Day 1 at the #21CLHK Conference: Wrapped

Here’s a fun fact that might surprise some of you: I’m the Chief Learning Officer here at 21st Century Learning.

Now, that title sounds very official, but honestly? It mostly means I get to be the Chief Cheerleader. The real heavy lifting—the blood, sweat, and logistics that make these conferences actually happen—is all done by the brilliant Justin Hardman , Lii Jing ONG, and the rest of our dream team. I just get the honor of showing up and being a small part of the magic.

And what a Day 1 it was:

I had the privilege of warming up the audience and introducing our opening keynote, the incredible Dr Helen Wright. She set the tone perfectly, challenging us to lead lives of courage. Courage to reflect. Courage to remember why we started this journey in the first place.

I then moderated a panel on "Leadership in Uncertain Times" with four powerhouse leaders: Ron Roukema, Nooraine Fazal , Shirla Sum (she/her) , and Dr. Arnett Edwards . In a world full of complexity, they kept bringing us back to clarity: leading and living through our core values.

Jumped straight from there to a fascinating panel on financial literacy, facilitated by Jessica A. Hale, EdD , alongside Janet Yuen  from HSBC and John Tsang, the former Finance Secretary for Hong Kong. The intersection of education and economic reality has never been more critical.

I also joined an intimate leadership session with 40 incredible, invitation-only leaders. What a line up of presenters!

‍Douglas Kiang - from Detecting AI to celebrating using AI as Directors

‍Diana Hu McDowell - new school tool for identifying at-risk behaviors of students‍

Summer Howarth - powerful student stories by post-it notes ‍

Shane Leaning - leadership development

‍Joe Dale - using AI to create language songs for students

We shared short, distilled 5-minute presentations. Sometimes, constraints breed the best insights. If you can’t say it in 5 minutes, you probably can’t say it in 25.We wrapped it all up with a chilly but unforgettable junk boat cruise through the Hong Kong harbor. Because connection shouldn't stop when the sessions end.

Leadership is challenging. It can feel lonely at the top. But being in a room (or on a boat!) full of likeminded, passionate people who are navigating the same storms?

That’s not just encouraging. That’s inspiring.

Here’s to Day 2.

#21CLHK #Leadership #InternationalSchools #Courage #FinancialLiteracy #Community