The Global Leaders Programme (GLP) is GIFT’s flagship leadership programme. It combines classroom and field-based learning in a two-week programme, conducted 4 – 6 times a year in countries across the Asia Pacific region.
Targeted at globally- and regionally- prominent companies and NGOs, the GLP focuses on advancing a more contemporary and unabashed understanding of the drivers of change in the 21st century including the impacts of peak population, unpredictable climate change, technology over-reach and the crisis of capitalism, among others. Participants are invited to think critically about business models, pricing, externalities, socio-economic development and the nature of prosperity itself. The classroom content and experiential field project of the GLP are rooted in the realities of Asia which will continue to shape the world at large in the years to come.
The first half of the GLP is spent in Hong Kong, while the second half is spent in the field, in an experiential component that includes of site visits, stakeholder discussions, and on-the-ground research.
programme structure & content
Module One
Candid discussions, role play and debate to gain a well-rounded understanding of major global trends as viewed through the lens of an Asian perspective.
Module Two
Rigorous field-based learning alongside intensive business planning sessions to truly “think outside the box.”
Final Forum & Business Output
Business plan highlights presented to key project stakeholders from business, government, civil society and media.
Module one: Challenging Business Orthodoxy
Module One consists of the core curriculum and conveys a new narrative on economic development and the role of different sectors in society. Without providing answers in black or white, the course paints a vivid picture of the world we live in based on facts, figures and examples and asks hard questions about the nature of globalisation. It presents the need to reshape economic systems and for the roles of government, business, civil society and media in our societies to be more aligned with our new realities.
CORE TOPICS
DISTINGUISHED GUEST SPEAKERS & MENTORS
ZOHER ABDOOLCARIM
Asia Editor at TIME International
GRAHAM BARKUS
Partner and Head of Leadership Advisory at Hofer Tan & Partners
DAVID ELDON
Former Chairman, HSBC Asia-Pacific; Non-Executive Chairman, HSBC, Middle East
SANJEEV GANDHI
Member of the Board of Executive Directors, BASF
FARZANA ASLAM
Chair of the Board of Directors at the Justice Centre Hong Kong
MARK TUCKER
Group Chief Executive and President for AIA Group
MODULE TWO: EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Module Two provides a platform for participants to test their leadership skills whilst working together on a real-world project. Projects are selected on their ability to provide insights into the issues shaping the 21st century and how bold new ideas and business models can be used to address key challenges. These are developed in sectors deemed critical for sustainable socio-economic development such as energy, education, agriculture, housing, financial inclusion, and water & sanitation.
Fast paced and intense while also eye-opening and fun, Module Two serves as a platform for participants’ learning and development, a chance to hone their problem solving, project management skills and much more. It is an opportunity to play a pioneering role in the development of a socially beneficial project which has far reaching impact and to show what can be achieved through cross-cultural and multi-sectoral collaboration.
PROJECT PARTNERS & EXPERIENTIAL FIELD PROJECTS
GIFT’s programmes are conducted in partnership with a local SME, social enterprise, non-governmental organisation, or government agency that are looking to address critical socio-economic and environmental concerns. A partner’s business model and aspirations for growth for example provide provides participants with a central motivating challenge, which they tackle during Module Two.
The output produced by participants provides practical value to the partner, through objective observations and recommendations for improvement. It typically includes an original business model, sales and marketing plans, policy recommendations, organisational and governance recommendations, social impact assessment and financial projections.
INCLUSIVE HOUSING FINANCE IN INDIA (2017)
Partner: Swarna Pragati Housing Microfinance (SPHM), winner of the 2016 Wall Street Journal—MetLife Financial Inclusion Prize, provides affordable housing finance to rural low-income households.
Output: Business plan to support SPHM’s growth plans and reach its target of one million loans in the next 10 years.
STRENGTHENING CAMBODIA’S RICE VALUE CHAIN (2016)
Partner: SOMA Group, one of Cambodia’s leading industrial conglomerates operating in agriculture, education, energy, construction and infrastructure. A founding member of Grow Asia, and leading member of the Cambodian Rice Federation.
Output: Proposal for a new business “FairSmart Agri”: a farmer-centric contract farming system to provide better inputs and training for Cambodia’s many smallholder farmers.
View the full Business Plans developed by participants on our programmes in the Business Plan Archive.
SITE VISITS
Participants meet with the partner management team, key stakeholders, partners, customers and local authorities to gain insights into future markets, business opportunities and business models that are often overlooked. They learn the value of empathy in global leadership and develop a pragmatic approach to problem-solving.
Participants gain direct exposure to issues shaping the future and are encouraged to “connect the dots” from the global level to the local and practical levels. Field-work builds empathy and an appreciation of the impacts their decisions have on others.
BUSINESS PLANNING SESSIONS
Following site visits and through frank and open discussions, participants question and test their assumptions, learn to work and collaborate across diverse nationalities and backgrounds, build consensus despite contradictory views, and to value the importance of collective ownership for the production of a common output with practical and actionable ideas.
The GLP culminates in a public forum, where participants present highlights of their analysis and proposal to the partner and to an audience of key stakeholders, including business leaders, potential investors, community representatives and government officials.
This live learning platform gives participants an opportunity to refine their communication and presentation skills. At the same time it drives interest and engagement in the implementation of the project among key stakeholders.
FINAL FORUM
The GLP culminates in a public forum, where participants present highlights of their analysis and proposal to the partner and to an audience of key stakeholders, including business leaders, potential investors, community representatives and government officials.
This live learning platform gives participants an opportunity to refine their communication and presentation skills. At the same time it drives interest and engagement in the implementation of the project among key stakeholders.
