Key information
Programme Overview
In today’s fast-changing business landscape, leaders face unprecedented challenges driven by AI transformation, climate change, and the demand for high-performing teams. The Responsible Leadership in a Complex World programme will empower you with the essential skills to navigate these complexities and make informed, intelligent decisions.
With powerful insights from Imperial’s Centre for Responsible Leadership, the programme interrogates the complicated relationship between profit and ethical decision-making. You will be challenged to analyse real-world cases, exploring the distinction between what is ‘right’ and what is most advantageous for an organisation.
You will be immersed in a dynamic learning environment, strengthened by the diverse range of opinions and individuals in the room. You will be encouraged to draw upon your own lived experience and emotions to help you discover how your leadership must evolve to navigate modern challenges.
Who should attend?
This programme is ideal for:
- Leaders aiming to navigate the convergence of technological, societal, and environmental challenges
- Individuals seeking to develop ethical leadership skills that balance profit and responsibility
- Professionals from a diverse range of industries and global regions
- Please note no prior technical expertise in AI or sustainability is required.
Learning Objectives
Through an inter-disciplinary approach of on-campus teaching and self-reflection, you will develop an ethical mindset to:
- Contextualise the global challenges of AI, digital transformation and climate change
- Develop emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and resilience to lead effectively
- Develop leadership practices that create safe, inclusive, and high-performing teams
- Acquire the tools to navigate moral dilemmas and make ethical decisions that align with long-term sustainability and societal good
- Integrate the themes into a comprehensive leadership approach and develop actionable strategies for the future
Learning Journey
- Pre-work (including psychometric assessments)
- 5 days in person at Imperial’s London Campus
- 90 minutes reconnect webinar 2 months after the programme
Key principals & methodologies:
- Real-World Application: Workshops and case studies based on current global challenges.
- Personalised Learning: Pre-work assessments (self-surveys) for tailored development.
- Expert Insights: Leading thinkers and practitioners in AI, sustainability, and emotional intelligence.
- Interactive Learning: Group discussions, simulations, and action planning to ensure practical application of knowledge.
Responsibility
The programme starts with a stage setting exploration of what ‘responsible leadership’ means to us as leaders, and what it means in the context of the organisations we are part of. Through a combination of input from expert faculty & industry guests, and practical, hands-on experimentation participants end day one with a clear understanding of the tensions, dilemmas and compromises that help define what responsible leadership means.
Human (Geo-Political)
Day two introduces the first key ‘complexity’ that leaders need to navigate successfully. Geopolitics has rarely been so complex. The global political (and economic) landscape is changing rapidly around the world, with shifting power dynamics on almost a monthly basis. We explore both the light and shade of these dynamics, and through a combination engaging guest speakers, theoretical input and experiential activities participants gain a new perspective on what this all means for them as leaders and the organisations they work for.
Machine (AI digital/transformation)
Technology enabled digital transformation is creating both opportunity and challenge. Game changing technologies, particularly artificial intelligence are creating ethical dilemmas, opportunities for bias and huge advantages for individuals both personally and professionally. Day 3 equips participants with insights and tools and a mindset that enables them to understand specific tensions and dilemmas that things like the data revolution and AI create from a responsible leadership perspective.
Nature (Climate/Sustainability)
Our global environment is changing and warming, and the world faces challenges consequently. The need for businesses and society for be more sustainable means that leaders are often faced with difficult choices, and these dilemmas are made sometimes more challenging and, sometimes less, by technology and geopolitics. Day 4 explores the key challenges leaders face, and through input, experiential and reflective activities equip leaders with the personal tools to effectively navigate the tensions of profit vs planet.
Legacy
Day 5 is held at Imperial’s White City campus on the western edge of London allowing participants easy access to Heathrow airport, road and rail links and importantly provides an inspirational setting for the final day of the programme. Day 5 focusses on helping leaders take practical and very personal steps forward in their responsible leadership journey. Through a combination of moving practical examples, inspirational guest speakers and the synthesis of the previous days of learning, participants leave with a clear plan and mindset of how to incorporate the programmes learning into their leadership practice.
Imperial’s Centre for Responsible Leadership
This programme is shaped by Imperial’s Centre for Responsible Leadership—a hub for cutting-edge research and inclusive leadership development. The Centre bridges academic rigour and practical insight to tackle today's most pressing challenges, combining interdisciplinary expertise in technology, sustainability, and organisational behaviour with real-world industry partnerships.
At the heart of the Centre’s mission is the belief that responsible leadership transcends superficial compliance and trend-driven theories—it demands deep, organic transformation. The Centre equips leaders to navigate technological disruption, major societal change, and complex ethical dilemmas; this unique approach empowers leaders to drive meaningful, lasting impact within their organisations and wider society.
The expertise of the Centre directly informs this programme, empowering you with research-based experience and insights.
Programme Faculty and Experts
Kate Coombs
Kate Coombs is a leading behavioural science consultant in financial services, Managing Director of the Centre for Responsible Leadership at Imperial College Business School, and is the Programme Director for Responsible Leadership in a Complex World. She specialises in designing and testing behavioural interventions to drive cultural change, with a focus on leader behaviour, employee voice, inclusion, and behavioural risk. Previously, Kate was Head of Insights and an Executive Committee member at the Financial Services Culture Board, where she led a multidisciplinary team dedicated to raising standards of behaviour and competence in the sector. She also served as a Senior Behavioural Scientist at the Financial Conduct Authority, applying behavioural science to financial regulation and policy. Alongside her consultancy work, Kate designs and delivers executive education programs at Imperial College Business school, equipping senior executives with practical strategies to lead responsibly and navigate ethical challenges.
Professor Celia Moore
Celia Moore is Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Director of the Centre for Responsible Leadership at Imperial College Business School. Prior to joining Imperial, she held positions at Bocconi University in Milan and London Business School, where she was on the faculty for nine years. She has also been a visiting scholar at Harvard Business School and a Fellow of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University. She is currently an Academic Fellow of the Ethics and Compliance Initiative and sits on the UK’s Banking Standards Board Assessment Steering Committee.
Key information
Contact us
José Rosario
Director of Business Development - Open Programmes