The Conduit is home to a global community of people passionate about achieving positive social, environmental and economic change. The club was established in 2018, and its new home at 6 Langley Street, Covent Garden was recently opened by co-founders Paul van Zyl and Nick Hamilton (a human rights lawyer and financier respectively).
A haven of ethical hospitality to its 3,500 members, The Conduit comprises six floors of member spaces, a rooftop restaurant and terrace, bars, event spaces, a member-curated bookshop, podcast studio and workspaces for impact businesses. The newly opened ground-floor restaurant, Warehouse, is open to non-members, welcoming diners to join the journey to help drive positive change as they enjoy seasonal, sustainable food.
The design and décor principles throughout The Conduit and Warehouse are anchored around supporting gifted artisans from the Global South and circularity through the use of upcycled and vintage pieces.
The Conduit’s aim is to accelerate cross-sectoral collaboration and generate solutions to the world’s greatest challenges, including climate change, poverty, food security, global healthcare, sanitation and racial and gender equity. Its ethos is inspired by the African concept Ubuntu: ‘I am because we are’ and its core belief is that humanity’s greatest achievements come from cooperation and recognising our connections to one another.
Events and experiences have included speakers such as Al Gore, Muhammad Yunus, Christiane Amanpour, Alannah Weston, Richard Curtis and Afua Hirsch. The Conduit’s digital programming keeps the community connected wherever they are in the world, offering a diverse range of multimedia content.
The Conduit also implements strategic Impact partnerships with organisations that include Google and Unilever to inspire new ideas, come up with innovative solutions and amplify and accelerate corporate social impact and sustainability programmes.
In November, at COP26 in Glasgow, The Conduit hosted Conduit Studio from The New York Times Climate Hub. Throughout the conference, it broadcast cutting-edge insights and expertise in partnership with its Impact Partners Julius Baer, SYSTEMIQ and DLA Piper.
The Conduit’s community comprises changemakers from a wide array of backgrounds, including social entrepreneurs, investors, activists, academics and leaders from the not-for-profit space, government, INGOs, activists and the corporate world, with over 80 countries represented. Members come together to share skills, knowledge and resources, including capital investment. In 2021 it launched its Impact Champion Programme for a group of passionate and committed members who work with the community to deliver real impact around the areas they specialise in.
The Conduit’s vision as being a vehicle for positive change has been strongly reinforced since the club opened in Covent Garden with members able to meet, collaborate and participate in events in person as well as online. The Conduit is continuing to find new ways to catalyse its community in 2022, and is excited about the role it can play in the hospitality industry as the sector recovers and rises to the challenge of becoming more ethical and sustainable.
