Date

6 - 10 July 2026
19 - 23 October 2026
7 - 11 December 2026
Duration

5 days
Credits

Non credit bearing
Format

In-person
Fee

£6,950
Location

On Campus (South Ken)

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.

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.

Day 1

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.

Day 2

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.

Day 3

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.

Day 4

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.

Day 5

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.

Video

Programme Overview

"If you want to have leaders in your organisation able to make, sustain and follow through on decisions that will be difficult to enact and involve compromising or optimising across several stakeholders' desires, this is the programme for you."

Course details

Programme Faculty and Experts

Kate Coombs

Managing Director - Centre for Responsible Leadership

Kate Coombs is a leading behavioural science consultant in financial services, Managing Director of the Centre for Responsible Leadership at Imperial 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 programmes at Imperial Business School, equipping senior executives with practical strategies to lead responsibly.

Professor Celia Moore

Director of the Centre for Responsible Leadership

Celia Moore is Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Director of the Centre for Responsible Leadership at Imperial 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.

Dr Sanaz Talaifar

Assistant Professor in Organisational Behaviour in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship

Dr Sanaz Talaifar is an Assistant Professor in Organisational Behaviour in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship at Imperial College London. She studies identity and its intersections with politics and technology using a multi-method approach that combines traditional methods (surveys, experiments) with novel methods (smartphone sensing, experience sampling). Prior to joining Imperial, she was a Postdoctoral Scholar in Organizational Behavior in the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. She received her PhD in Social and Personality Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. Outside of academia, she has worked in people analytics at Google and in executive search at Egon Zehnder.

Derek Ho

Deputy Chief Privacy Officer, AI & Data Responsibility at Mastercard

Derek is the Deputy Chief Privacy Officer, AI & Data Responsibility at Mastercard. Derek specialises in privacy and data protection and technology law. Prior to Mastercard, Derek held senior legal positions in multinational companies in the Asia Pacific region, and was part of Drew & Napier LLC’s telecommunications, media and technology practice in Singapore. In addition to his work at Mastercard, Derek has served in various advisory roles with different organisations, including as a member of the Singapore Personal Data Protection Commission’s Advisory Committee on Data Protection, a member of the DIFC Digital Economy Court Working Group, and a member of the OECD AI Expert Group on AI, Data and Privacy. Derek earned a Doctorate in Business Administration, cum laude from SDA Bocconi School of Management, and a Bachelor of Laws from the National University of Singapore. He is also a Certified Information Privacy Professional and Certified Information Privacy Manager.

Contact us

José Rosario

Director of Business Development - Open Programmes

Phone: +44 20 7594 3772
Email: jose.rosario@imperial.ac.uk

Responsible Leadership in a Complex World

Date

Duration

5 days

Credits

Format

Fee

£6,950

Location

Overview