ILW returned for its sixth year in March 2025, transforming a week of awareness into a powerful celebration of leadership and its impact on organisations, communities, and the wider world. Bringing together leaders from across the globe, this year ILW explores the theme lasting legacies. 

 
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What will your leadership legacy be?

Your legacy isn’t just about titles or achievements; it’s about the influence you’ve had, the values you uphold, and the difference you make in your organisation, community, and beyond. International Leadership Week 2025 was a week of reflection, inspiration, and action as we explored what it meant to build a meaningful and lasting leadership legacy.
 

How did the community get Involved?

ILW 2025 was all about building a lasting impact, and getting involved was simple, no matter where you were. Whether you’re an individual leader, part of a team, or representing an organisation, join in the comnversation and don't miss out on ILW26:
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A true leader creates lasting change by fostering meaningful connections, empowering others, and building bridges between business and community. My legacy will be empathy, collaboration, and sustainable impact.

- Jane Nicholson-Biss

I prioritise professional development to align individual aspirations with team goals, inspiring others to reach their full potential and contribute to our collective success. My goal is to build a legacy of impactful leadership that inspires future generations to lead with empathy, vision, and purpose.

- Selveena Parmanum

I believe that great leadership starts with making people feel valued and truly heard. When individuals know their voices matter, they gain the confidence to grow, innovate, and reach their full potential. My hope has always been to create a reflective space where people feel nurtured and supported—where they are not only challenged but also encouraged to be the best version of themselves. Leadership, to me, isn’t about authority; it’s about fostering an environment where people thrive.

- Clare Belle

My leadership legacy is about empowering future leaders to rise with confidence, resilience and a deep sense of purpose. I want to be remembered for encouraging growth, unlocking potential and creating a culture where people feel valued, inspired and capable of achieving more than they thought possible.

- Sara Taylor

Leadership is not about who you are, or what you can do, but what you help others become and what they can achieve!

- Oliver Rendell

Through my leadership, I want people to be inspired by the way I value them. In meetings, I consider everyone cleverer than I, and always seek to elevate others in the room. Honour them. Be inspired by them. Leadership is a two-way street.

- David Tazzini-Lloyd

A human approach to leadership - encouraging others to achieve more and hopefully leaving a positive impact!

- Gaynor Lewis

I want my leadership legacy to reflect the strengths that women bring to the world - empathy, emotional intelligence, resilience, authenticity, humility, and grace. Not to be led by ego but to be honest, compassionate and fair. 

- Julie-Anne Passey

I am passionate about helping people confidently navigate complexity. By applying systems approaches we simplify challenges, make better decisions and create more effective, long-lasting solutions. True leadership is not about avoiding complexity—it’s about embracing it with clarity and confidence.

- Martin Parr

Compassionate leadership values every contact, building trust through empathy and open communication. It's seeing the person, not just the task, creating a culture where everyone feels heard. As a senior leader with ADHD, I know this is crucial. Leading with heart means valuing individual strengths, adapting, and fostering connection. Even in tough times, compassion guides us. This approach builds a humane workplace, one interaction at a time.

- Christopher Martin

 

Choose a topic area to explore

Keep the conversation going! Here are some key topics to explore under the theme of Leadership Legacy:
  • Sustainable leadership: Building a legacy for long-term success. Explore how leaders can implement sustainable practices that ensure long-term success for their organisations. What steps can you take today to build a legacy of growth, resilience, and innovation?
  • Leadership legacy through social impact: Making a difference. Great leadership extends beyond business - how can leaders drive positive societal change? From corporate social responsibility (CSR) to community engagement, consider how your actions today shape the world of tomorrow.
  • Mentoring and leadership legacy: Building a better future together. Mentoring is a powerful way to create a leadership legacy. By guiding others, you don’t just help individuals grow, you strengthen your own leadership skills and create a ripple effect of positive change. Did you know? The Institute of Leadership offers MyMentoring, a tool for professional members to support and develop future leaders. Learn more about MyMentoring.
  • The power of reflection: Understanding and shaping your leadership legacy. Take a step back and reflect on the legacy you’re currently building. What impact are you making? How does your leadership style shape your organisation’s future? What values do you want to be remembered for?

 

 

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Missed the ILW25 live launch? Catch up now!

 

“In the final analysis, the talents we bring to a leadership role are only fleetingly useful, and what we create for ourselves is irrelevant to the future. We forget, at our peril, what really matters ‘It’s not what we came with, it’s what we leave behind’.” -John Mark Williams, CEO - The Institute of Leadership*

*Read our CEO, John Mark Williams’ latest article on leadership legacy in our Winter edition of Edge.

 

Discover more about the ILW25 launch from Porto, Portugal

We officially kicked off International Leadership Week 2025, live from Porto, Portugal! 

As the first event in the ILW25 calendar, the session will introduced the 2025 theme - Building a Lasting Impact: Leadership, Legacy, and the Power of Influence.

A provoking discussion, with expert insights, and engaging conversations on how leadership shapes lasting legacies. 

 

 

No matter how big or small your contribution, every action taken during International Leadership Week 2025 helped inspire positive change and shapes a legacy. Keep the conversation going. 
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