As part of the Creative Boardroom initiative, Institute of Directors Northern Ireland in collaboration with programme partners: IoD Ireland, Creative Futures Academy and Forvis Mazar, welcomed  the Northern Ireland Chartered Director community to participate in a ‘design sprint’ at Queen’s University Belfast.

Over the last 18 months Chartered Directors (CDirs) from Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland have been participating in this pioneering, all-island initiative addressing the urgent challenge of climate change through creative collaboration and leadership.

This practical and engaging session demonstrated how design thinking can foster collective problem-solving and enhance awareness of both climate challenges and opportunities for leadership impact. It also offered Chartered Director members a unique opportunity to explore how boards can collectively “raise the temperature” in the boardroom to meaningfully address climate challenges.

The workshop was led by facilitators from Phase 1 of the programme including:

• Heather White, Nations Manager, IoD Northern Ireland
• Laura Magahy, Public Sector Consulting Lead, Forvis Mazars and Chair of Creative Boardroom
• Lara Hanlon, Lecturer in Design Thinking at IADT, design strategist, sustainability advocate
• Lucy McKenna, Learning Specialist, facilitator and coach, and co-founder of The Brave Lab;
• Louise Allen, Director of Creative Futures Academy, with extensive leadership experience in the creative and cultural sector both nationally and internationally.
• Sharon O’Connor, Chartered Director and Creative Boardroom Particpant.
• Sara Lynch, Head of Sustainability in the Estates Directorate, Queens University

This interactive session was intended as short but focused intervention to demonstrate how design-led processes foster a collective approach to problem-solving and increased awareness of climate challenges and opportunities. 

Over a focused 2 hour session, participants were guided through a design-led methodology to:

• Set a vision for the impact they wish to achieve at board level
• Define and frame key climate challenges
• Iterate through possible solutions
• Identify tangible actions to implement on their board

The event took place at Riddel Hall on the Queens University Campus in Belfast.

The Collaborate4Climate exhibition was designed using sustainable principles, spotlights key climate areas: transport and mobility, the built environment, agriculture and food, and consumables. We are fortune to have already toured host organisations in Northern Ireland including Belfast Grand Central Station, Translink from 19 – 31 August, and Invest NI Office, Bedford Square, Belfast from 4 – 19 September as part of phase 2.