We were honoured to welcome Lord Francis Maude, Chair of the Governors at Brighton College, to our Brighton College Vietnam campus last Friday. 

With a long-life career in politics, governance, and leadership, Lord Maude shared his experiences with our Year 11 pupils, who are approaching a significant milestone in their educational journey and offered invaluable advice to help them navigate the challenges ahead. 

A key theme of his message was the importance of confidence, following our core values: “Be confident without arrogance. Believe in yourself, because if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will.”

Lord Maude also shared his thoughts on leadership, reminding our pupils that to be a true leader, one must first inspire belief in others: 

“The most important thing in leadership is to have people believe in you. No leader gets everything right all the time so it’s been willing to listen, willing to hear and at the end of the day, to make decisions and to take people with you. The best culture in any organisation is that people are encouraged to be challenged but are required to take personal responsibility for what they do. It’s that you lead by example. You have to lead from the front and you have to have people believe in you.” 

We are deeply grateful for Lord Maude’s wealth of knowledge he imparted. His insights on leadership, resilience, and patience remind us all that challenges are part of life, but with time and reflection, there is always a way forward.

Thank you, Lord Maude, for your time and your continued support for Brighton College’s mission to nurture confident, kind, and curious young leaders.