The Long Game
Some urgent problems, require patient solutions
John Maynard Keynes once said, ‘In the long run, we’re all dead’
In a world in which extreme need and unnecessary suffering are ever-present, a sense of urgency is what gets us out of bed in the morning. And yet, in international development, that urgency often excuses myopia. Too many programmes are designed to deliver ‘widgets of impact’ today, over compounding, long-term transformation. And so, tomorrow never comes.
It is precisely because every child deserves the best possible education, that we should focus on maximising impact over the long-term. This is as true for an international funder, as it is for a government or NGO.
And yet, everywhere, we see narrow plans and strategies filled with heroic, unrealistic assumptions, which fail to take the bigger picture into account. We see too much funding flowing into downstream efforts, where problems have become apparent and too little, tackling those problems at source.
What causes the gap between what is done and what needs to be done? And - more importantly - what can we do about it? ‘The Long Game’ tackles these questions and throws in some fun tales from the frontline along the way.
About me: After starting out as a maths teacher in London through the Teach First programme, I went on to found and grow the charity PEAS. When I stepped down after 12 years as CEO, PEAS had become Africa’s leading secondary education specialist. At the time, PEAS employed over a thousand staff running schools in rural areas across Uganda and Zambia. Since then, PEAS has really flown. Under the dedicated leadership of Laura Brown and Jenny Groot, the charity is now a trusted partner of the governments of Uganda, Zambia and Ghana. Its work supporting those governments to improve education outcomes for hundreds of thousands of children, shows what’s possible when an organisation is as dedicated to sustainability, as it is to immediate impact.
After PEAS, I spent six years as a funder, leading the Peter Cundill Foundation’s grants programmes across Canada, the UK and East Africa. In July 2025, I got the chance of a lifetime - to undertake a research fellowship that gave me the time to read, think and write.
I’m indebted to the vision, challenge and collaboration of Simon Coyle (XTX Markets) and Matt Lerner (Founders Pledge) who have given me this extraordinary opportunity. And to the many colleagues who have been so generous in feeding back on my writing. For their investment in these ideas to be repaid, I’m relying on you. Please do subscribe (it’s free!), feedback, share and let’s play the long game together.