October 2008

It has been another really busy three months since I last wrote to you.

Windsor Castle – Oh what a night!
Many of you will have read my piece Oh what a night!. The Gala Dinner, in the presence of HRH the Prince of Wales, at Windsor Castle on 2nd July 2008 was, perhaps, the highlight of the life of the Technology Leadership Group. Around 270 guests attended a glittering evening and we raised £230,000 as a result. Many thanks to McAfee for their kind sponsorship.

But the event meant far more than the funds raised. It was a big thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to make the TLG such a success. I also think it created huge goodwill which, I am sure, will stand us in good stead in attracting new members and keeping the ones we already have. We also gained considerable press coverage as a result of the event.

If I have one personal long-lasting memory of the night, it is the smiles on the faces of everybody who met HRH. HRH has a huge talent for making everyone he meets feel special – an encounter I know they will remember for a long time.

Financials
As I reported in my last update, we have set a fundraising budget of £1.67m for FY09; up 26% on FY08. We have started well and I expect us to be on, or slightly ahead, of budget at the halfway point on 30th Sept 08.

We are as ever aware of the fact that our members can be affected by the wider business environment. So we will have to work even harder to attract new funds and retain existing members. Of course, the very social issues that The Prince’s Trust addresses are actually exacerbated by the downturn so it needs funds even more in such an environment.

New members
Following on from our first new patron of the financial year – CSC – we are delighted to welcome three additional new members:

• Software AG
• Redstone Communications PLC
• Advanced Micro Device (AMD)

We have instigated a monthly phone-in update on new prospects which seems to be working well. Indeed, our prospect list looks pretty encouraging. But we need more! If you have any suggestions for companies or individuals who might be interested in joining the TLG, please let us know

Events
As well as the Gala Dinner, we held a very successful Cultivation Lunch on 7th July for prospective technology philanthropists at the House of Lords, hosted by Lord Young. We are holding a further Cultivation Lunch for new Corporate Members at the House of Commons on 15th October.

On 15th September we have another in our series of Members' Lunches, sponsored by law firm DLA Piper – this time with Lord Adair Turner, Chair of the Climate Change Committee.

Ian Livingston, the new CEO at BT, will be introducing my 'Revolution'-themed presentation at the annual ICT Leaders Dinner atop BT Tower on 25th September. All the tickets have been sold but there are the inevitable last minute cancellations. So if you would like to come, please make Jamie Webb aware.

The future events list is now regularly updated on the TLG website.

Can I particularly ask you to ensure that you have 26th November (4.00pm – 6.30pm) in your diary for our AGM as it is important that every member is represented.

Sponsor(s) required for our Winter Reception on 8th December
Our Winter Reception will take place on the evening of 8th December at the V&A. this will include a celebrity speaker as well as a private viewing of the Cold War exhibition. It is, as always, a very ‘partner-friendly’ event and an excellent start to the festive season. Obviously we hope that as many members as possible attend (every member company gets two free tickets). But we also hope:

• you will use the opportunity to bring as many guests as you can. Tickets cost £250 or £400 per couple.
• you will help find one or more sponsors for the event. If you are interested, Jamie Webb can provide further details of the sponsorship packages available.

Challenges
The CapGemini Wild UK Challenge will took place for the second time in early September, with participants mainly from TLG member companies going ‘coast to coast’ from Somerset to Devon. There were around 150 people registered for the event, which is significantly up on last year.

The Challenge took place on the same weekend as the Palace to Palace bike ride, which is in its third year, in which a number of TLG member company employees are taking part.

A number of TLG member companies have given some of their employees the chance to participate in short term activities with Trust courses, such as 1-day interviewing workshops and Team courses. We are actively exploring mechanisms to be able to offer this in great volume to all members. If this is of interest to your company please let us know.

Million Makers
The summer also witnessed the launch of Million Makers, which pitches teams of employees from different companies against one another with the objective of raising £20,000 profit from a business idea. This year 50 teams from companies including Accenture, Fujitsu and Oracle will be taking part, which should raise in total £1million to support our programmes.

And finally…
A big thank you to everyone for your support for the Trust. In particular, to the TLG Committee Members who put in so much hard work and to Jamie Webb and all the team from The Prince’s Trust for their continued enthusiasm, dedication and professionalism.

Kindest regards

Richard