Reflecting on the 2026 NEXUS Europe Summit

In February I travelled to London to attend the NEXUS Europe Summit, representing NEXUS Australia and connecting with the broader global NEXUS community. The Summit brought together 150 next-generation leaders from across Europe who are driving impact through philanthropy, investment, entrepreneurship, and the arts. I was joined by fellow NEXUS Australia members Michelle Lin, Joel Tan, and Catriona Graveson, which created a valuable opportunity for our Australian delegation to experience the Summit together and reflect on how its insights could be applied within our local community.

Guided by the theme “Brave Voices and Bold Ideas,” the Summit created a space for participants to challenge assumptions, share transformative solutions, and explore new forms of collaboration. Through keynote sessions, workshops, and small-group discussions, delegates examined how emerging leaders can deploy capital, creativity, and influence to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.

The programme featured an inspiring range of speakers whose work sits at the intersection of culture, activism, and systems change. Highlights included environmental innovator Boyan Slat, founder of The Ocean Cleanup; economist Kate Raworth, known for her “Doughnut Economics” framework; writer and poet Lemn Sissay; and youth food activist Dev Sharma. The Summit also welcomed voices from the arts and storytelling world, including actress and activist America Ferrera and musician and conservationist Sam Lee.

The European context of these speakers offered practical lessons for Australian leaders: Boyan Slat demonstrated how large-scale environmental solutions can align with regional policy and infrastructure; Kate Raworth illustrated how cities and organisations are embedding ecological and social metrics into decision-making, inspiring Australia to adopt regenerative economic frameworks; Lemn Sissay, America Ferrera, and Sam Lee highlighted the power of storytelling and the arts to influence social cohesion and advocacy; and Dev Sharma showed how youth-led campaigns in Europe are shaping policy outcomes, a model Australia can adapt for climate and social initiatives.

I was also honoured to moderate a panel on mental health, featuring Peter Breitbart from Bloom Wellbeing Fund and Annika Sten Pärson from the Swedish-based organisation The Inner Foundation. The discussion focused on impact measurement and evaluation in mental health initiatives - a crucial dimension in ensuring that philanthropic efforts achieve real, measurable change. At Bloom Wellbeing Fund, impact measurement is built around the concept of the Wellbeing Life Year (WELLBY), a metric that captures improvements in self-reported life satisfaction on a 0–10 scale for one individual over one year. By using WELLBYs, Bloom can compare and assess a wide range of interventions through a common wellbeing lens, prioritising support for programmes that demonstrably increase life satisfaction and reduce suffering at scale. This evidence-based approach encourages rigorous evaluation and supports learning that helps funders and practitioners to refine and scale effective mental wellbeing strategies globally.

One of the most valuable aspects of the Summit was the opportunity to connect with peers from across the global NEXUS network. The relatively intimate scale of the gathering allowed for meaningful dialogue and genuine relationship-building. Conversations throughout the summit reinforced the importance of cross-sector collaboration-bringing together philanthropy, investment, entrepreneurship, and culture to drive systemic change.

For NEXUS Australia, attending the summit was an important opportunity to strengthen our connection to the global network and bring new ideas back to our community. Reflecting on the experience alongside Michelle, Joel, and Catriona also created space to consider how the lessons emerging from Europe could inform future programming, partnerships, and member engagement in Australia.

Overall, the summit reaffirmed the value of international collaboration within the NEXUS community. By connecting with peers who are working across sectors and geographies, we strengthen our collective capacity to address global challenges and support the next generation of leaders committed to creating positive social impact.

Reflection written by Lucy Steggles, Executive Officer, NEXUS Australia.