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Bringing together thinkers, doers, and funders, the annual Skoll World Forum is a global convening of changemakers committed to tackling the world’s most pressing challenges. From March 31 to April 4, 2025, over 2,000 of us gathered in Oxford, UK, for formal sessions, fringe events, and informal spaces of connection. Ten Atlantic Fellows from four different programs were in Oxford for the week, with many of them gathering at the Atlantic Fellows Residence, Kopanong, to deepen bonds and build community.
The Forum is far more than a single event at Saïd Business School—its spirit spills into the city through two fringe programs: the Marmalade Festival, curated by the Old Fire Station, and The Sidebar, a participant-led space envisioned by Seth Cochran. These parallel programs have grown in stature and influence in recent years, with many of the visitors to Oxford enjoying these events exclusively, skipping the official Forum entirely due to the limited availability of tickets.
My week began with an energizing meeting with Mitali Mukherjee, director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. From there, I joined an impactful session on resourcing efforts to end gender-based violence (GBV) convened by leaders from Justice for Migrant Women; metoo; Collective Future Fund; Girls of Color; Children’s Rights Innovation Fund and Freefrom. The event framed GBV as a structural, economic, and social justice issue and the aim was to focus on how the people in the room could build a global movement. Attendees were encouraged to learn from the global majority—those working under resource constraints or authoritarian regimes—and to strategize with long-term vision, while honoring intergenerational progress.
The day closed with poetry, music and connection. Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of introducing this event’s organizer Dedo Baranshamaje from the Segal Family Foundation, to the Atlantic Institute’s local friend and ally - artivist and local councillor Dianne Regisford. They co-hosted ‘Spotlight Africa,’ a powerful celebration of African creativity, and a beautiful convergence of culture, purpose and community.
The following day was an opportunity to explore the potential for new collaborations with long-standing allies of the Atlantic Institute, including Tommy Loper, who is currently leading efforts to weave together the Aspen Institute’s diverse fellowship programs, and his colleague Stace Lindsay, a key force behind Aspen’s leadership initiatives. Over lunch, the Atlantic Institute hosted the Wasan Network, a global community of social impact and philanthropy practitioners committed to advancing relational approaches to change. Later we held dinner for Atlantic Fellows and leaders from Ford, Ashoka, TED, Moleskin and Echoing Green. We were also joined by Sowmya Kidambi, director and CEO of Barefoot College and Paula Moreno, president of Manos Visibles, values-aligned organizations also working for a better world.
Another highlight of the week was an event co-hosted with the African Diaspora Network, Moore Philanthropy, and the Rhodes Trust, Investing in African and Black-Owned and Led Businesses. Bringing together 80 investors and entrepreneurs, the conversation spotlighted systemic barriers—limited access to capital, income inequality, and underrepresentation in funding networks - and celebrated the ways in which these entrepreneurs continue to be powerful engines of economic growth and job creation, particularly within African and diaspora communities. James Muraguri participated on behalf of Atlantic Fellows in the panel conversation. Key takeaways included expanding diaspora-centered collaboration, building Ubuntu-rooted trust, and aligning financial strategies with cultural values.
Later that day, the Skoll World Forum officially opened with its Opening Plenary. The theme for the week—kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold lacquer—served as a resonant metaphor for our fractured world. Literally meaning "golden joinery," kintsugi embraces imperfection and finds beauty in the broken, inviting us to reimagine not only how we mend what’s fractured, but how we find strength and meaning in the process. Highlights of the session included a haunting conversation between Mary Robinson, Malala Yousafzai, and Shabana Basij-Rasikh on the continued erasure of women’s rights in Afghanistan, and an electrifying performance by Les Amazones d’Afrique an all-female musical collective from West Africa, known for using their voices and artistry to fight against gender inequality and advocate for women’s rights.
Later that night, the House of Creativity was unveiled—a new vision for the 2026 Forum, led by the Moleskin Foundation. Hosted in a reimagined car showroom opened by Oxford-based Fusion Arts, the evening celebrated art and creativity as a key driver of social change, with music from Jail Time Records and Bridges for Music inspiring a vibrant call to action.
The following day, the Atlantic Institute co-hosted a lively networking event with the Wasan Network, Segal Family Foundation, Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and The Bloom. Jasmine Anouna, founder of The Bloom, led the session where her brilliant ‘Cards for Courage’—full of bold and thoughtful prompts—got everyone talking. What followed was joyful chaos: noise, laughter, and a flurry of fast-paced, meaningful conversations as new connections sparked across the room.
Later that day, attention turned to the Skoll Awards for Social Innovation at Oxford’s New Theatre. Five organizations—Apis & Heritage Capital Partners, Earth Enable, Healthy Learners, Community Health Impact Coalition, and Pacto pela Democracia—were honored for their systems-changing work. The afternoon closed with Trevor Noah announcing the Khulani Innovation Fund, named for the isiXhosa phrase “we grow together”, aimed at transforming education through collective action.
On the final day, the closing plenary included a moving interview with Dr. Denis Mukwege - gynecologist, surgeon and founder and president of the Panzi Hospital & Foundation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This brought my week back full circle to the issue of GBV. Mukwege’s unwavering courage, quiet humility, and profound humanity were nothing short of breathtaking—a powerful reminder of what it means to stand for justice in the face of unthinkable cruelty.
While the Forum is known for its optimism, this year’s mood was more sober. Cuts in official aid, especially from the U.S., spurred concern and calls for greater philanthropic action. Some funders—including Jeff Skoll and the MacArthur Foundation—pledged more support, but questions remain about whether philanthropy can fill the gap. Meanwhile, voices from the global majority called for renewed agency, localized solutions, and deeper cross-border solidarity. Artificial intelligence emerged as a major theme, with strong calls to democratize its benefits and move beyond English-centric technologies. Amid these vital conversations, it would be remiss not to note that discussion of the ongoing crisis in Gaza—and its devastating humanitarian toll—was strikingly absent from the mainstage agenda; an omission that felt out of step with the social justice agenda.
This said, as I reflect on an unforgettable week, I’m left with a profound sense of possibility. From strategy sessions on dismantling systems of oppression, to evenings filled with poetry, music, and art, and through the wisdom shared by visionary leaders, artists, and activists—this gathering rekindled hope. The Forum and its fringe programmes reminded me that amid crises and disconnection, community remains our greatest source of strength. It affirmed that transformative change is not only possible, but already underway, led by those rooted in justice, resilience, and radical imagination. Though challenges remain—and intensify—the energy I witnessed was one of resolve, solidarity, and courage. The work continues, and so too does the weaving of relationships, the deepening of networks, and the planting of seeds for a more equitable future.
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