What is LEAD?

LEAD is the largest global NGO focusing on leadership for sustainable development.

What does LEAD do?

LEAD equips emerging leaders from around the world with skills for sustainable decision-making and provides them with a network of their peers to help them address sustainability challenges.

How long has LEAD been operating?

LEAD was established in 1992 as an initiative of the Rockefeller Foundation, one of the oldest and largest private charitable organisations in the world. The idea of LEAD grew out of discussions between the Rockefeller Foundation and Gro Harlem Bruntland following the publication of her Commission's seminal report in 1987.

How does LEAD work?

We work through 12 global member programmes that deliver training to new LEAD Associates and support our network of 2300 LEAD Fellows.

What are Member Programmes?

LEAD Member Programmes are organisations that deliver our mission in different parts of the world. Lead currently has 12 Member Programmes: Anglophone West Africa, Brazil, Canada, China, CIS, Europe, Francophone Africa, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, and Southern and Eastern Africa.

What is LEAD International?

LEAD International is the London-based LEAD secretariat.

What is an Associate?

An Associate is someone who is currently undergoing LEAD training.

What is a LEAD Fellow?

A LEAD Fellow is someone who has graduated from a LEAD training programme.

Who are LEAD Fellows?

Our Fellows are mid-career professionals who have demonstrated leadership potential and a clear commitment to sustainability. We place a strong emphasis on ensuring our participants are from a range of sectors and countries – a large proportion are from developing and middle-income countries, particularly in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

How do I become a LEAD Fellow?

When considering candidates for the Programme we take into account the following key knowledge, skills, awareness and values:

• Demonstrable leadership experience and future potential
• Knowledge of sustainable development
• Commitment to sustainable behaviour in your personal and professional life
• Willingness to learn
• Self awareness
• A commitment to the mission, vision and values of LEAD
• Potential to become an active member of the LEAD Network
• Ability to work collaboratively in cross sector culturally diverse teams

Training is run by member programmes. If you would like to become a LEAD Fellow, please contact your nearest Member Programme.

What is the LEAD Network?

Once someone has undergone LEAD training, they become part of a network of sustainability leaders whose personal and professional contributions are informed by a shared commitment and understanding of what it means to be a responsible leader. The Network is made up of over 2300 LEAD Fellows from 96 different countries who work individually and collectively with other Fellows to address sustainability challenges.

LEAD International supports the Network by providing a global online community, coordinating communications between Fellows, sharing the results of Fellows' work and promoting opportunities for professional development and collaboration.

Who are LEAD's partners?

LEAD works with a wide variety of partners including the Department for International Development (DFID), the Big Lottery Fund, Shell Foundation, HSBC and the Tellus Mater Foundation.

For more information about our partners and the projects that they are involved with, please see http://www.lead.org/about/our-partners

Partnerships will be critical to the design and implementation of the new LEAD 2.0 model and we are inviting leading thinkers, practitioners, and organisations to join us in an exciting process of co-creation. Opportunities exist to contribute to the design process, pilot LEAD's new innovative learning experience, and contribute to a LEAD Foundation which will provide scholarships for sustainability leaders from the global south and invest in innovative projects developed through the LEAD Network.

What is LEAD 2.0?

LEAD 2.0 is an exciting transformation process that will allow us to increase the reach of our leadership programmes through a dynamic approach that blends online and face-to-face learning. Key to this transformation is a new operational model to secure our future as a self-sustaining social enterprise.

Why is LEAD changing?

As we approach our 20th anniversary, LEAD's mission to inspire leadership and change for a sustainable world has never been more relevant. The world has changed profoundly in the last 20 years however, not only in terms of the acceleration of environmental damage and social inequity, but also the resources and technologies available to address these issues.

Inspired by this rapidly changing sustainability landscape, LEAD has challenged itself to harness new developments in learning and leadership and transform the way it operates. This transformation process - known as LEAD 2.0 - will allow us to continue our mission to inspire leadership and change and also significantly increase the reach of our Fellowship programme.

How will the LEAD 2.0 transition process work?

The design and development of LEAD 2.0 will be achieved through a system of nine work streams that cover all areas of the transition process. The work streams will be managed by LEAD staff and will seek to involve representatives from the Fellows and external experts in an advisory capacity. We will launch the new LEAD 2.0 model in June 2012.

What do the work streams cover?

Work stream	Key aims:
1. Market research	Understand the market that LEAD operates in Identify the learning needs and preferences of our target audience
2. Transition communications	Identify internal and external communications needs for the LEAD 2.0 project Engage stakeholders and support two-way communications and information exchange
3. Learning system and network platform	Design and develop the core LEAD 2.0 offering Design, build and develop a technology platform to provide virtualised learning, social networking and knowledge management
4. Commercial modelling and financing	Design a self-sustaining economic model for LEAD Identify new commercial opportunities Establish a LEAD Foundation Fund and investment mechanism
5. Results framework	Design a monitoring and evaluation framework to improve performance and provide accountability and proof of impact to partners, funders and participants
6. Partnership and marketing	Identify a range of partners to support, deliver or contribute to the LEAD 2.0 project and its development (e.g. technology partners, knowledge partners, delivery partners, funding partners and potential service recipients)
7. Global project support facility	Define and develop a network-wide support hub for Member Programmes and Fellows seeking to develop projects and activities outside the core LEAD activities
8. Network governance	Redesign governance arrangements for the LEAD Network Design a new structure for Network-wide decision making
9. Organisation Development	Build LEAD's organisational systems and capacity Ensure that the internal team structure and capability is fit to both drive the LEAD 2.0 transition process and deliver the resulting operational model

Who will be working on LEAD 2.0?

The work streams will be project managed by members of LEAD International and staff will also work on the advisory and delivery teams, together with representatives from the Member Programmes. We have also been successful in attracting pro bono work from a number of consultancies and expert organisations.

I'm a LEAD Fellow – what does this mean for me?

LEAD 2.0 will employ a new technology platform that will further expand and enrich the global LEAD Network, supporting relationship building, knowledge exchange and dialogue between Fellows. The new model should therefore make it easier for you to engage with other Fellows, share your story and seek partners for projects.

I'm a LEAD Fellow - how can I help with the transition to LEAD 2.0?

Your experiences as LEAD Fellows and the vast range of professional expertise within the Network means that you are ideally placed to help shape the structure of LEAD 2.0. We welcome any advice or guidance that you can provide and are very keen to include Fellows in the work streams - please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for information.

I'd like to become a LEAD Fellow – are you running training programmes at the moment?

LEAD training programmes will continue to run in 2012 – please contact the relevant Member Programme office for more information.

I'm a LEAD partner/I'd like to become a LEAD partner – what does this mean for me?

Substantive partnerships have been an important feature of LEAD's development and LEAD 2.0 provides an opportunity to join LEAD in an exciting co-creation process. We are inviting leading thinkers, practitioners, and organisations to become involved in the design of LEAD's new model for enterprise and scale.

How can I find out more about LEAD 2.0?

Please contact Katie Singer in the first instance – This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.