Applications open for Franco-British Young Leaders scheme

Young professionals are invited to apply for the Franco-British Council’s Young Leaders Programme 2023, which aims to deepen understanding and collaboration between France and the UK through ongoing dialogue.

Applications were opened last week by the British Ambassador to France Dame Menna Rawlings and the president of the French branch of the Council, Hervé Mariton.

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The programme is designed to gather together a new generation of leaders from across different industries and disciplines – from politics to business to journalism to the arts – to help strengthen Franco-British relations within every aspect of society.

There are currently 134 people within the Young Leaders network, including a chef, a pianist, a poet, broadcasters, MPs, army personnel, CEOs and teachers.

You must be under 40 to apply to be part of the network, and have citizenship or residency in either France or the UK.

It is also not specified that you need to have any specific link with France or the UK if you are based in the other country. However, you will be asked how your contribution will help to strengthen Franco-British ties.

Members of the 2022 cohort include Dr Paul Morillon, an anaesthetist at St Thomas’ Hospital, London, Emmanuel Bouscasse, Head of Communications for the Rugby World Cup 2023, Florence Ostende, curator of the Barbican, London and Stephanie Childress, conductor.

Figures from past years include, French MP Olivia Grégoire, who is minister for small and medium-sized businesses, and BBC journalist and Woman’s Hour presenter Emma Barnett.

British MP Bim Afolami said of the programme: “I’ve got to know people that I would otherwise never have got to know, and that is such an important thing when you’re involved in politics.”

British Army Officer Sophie Spencer-Small said: “The main thing for me is being able to build those bilateral relationships early in my career. It’s incredibly important we do work together to benefit both of us, both for security reasons and for economic reasons.”

Members of the network attend formal meetings and events, but also communicate and collaborate on a more individual level throughout the year.

Applications can be submitted until January 6, 2023, at 23:59 GMT.

People interested in becoming a part of the network must fill in an application form and send it in along with their CV and a head-and-shoulders photograph to info@francobritish.com. Further information on the application can be found here.

The Franco-British Young Leaders Programme was first launched in 2017 by the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, having been announced in 2016 by former President François Hollande and Prime Minister David Cameron.

The Franco-British Council is an independent think tank launched in 1972, which describes itself as being “dedicated to strengthening the bonds of cooperation, mutual understanding and the friendship between [France and the UK].”

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