International Leadership Association
24th Global Conference
6-7 October Online Conference
13-16 October In-Person Conference in Washington, D.C.
Join us at the International Leadership Association’s 24th Global Conference this October to explore wisdom and its role in times of crisis. Discover cutting-edge practice and theory, and meet and connect with the people whose work will inspire you — including successful business executives and public leaders, thought-provoking authors and researchers, experienced educators, game-changing coaches, and organizational development professionals.
Stay tuned for more details, conference agenda, keynote speakers, and more. If you do not already receive ILA mail, be sure to sign up for our mailing list to be the first to hear when registration opens!
Choose From 100s of Engaging Sessions
Attend interactive workshops, panels, presentations, roundtables, and posters with presenters from around the world. Special "Conversation With" sessions and author talks are included. Sessions are divided between days online and days in Washington, D.C. the following week.
Expand Your Professional Connections
Enjoy special networking activities include member community events, receptions, daily continental breakfast and coffee breaks, awards luncheon, and more. Meet old friends and discover new colleagues who share your commitment to leadership.
Hear Top Leaders and Thinkers
ILA's signature bridging of theory and practice brings together top leaders and thinkers to discuss complex, pressing leadership issues.
Access 15 Streams & Specialties
Explore topics organized around Business, Development, Education, Peace, Scholarship, Healthcare, Indigenous and First Nations, Women, and more.
Theme Statement
Wisdom in Times of Crisis
The 24th Annual International Leadership Association Global Conference theme invites an inquiry into how wisdom might catalyze transformation in global systems contributing to environmental, social, economic, and political crises. Read the complete theme and meet our program team.
Conference Chair
Program Co-Chair
Program Co-Chair
In-Person Conference Venue
Located in downtown Washington, D.C. and just blocks away from the National Mall and the White House, we couldn’t ask for a better spot to gather, connect, and share. ILA has secured special rates for conference attendees at the Grand Hyatt and two additional D.C. hotels.
Why Attend
#ILA2021Global Conference Co-Chair Amanda Ellis, Executive Director of Global Partnerships at ASU’s Global Futures Laboratory, discusses the critical importance of Reimagining Leadership Together, the big conversations that will take place at this year’s conference, and why everyone’s voice is needed.
Find out why Dr. Konstantin Korotov, Professor of Organizational Behavior and Faculty Lead of the Executive MBA Program at the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT Berlin), is bringing 40 students to this year’s ILA Conference!
What is the most important word in Reimagining Leadership Together? Peter Cunningham, #ILA2021Global Program Chair and Head of Leadership at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, shares his thoughts and why he’s so excited about this year’s conference.
Plenary Speakers
Plenary sessions (Keynotes & Keynote Panels) bring together top leaders and thinkers to discuss complex leadership questions with ILA’s signature bridging of theory and practice. They challenge us to think more creatively and inspire us to reimagine leadership together. Additional plenaries plus dates and times of each will be announced soon. Please note: All plenary sessions, whether they are given in-person in Geneva or live online, will be recorded and available for registrants to view through the end of the year. For complete bios, visit our plenary page.
Scroll Through to See All of Our Plenary Speakers!
John, Lord Alderdice is a member of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the U.K. He is also Director of the Centre for the Resolution of Intractable Conflict, President of ARTIS (Europe) Ltd. Lord Alderdice served as the first Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Dr. John Antonakis is Professor of Organizational Behavior in the Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. His research is frequently quoted in media outlets such as the New York Times, BBC News, Wall Street Journal, and more.
Kehkashan Basu, Founder, President, Green Hope Foundation, Winner of 2016 International Children’s Peace Prize
The Right Honourable Kim Campbell served as Canada’s nineteenth and first female Prime Minister. She is the Founding Principal of the Peter Lougheed Leadership College.
Jagan Chapagain is the Secretary General of The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the world’s largest humanitarian network. Appointed in 2020 and based in Geneva, Jagan has 25+ years' experience working across Europe and Asia for the IFRC.
Martin Chungong is Secretary General for the Inter-Parliamentary Union and is the first African and first non-European to be elected to this position. He also chairs the Global Board of the International Gender Champions.
Jonathan Gosling is Emeritus Professor of Leadership at Exeter University in the UK.
Ambassador Thomas Greminger is the Director of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy and is the former secretary general of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna.
Anuradha Gupta is Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Since joining Gavi in 2015, Anuradha has led efforts to put equity and gender at the centre of Gavi’s programmatic planning and to tailor support to countries within Gavi’s strategy.
Dr. Deanne Den Hartog is Professor of Organizational Behavior and Director of the Research Institute in the Amsterdam Business School at the University of Amsterdam. She is an elected member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Barbara Kellerman is Founding Executive Director & Emerita Faculty of Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership. Her latest book is The Enablers: How Team Trump Flunked the Pandemic and Failed America.
Pauline Koelbl is AfriProspect GmbH’s Founder and CEO as well as ShEquity’s Founder and Managing Partner. She is an innovation expert in developing & emerging economies, impact investor and seasoned impact-driven team leader with over 20 years’ experience in venture philanthropy.
Dr. Sanjeev Khagram is CEO, Director General & Dean, Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Leah Lizarondo is Founder and CEO, Food Rescue Hero, a social enterprise that aims to fight hunger and promote sustainability by preventing perfectly good food from entering the waste stream and directly distributing to organizations that benefit those who are food insecure.
Henk Rogers is founder and chairman of Blue Planet Foundation. The mission of his newest initiative, Blue Planet Alliance, is to regenerate the environment, become 100% sustainable by 2045, and create a world in which humanity and nature live in harmony.
Dr. Peter Schlosser is the Vice President and Vice Provost, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University and the Director and Distinguished Sustainability Scientist at ASU's Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation.
Shirley Sherrod is a former Georgia State Director of Rural Development for the United States Department of Agriculture.
Ambassador Yvette Stevens is Executive in Residence at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy and former Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone where she was active in human rights issues including women and children, trade, and disarmament.
Pavan Sukhdev, Founder & CEO, GIST; President, WWF-International; UNEP Goodwill Ambassador
Dr. Éliane Ubalijoro, Global Hub Director, Canada, Future Earth, Executive Director, Sustainability in the Digital Age
Tatiana Valovaya is the 13th Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UN Geneva) and the first woman to occupy this position. She has more than 35 years of experience in public service, diplomacy and journalism.
Maestro Karim Wasfi is a Conductor, renowned cellist, and leadership strategist. As founder of Peace Through Arts, he has given performances at locations as diverse as the 9/11 Memorial & Museum to improvisations at the sites of car bombings in Iraq.
Sibusiso (S’bu) Zikode, President, Abahlali baseMjondolo, South African shack dwellers' movement
International Student Case Competition
Compete in Undergraduate or Graduate Division
Team Sign Up Now Open!
Deadline: Monday 27 September
Ibis budget Genève Aéroport
Novotel Genève Centre
Ibis Genève Centre Nations
Ibis Genève Centre Lac
InterContinental Geneva
Ibis Genève Aéroport
About ILA
The ILA is the largest worldwide community committed to leadership scholarship, practice, development, and education. We accomplish our mission to advance leadership knowledge and practice for a better world by creating a trusted space for leadership learning and by providing trusted leadership resources. For over twenty years the ILA has convened extraordinary talent across sectors, cultures, disciplines, and generations.
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