Systems, Courage, and Building What Comes Next
- Richard Kennedy
- Jun 18, 2025
- 2 min read
Last night, I had the privilege of giving the pre-dinner speech at the E3M Leaders Dinner – an evening filled with CEOs, strategists, and changemakers from housing, care, early years, justice, and social enterprise.
I opened with a quote I keep coming back to from the late economist W. Edwards Deming:
“Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets”
It’s a truth that’s both sobering and hopeful. When systems produce inequality, exclusion, or waste, it’s rarely due to individual failings - it’s the design. And the good news is, systems can be redesigned.
Right now, we have what I believe is a generational opportunity.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen:
£39 billion in UK housing investment announced, with funding for social rent
The launch of a National Housing Bank, unlocking £16 billion in public capital and £53 billion from private sources
The Small Sites Aggregator, which we’ve been proud to support, opening up small public land plots for affordable homes.
But here’s the challenge - if we don’t rethink how funding flows, who delivers, who owns the assets, and which values guide the work, we risk repeating the same broken outcomes.
At Cornerstone Place, we’re proving that another way is possible:
100% social housing, 0% profit
Assets kept in the hands of impact-makers
Blended finance — combining social investment with grants
Trauma-informed, net-zero homes for those too often left behind.
The leaders in that room - from Catch22 to Cranstoun, from LEYF to London South East Colleges — are already reshaping systems in their own sectors. We also have impact-driven partners like Stone King LLP, Zurich Municipal, and Buzzacott ensuring governance, risk, and capital align with purpose rather than ego or profit.
This moment calls for values-based, courageous leadership, leadership built on love, justice, and integrity, to leave a legacy of systems that truly serve.
Let’s keep building what comes next. Together.
A huge thank you to Jonathan, the E3M team, and everyone in the room for the thought-provoking conversations and hopeful energy last night!
Comments