Our Mission

to inform, support, inspire and impact great leadership everywhere..

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About us...

In 2025, we celebrate 25 years of delivering ground-breaking research, thought provoking opinion pieces, stimulating conferences, and outstanding events worldwide. We continue our vital work with:

  • Top Teams & Boards where we focus on performance and results with organisations across the UK, Europe, Africa, Asia, UAE and USA.
  • Mentoring providing a sounding board, guidance, and a constructive mentor in total confidence to those who face increasing challenges including CEOs and Executives.

Leaders today face increasing disruption, complexity and uncertainty. Recognising how the world has changed, we’ve launched two new programmes.

  • Advanced Diploma in Leadership Education to support our leadership development community to be at the forefront of this new paradigm to support their clients success.
  • WAVE Leaders do not stop being leaders when they leave full-time work. They want to continue to contribute. WAVE stands for Wisdom to Add Value to others in society and in doing so, gain Enrichment. We help the transition that may be building a portfolio agenda or supporting a charity for those struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.

Our core team

CEO Hilarie Owen founded The Leaders Institute in 2000 as a not-for-profit research and innovative ‘out of the box’ leadership organisation. She is a political scientist and recognised expert on how individuals learn and emerge as leaders across society. Hilarie is the author of ten books on leadership and a regular speaker at international conferences. Her groundbreaking study with the RAF Red Arrows identifying the critical elements of leading a world-class, high performing team forms the basis of the Institute’s methodology.

Academic Adviser and head of Pedagogy is Dr Tracey Manning, a psychologist specialising in leadership who has been an academic with the University of Maryland, USA. The Leaders’ Institute is also supported by an international team of visiting professors. Fiona Driscoll Chairs our board. She is an experienced CEO and Chair across the public, private and third sectors.

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Fellowship

Individuals

Fellowship of The Leaders Institute is by invitation to those considered to have made a positive contribution to society through their leadership. With CEOs from business, the public and third sectors, scientists and engineers, entrepreneurs, policy makers, Team GB Olympic Head Coaches, academics, leaders in education, health, sustainability and climate change are examples of our Fellows. Fellows are chosen for their contribution and abilities to change the future for the better. Each is chosen with care and a belief that they can make a significant difference.


Leadership Developers

The Institute supports exceptional facilitators, coaches, trainers, learning & development experts and academics in the field of leadership. Fellowship is also available on successful completion of The Leaders Institute Advanced Diploma in Leadership Education.


Benefits to Fellows

Fellows of The Leaders Institute are a global mobilising network of leaders who share our values and are involved in shaping the future. Fellows have access to the latest new ideas, innovative research, a network of forward-thinking peers, the opportunity to exchange ideas, and a voice for influencing change. Each year we hold an event where the ‘big’ topics affecting leaders are discussed and acted on. You receive monthly Insights and have access to an online series of interviews with remarkable leaders across the world.

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Advanced Diploma for Leadership Educators

Leaders today face increasing challenges, complexity and uncertainty so it is vital to ensure you are at the forefront of this new paradigm to support your clients successfully.

Our world has changed dramatically in the last few years, and we are all feeling the effects whether of AI and digitisation, geo-politics, concerns about the environment, shareholder accountability, diversity and inclusion. All are on our doorsteps and in the boardrooms. This complexity and disruption has changed the role of leaders and how they see and understand themselves, organisations and the world.

The Leaders Institute Advanced Diploma addresses the challenge by advancing the thinking of individuals responsible for developing leaders in this new world. Tackling this successfully is no longer about skills and information but how we think. It is our assumptions, thinking and beliefs that shape our decisions whether as leaders in business or public services.

Organisations today require those responsible for developing leaders not only to understand the new paradigm but to enable leaders to understand it and act accordingly. On a personal level, this will enable participants to be confident explorers and pioneers and develop their thinking to deal with more complex issues in the development of leadership in organisations.

Cohorts are limited to 12 to 16 participants to enjoy a rich and stimulating atmosphere, where everyone can contribute. It will question how our thinking and views of the world impact on our work with leaders. Participants will work in small working groups to explore the relevance of issues raised in their work.

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senior leaders

WAVE the next stage for senior leaders

Many CEOs and senior executives are thinking ‘what next?’ WAVE supports leaders to enter a life stage that is liberating and purposeful, expanding their world while addressing some of the challenges of society. Leaders reject old notions of ‘retirement’. However, the transition is often difficult when a person’s life has revolved around their identity as a successful leader. WAVE stands for Wisdom to Add Value to others and society and in doing so, gain Enrichment.

WAVE builds on our research report The Power of Age - a study of senior executives including CEOs who are 50+, well-educated, financially secure and fit. They don’t want their talent to be wasted.

The WAVE programme promotes ‘out of the box’ leadership for this next Enrichment phase to increase cognitive capacity to deal with wicked, complex issues; build greater self-awareness and, critical analysis to unleash their potential in a new life stage. Participants will join in dialogue with peers. They will complete their own action plan of their chosen area of ‘work’ of what to do next. There will be peer to peer collaboration and deep dives into one major global or community challenge.

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info@welead.org.uk

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