Next National Gathering | 10– 12 March 2027 | Eden Project
Next National Gathering | 10– 12 March 2027 | Eden Project
Next National Gathering | 10– 12 March 2027 | Eden Project
Next National Gathering | 10– 12 March 2027 | Eden Project
Anthropy started in the midst of a global pandemic. In 2021, business leader and serial campaigner John O’Brien MBE conceived Anthropy as a means through which Britain could emerge stronger after the pandemic and look to re-envisage itself and its role in the world.
His idea was to create a unique national gathering where responsible leaders from all sectors would converge. John chose the unique location of the Eden Project, Cornwall to provide a noteworthy backdrop for the gathering — somewhere that, in his view, is a remarkable illustration of visionary leadership and regeneration.
Today, Anthropy is a national membership network where leaders convene, collaborate, and collectively inspire action year-round.
At the time of the pandemic, John was the EMEA Managing Partner of a group of nine marketing, PR, creative, and digital agencies at Omnicom, the global marketing group, headquartered in New York. His previous experiences, which include working for the then Prince of Wales’s (King Charles III) charitable interests, a decade in the British Army, and creating one of the UK’s first specific ethical purpose agencies, led him to be deeply concerned as to how the British economy would re-start post-pandemic and the impact it had had on our society.
His previous philanthropy and social impact interests spanned thirty years. With that and his commercial connections, he felt able to mobilise a significant number of senior leaders from all walks of life, to answer his call, that the country needed a new forum where leaders could collaborate to play a collective leadership role in the country’s future. His inherent love of Britain and his belief that it is a positive force for good in the world, motivated him to create a movement of those who feel equally motivated to go beyond their own interests for the good of the country as a whole. From such experience and thinking Anthropy was born.
“What is the UK equivalent of the Davos gathering?”
This was the thought that ran through John O’Brien’s mind when he first conceived the idea of Anthropy. The answer, at the time, was that there wasn’t one. John recognised the potential of bringing people together to convene over shared long-term thinking around the future direction of Britain.
Anthropy was first held at the Eden Project, Cornwall in November 2022. John was the first person to hire the exclusive use of the Eden Project, creating an extraordinary fusion of leaders from business, societal organisations, the public sector, the arts, and sport, alongside politicians and academics.
John wanted to create a culture where leaders would leave their egos and silos at the door, to reduce the barriers to new discussions and an ability to shape positive, sustainable, and equitable change.
Anthropy23 doubled in size from its first year and is based around fostering change through three outcomes: first, to change practices in organisations; second, to build new partnerships; and finally, to influence policy and policy makers. It is now the largest gathering of cross-sector leaders, focused on Britain’s future with 2,000+ attendees, over 200+ sessions across 3 days, 15 stages with 600+ speakers.
What started as a national gathering has become a year-round movement for responsible leaders and leading organisations.
From year-round collaboration opportunities and unique national gathering benefits to exclusive member-only events and regional and national leadership alliances, being a member gives increased opportunities to have a positive impact on your organisations, your community and the nation as a whole.
It is through this continuous collaboration, commitment, and collective action that we can inspire a better Britain for all.
The national conversation about the future of Britain has transformed into an ongoing catalyst for action that aims to shape the national narrative and set a long-term vision.
We believe business can be a force for good. It’s not a ground-breaking belief. It is one that many businesses before us have upheld— and it’s one we want more businesses to foster going forwards.
The 1800s saw the likes of Cadbury, Lever Brothers, Boots, and Rowntree pioneer businesses on philanthropic values. More modern illustrations such as The Body Shop, Ben and Jerry’s, and Patagonia took the agenda further. Movements like that of B-Corps leverage their business influence to encourage positive impact.
Anthropy follows in this tradition, with social purpose at our core. We are dedicated to pioneering a new approach to convening leaders, fostering longer-term thinking, and cultivating a successful, sustainable, and more equitable society for all. We do this through our Anthropy membership, the national gathering, and ongoing research.
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