Thirty-two senior public servants from across the world arrived in Oxford last week to take part in the Rising Public Leaders Programme at the School — an intensive, immersive experience designed to equip public sector leaders with the tools, insights, and confidence to lead through complexity. 

Jacinda Ardern joins the World Leaders Circle, an international network of former heads of government, whose rich experience and insight shape the Blavatnik School’s work to improve governance across the globe.

On Tuesday 18th February, the Minerva Global Security Programme hosted sixty Officer Cadets from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and students from the Potential Officer Development Programme for a seminar on global security challenges.

With ransomware and AI-driven cyberattacks on the rise, the need for a safe and secure cyberspace has never been more important. To help governments navigate the cyber frontier and encourage the responsible of adoption of emerging technologies, the Blavatnik School is establishing the Oxford Programme for Cyber and Technology Policy.

The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP joins Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government as a member of the World Leaders Circle and a Distinguished Fellow.

The School remembers the loss of a colleague and friend, Professor Christopher Hood, who passed away in January 2025.

Professor Tom Simpson has been appointed as the second holder of the Alfred Landecker Professorship of Values and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government. 

Faculty and students reflect on a partnership driven by a shared commitment to ensuring that exceptional individuals from all backgrounds have equal access to educational opportunities that enable them to develop, succeed and give back to their communities. 

As we move towards the end of a year of elections which has put the workings of government in the spotlight, the new Blavatnik Index of Public Administration aims to start a data-led conversation about how civil services can improve their performance and learn from each other.