On Thursday 3rd May 2018, Dr. Susan Laverick was invited to address Graduate Institute students enrolled on the 2018 Capstone Projects. The seminar explored the key challenges presented by group work in projects that require an ensemble, rather than individual approach to research.

The Capstone Projects are an integral part of the Graduate Institute’s Masters curricula and give external partners the chance to benefit from independent research and analysis that can, in turn, support the policies and programmes of international initiatives. Recent partners have included the World Bank Group, International Committee of the Red Cross, International Organisation for Migration, World Food Programme, World Health Organisation, UNICEF and Médecins Sans Frontières.

The seminar examined current theory in high performing business team dynamics and suggested ways in which this can be applied to academic research groups. Above all, it contested that the ability of research teams to successfully manage the challenges of delegation, collaboration, co-leadership, conflict resolution, cross-cultural conflict, time pressures and project management can only enhance their value to employers as future leaders in the highly competitive international sector.

House of Beaufort celebrated #IWD18 by launching a new Beaufort Syndicate in Muscat. Our patron for the event was Her Highness, Sayyida Basma al-Said, a member of the royal family of Oman.

We spent the evening in the beautiful garden of Her Highness’s Muscat mental health clinic “Whispers of Serenity”, an ambiance enhanced by scented flowers and olive trees. We were honoured to meet a number of influential Omani women, each of whom are agents of change in their particular fields of education, the law, entrepreneurship and the arts. Our discussions focused on how professional Omani women meet the challenges of blending careers with family/private life. They also addressed the importance of soft-skills for building stronger professional profiles and thus, greater confidence, and the difficulties women have when articulating their professional achievements.

These are, of course, all topics that resonate with women across cultures and continents. We were delighted by the warmth of our reception and the interest that the Muscat Syndicate showed in forging links with our European Beaufort Syndicates.

On 1st February 2018, House of Beaufort, under the patronage of a former senior trade diplomat, was delighted to launch the first of several international Beaufort Syndicates for professional women.

The Syndicate was launched in the beautiful environment of the Maison de la Paix, in Geneva, a stroll away from the UN and other international organizations. Locations are, of course, very symbolic, so we were delighted that our first meeting occurred in such an international house of global peace. Indeed, La Maison de la Paix is also home to the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining and the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces.

Our Syndicate guests included 10 senior professional women from across the international sector of Geneva and the evening focused on the individual narratives of these inspirational women and focused on how we blend career with family life, address professional identity after sabbaticals and other core themes.

We are very excited with this launch and are looking forward to other “sister” events, in other cities, throughout 2018.

How do you ensure that your organisation’s core message is conveyed to a global audience of international diplomats, investors and peacemakers, in just two minutes?

How do you distil your philosophy and key achievements so that an audience is totally engaged by an inspiring narrative that showcases rather than highlights your platform? Above all, how do you motivate an audience of 900-plus to invest, emotionally and professionally, in your work?

Alejandro Reyes Lozano, from Bogota, Colombia, is currently training women from six Latin American countries to develop the critical skills required for peace-building and conflict resolution in their communities. Above all, this project aims to create an international network of women peace-makers. Alejandro was also a highly-respected government peace mediator with the FARC guerrillas and a key leader in the negotiations that ended decades of civil war.

Kiran Singh Sirah is the charismatic President of the International Storytelling Centre in Tennessee, USA.  The global centre uses the concept of “storytelling” as a cathartic technique for victims of violence and a vehicle for peace-building and positive change.

Taylor Cass Talbott has developed a global grant to improve sanitary conditions for waste collectors in Pune, India, and has transformed lives by adding dignity and safety to their working conditions.

Safina Rahman of Dhaka Mahanagar, Bangladesh, is a visionary advocate for women’s rights and as the owner of a garment factory was the first employer to provide maternity leave and health insurance for her female employees.  She is also committed to furthering the educational opportunities of impoverished girls.

Ann Frisch has focused her efforts on building unarmed civilian protection units during armed conflict. Her Southern Thailand Peace Process Training Program has established units that protect women and children from rape and abuse, while providing “safe zones” that remove families, teachers and community members from the radar of daily armed conflict.

Jean Best (Scotland) has designed a peace project that teaches teenagers the conflict resolution skills that may then be used to build “peace-related services projects” in their schools and wider communities. She has also created peace hub models in Australia, England, Mexico, Scotland and the US.

Over a period of several weeks, we worked with the Laureates, ensuring speeches were polished, rhetorically sound and perfectly pitched to the audience.

We were delighted to be involved with Rotary International on such a worthy project and look forward to continuing our relationship with the organisation in the future.