This week, North London Collegiate School hosted its inaugural Geography Conference, Power, Place and Global Change, welcoming over 100 students from across North London to explore how geography continues to shape power in an increasingly complex world.
The conference was organised and chaired by Year 12 student Siya, who designed the event to challenge traditional perceptions of geography as the study of physical landscapes alone. Instead, the programme highlighted the subject’s growing relevance to geopolitics, geo-economics, security, risk and resilience. Students from Park High, St Margaret’s, Bentley Wood and Merchant Taylors joined NLCS pupils for an evening of discussion with speakers from academia, intelligence and the private sector.
Following a short notice speaker change, Siya opened the conference with a student lecture on geo-economics, exploring how power now flows through supply chains, resources, technology and infrastructure as much as through borders and territory. This academic framing was followed by a keynote address from Sir John Scarlett, former Chief of MI6, who reflected on how geography continues to underpin global security, intelligence and geopolitical decision-making.
Sir John Scarlett, former Chief of MI6
The final session featured Tom Clementi, CEO of Pool Re, who demonstrated how geographic risk is translated into real-world policy and business decisions through terrorism insurance and national preparedness. A concluding panel discussion and student Q&A brought together all three perspectives, showcasing the intellectual curiosity, confidence and global outlook that characterise geography at NLCS.
Tom Clementi, CEO of Pool Re
