The Directors of Tomorrow initiative is now in its tenth year and since its inception over 80 young people have had the opportunity to engage with the IoD and their members – some of whom are now working in industry both home and abroad.
