I’m truly delighted to share that I have been invited to deliver this year’s Sir Adrian Cadbury Lecture, hosted by the historic Lunar Society, on 10 November 2025 at Aston University.
The Cadbury Lecture is one of the UK’s most respected annual conversations on leadership and governance. Established to honour Sir Adrian Cadbury, whose 1992 report transformed the global understanding of corporate integrity and accountability, the series gathers leaders from business, policy, and academia to explore what “good governance” really means in a changing world. Previous speakers have included Baroness Louise Casey, Sir Vince Cable, Meg Hillier MP, and Nadhim Zahawi MP—and it is a privilege to continue that dialogue.
My lecture this year, titled “The Case for Ethical Leadership,” will ask a simple yet radical question: In a world gripped by crisis, what does it mean to be a good leader?
Moving beyond familiar rhetoric, the talk will use philosophical inquiry to confront the hidden ideologies that shape our institutions, reveal why technocratic compliance has replaced moral judgment, and explore how we might recover practical wisdom—phronesis—as the heart of leadership. I will argue that governance, at its best, is not merely a system of control but an office of conscience, a living architecture of responsibility, justice, and hope.
The Lunar Society’s legacy makes this setting particularly meaningful. Founded in the 18th century by pioneers such as Erasmus Darwin, James Watt, Josiah Wedgwood, and Joseph Priestley, the Society helped ignite Britain’s Enlightenment—bringing science, philosophy, and civic virtue together to advance human progress. Today it continues that mission: fostering dialogue between innovators, thinkers, and reformers who believe that knowledge must serve humanity.
If you’re interested in the future of ethical leadership, purpose-driven business, and the moral renewal of governance, I’d be honoured for you to join this conversation.
🗓️ 10 November 2025, 18:00-20:00, Aston University, Birmingham
🎟️ Free for students and Lunar Society members
More details and registration via the The Lunar Society. Many thanks to Deirdre LaBassiere LL.B(Hons) FTLS for the kind invitation!
👉 https://lnkd.in/dKqF5fim
Let’s rediscover what it means to lead for good—and to build institutions worthy of our shared aspirations.
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