The Art of Creating Value: Weaving love, leadership and legacy into climate action

Last week, as part of our broader support for X London Climate Action Week events, SEC Newgate hosted The Art of Creating Value, a day-long gathering at Dr Johnson’s House in the Fleet Street Quarter.  

Following its debut at Davos in January 2025, and co-curated by our very own Naomi Kerbel and Johanna Zuleta, Founder and Director of La Zuleta, The Art of Creating Value brought together leaders from finance, philanthropy, education, activism and the arts to explore how we can reimagine value in human, emotional and ecological terms, as well as economic ones. 

“We are missing the human side,” said Zuleta in her opening remarks. “What we’re aiming for is to humanise the story and personalise it. Each of us is a shifter of narratives.” 

Across 3 panels and a hands-on creative session, that narrative shift was palpable. From private capital to public storytelling, love-based leadership to global fora, the day offered incredible insights, stitched together by the shared belief that transformation begins with connection. 

Redefining capital 

In the historic Room of Letters at Dr Johnson’s House, the Private Wealth Stepping In panel opened the day’s discussions with a powerful exploration of how family offices, philanthropy, and private capital are stepping into the climate space to redefine what capital can do when guided by trust, shared purpose, and intergenerational responsibility. 

Juan Carlos Jintiach Arcos, Executive Secretary of the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities, spoke with heartfelt urgency about the centrality of land and territory to Indigenous identity and survival.  “If we lose the territory, we lose everything,” he said. “We are not just beneficiaries; we are right holders.” 

Casey Box, a strategist for Indigenous rights, echoed the call for deeper partnership. “Too often, Indigenous peoples are seen as chess pieces in a larger climate game. We need to support their own economies, not just direct capital at their issues.” 

Tim Stumpff, an impact investor, brought the conversation home with stories of community-owned energy projects in the UK. “This is what a just transition looks like: local control, shared benefits and democratic governance. But philanthropy alone isn’t enough. True self-determination comes from democratic structures.” 

The message was clear. Capital must be aligned with values as well as with returns. As Elina Rolfe of the Global Climate Solutions Initiative put it, “Impact investing is about intentionality. It’s not just about managing emissions, it’s about solving problems systemically.” 

Leading with love and the emotional revolution 

If the morning was about money, the afternoon was about meaning. The Love-Based Leadership and Wellbeing Economies panel asked a radical question: what if love were not just an emotion, but a leadership principle? 

“What if love wasn’t just an emotion but a fundamental operating principle?” asked Joshua Abramson, founder of the ‘I Love You’ World Movement, as he described how his work with global corporations like Hitachi is helping embed sustainability and emotional connection into business cultures. 

Mary Lyn Campbell, a global education leader, added, “The next revolution isn’t technological - it’s emotional. We need to teach children how to be present in love, how to build sacred relationships, how to lead with empathy.” 

Stephen Priestnall, Director of Wellbeing Economy Wales, agreed, noting that even in economically deprived areas of Wales, people overwhelmingly preferred the idea of a wellbeing economy over a consumer one. The emotional revolution is “already happening,” he said. “We just need to find it, name it, and build from it.” 

And Pinky Lilani CBE, founder of the Women of the Future Programme, reminded us that kindness is no longer a soft skill - it’s a strategic one. “Everyone can be kind. You don’t need a degree or money. Just be kind, and it will come back to you.” 

Global fora, local threads 

The final panel of the day brought together a powerhouse of voices to reflect on the role of global gatherings, like COP and Davos, in shaping climate action. Moderated by veteran broadcaster Stephen Sackur, the session was both candid and hopeful, probing the utility, limitations, and future of these world fora.  

“These events are chaotic,” said Dr Charles Ogilvie OBE, “but they’re chemical reactions. You get compound effects, unexpected meetings, new initiatives, shared humanity.” 

Heather Buchanan of Bankers for Net Zero agreed. “COP26 fundamentally changed how the financial sector engages with climate. It created a cadence, a rhythm, that keeps pressure on and allows us to hold people to account.” 

But there was also a call for decentralisation and decolonisation. “The system is Western-centric,” said Bradford Willis of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment. “Countries in the Global South participate out of necessity to access funding. But we need to shift power to middle powers like Brazil, Indonesia and Kenya, who are already driving the green economy.” 

Patrick Keogh, Partner at PlasticFree and a creative strategist, brought it back to storytelling. “We’re terrible at messaging. We need many stories for many audiences. And we need to stop putting all the guilt on consumers. Industry must lead.” 

The panel closed with a powerful reminder from Ambassador Dr Josephine Ojiambo: “Communities must shape policy. We need to shift power within institutions so that civic voices are heard.” 

Changing the language of value 

Throughout the day, the spirit of Dr Johnson lingered, not just in the walls, but in the words. “We are redefining many things in this very room,” said Zuleta. “Including the meaning of value.” 

From the financial to the emotional, The Art of Creating Value offered a new language for climate action, one rooted in reciprocity and radical hope.