Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
2023-2024
Over six months in 2024, we delivered five bespoke leadership courses for current and emerging leaders from across Southeast Asia on behalf of the Australian Government.
The Challenge
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) engaged Strategic to deliver a series of five leadership short courses for current and emerging leaders from 12 countries across Southeast Asia, including Timor Leste. Each course was to be delivered in-person in Australia for a cohort of approximately 24 people.
This was a pilot initiative, designed to test and trial diverse approaches, partners and locations while consciously capturing lessons learned along the way to inform future regional cooperation.
The Solution
Strategic designed and delivered the Future of Leadership initiative to strengthen the leadership skills and networks of approximately 100 leaders from the spheres of politics, government, business, tech startups, climate innovation and civil society from across Southeast Asia and Australia.
The courses were delivered in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Wollongong. Course modules covered the renewable energy transition, science and innovation, regional trade and cooperation, agriculture, security, entrepreneurialism, disability inclusion, the attributes of successful leaders, and much more.
Strategic worked in partnership with some of Australia’s best universities, think tanks, First Nations organisations, and startup ecosystems to deliver course modules tailor-made to the program objectives, including building strong and enduring partnerships between Australia and the Southeast Asian region.
THE OUTCOME
The Future of Leadership courses attracted some of the region’s most impressive leaders. Participants were highly engaged in the course modules, including sharing their own expertise and committing to work together with their fellow leaders on shared challenges faced by the region. Participants provided highly positive feedback on the courses.
Enduring linkages have been forged among participants and between Australia and the countries of Southeast Asia. Interactions in the time since each course include early business collaboration between participants, extending conference invitations and meeting in various cities around the region.
Strategic has been engaged to design a further long-term scholarships program, drawing on the lessons of the Future of Leadership pilot, to continue strengthening leadership and leaders’ networks across Australia and the region.
We will stay in close contact with the Future of Leadership alumni cohort as they continue to make a big impact in their home countries, and we will continue to work with DFAT on building strong and enduring people-to-people linkages across the region.
