Future Leaders

UKGBC’s Future Leaders programme brings together ambitious, high-potential professionals from across industry, local government and civil society to take part in a unique programme of leadership and innovation. Future Leaders is designed to inspire the next generation of leaders who will transform the sustainability of the built environment.
Future Leaders 2022 participants sharing ideas at the innovation workshop

The renowned six-month Future Leaders programme is designed for forward-thinking professionals with 5-10 years’ experience in the built environment industry. Through a mix of online and in person workshops, retreats and showcase events, participants work in teams to develop the skills and personal confidence to drive transformational change in their organisation. This transformation will not come about by business as usual, but through a radical and fundamental shift, in which sustainability and innovative thinking are strategic drivers.

Participants will benefit from a range of expert inputs and high profile keynote speakers, and will work to develop an innovation idea on key built environment sustainability challenges which are developed through the programme.

Future Leaders Programme structure and 2024 dates:

Part One: Explore and Initiate

  • Kick-off – 9th January (online)
  • Innovation field trip – 16th – 18th January (Bristol)

Part Two: Develop and Experiment

  • Nature retreat – 19 – 21st February (Hawkwood, Stroud)
  • Storytelling workshop – 10th April (London)

Part Three: Showcase and Reflect

  • Showcase – 22nd May (London)
  • Reflection session – 20th June (online)

There will also be two further online check ins on 1st February (AM ) and 14th March (AM). Participants will also benefit from small group coaching sessions and 1-1 coaching sessions.

Who should apply?

Future Leaders are drawn from a range of backgrounds from the built environment sector, and are selected based on an enthusiasm to learn, an openness to new ways of thinking, and a desire to challenge the status quo. It is not a prerequisite to have sustainability in the job title – in fact the diversity of perspectives is crucial to the programme’s success.

As with our other leadership programmes, applications for Future Leaders are highly competitive, and we accept a maximum of two applicants from each organisation. 

UKGBC offers up to five bursary places each year to an individual from either a not-for-profit organisation, SME, or local authority. In order to be considered for this place, your organisation must be a UKGBC member. Please contact leaders@ukgbc.org for more information

If you have any further questions, please contact leaders@ukgbc.org

Hear what our alumni have to say

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The Future Leaders Programme was fantastic. It gave me the chance to connect with some truly inspirational people. I’ve learnt so much about sustainability, innovation and myself. It had a great mix of formats, including; individual learning, coaching, team work, external speakers, pitching, creating. I would recommend the Future Leaders programme to those wanting to make a lasting and sustainable impact on our built environment and to themselves
Emma Sueref Vistry Group
Brilliant programme to get a variety of perspectives about the carbon challenge in the built environment. Took me out of my siloed contractor thinking, and I saw the challenges that consultants and developers also face. This has helped me shape my thinking to solve the carbon challenge to help address all issues that impact not only contractors, but consultants and developers too. I now also have a network of people from a variety of backgrounds who are passionate about the climate challenge, who I can test my thinking with and get advice from.
Emma Gilchrist Laing O’Rourke
I joined the course somewhat unknowing. I didn’t know what to expect, how things would go or if I would really get anything from it. I left feeling immensely proud of the journey we all went on together and the outcomes we reached as teams and individuals. The experience was truly 10/10, I couldn’t recommend the course more. I thought creativity and innovation weren’t skills I possessed, how wrong I was. We are all creative and we are all innovators and we were supported to understand this for ourselves throughout. The course is truly unique and enabled me to develop much more than leadership skills. It has set the foundations I needed to make some next steps on my journey within the built environment sector. Thanks team!
Sophie West Bruntwood

Learning & Leadership

Explore UKGBC’s diverse and comprehensive Learning and Leadership portfolio with a range of opportunities to raise awareness, deepen sustainability knowledge and build skills.
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