The Stanford Leadership Experience: Science, Innovation, and Resilience
Step into The Stanford Leadership Experience, a five-day transformational journey where senior executives and board members explore what it means to lead in a rapidly changing landscape. Through eye-opening excursions and exclusive access to business leaders, faculty, and innovators, you’ll gain the strategic foresight to build a more successful future for yourself, your organization, and the world.
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August 3–7, 2026
Stanford University
$19,500 USD
Accommodations, excursions, and meals included
Certificate
Participants will earn a Certificate of Completion from Stanford University
March 31, 2026
Priority Application Deadline
June 1, 2026
Application Deadline
Turn global change into opportunity
Translating scientific research into business opportunities
Explore groundbreaking research on a visit to Stanford’s Hopkins Marine Station, and deepen your ability to translate ecological shifts into actionable insights for the modern business landscape.
Driving systematic change across global sectors
Discover how individual companies can act as drivers for large-scale, systemic change that builds momentum over time, using best-in-class case studies as examples.
Activating corporate leadership and governance
Sharpen your ability to champion sustainability initiatives from the top of your organization, bridging industry and academic perspectives to drive corporate responsibility practices that stick.
Enhancing controls and risk management
Move beyond basic "safety nets" to integrate risk management, internal controls, and ethics into your core strategy. Explore how effective reporting and management accounting can enhance sustainable outcomes.
Building capacity and educational synthesis
Gain insight into how you can transform AI and sustainability insights into a cohesive roadmap, leveraging daily program content to align with the overarching goals of your organization.
Experience the Stanford difference
Science-based foundation
Gain a grounded understanding of sustainability and the global shifts shaping business today, from climate and nature to factors supporting thriving communities.
Cross-functional insights
Explore how sustainability intersects with HR, finance, marketing, technology, legal, and operations, and learn how to integrate it across your organization.
Policy and regulatory clarity
Understand the major regulations and expectations influencing companies today, and gain practical guidance on how to respond strategically.
Purpose-driven strategies
Build on your leadership instincts and values to advance meaningful sustainability outcomes and long-term organizational success.
Immersive excursions
See how industries and communities are responding to global challenges, experiencing the urgency and promise of sustainable leadership firsthand.
Future-focused network
Join a community of senior executives and thought leaders advancing sustainability to create lasting business impact.
Designed for impact-driven leaders
The Stanford Leadership Experience is for senior executives and board members looking to explore how sustainability can build scalable organizations. In a dynamic peer environment, this program will challenge your assumptions about environmental change and give you the clarity and confidence to make purposeful decisions.
Taught by leaders in their fields
Today’s most effective leaders go beyond traditional business thinking to broaden their understanding of sustainability. That’s why this program brings together Stanford faculty and experts from The World Business Council for Sustainable Development with backgrounds in sustainability science, technology, markets, business strategy, public policy, engineering, law, medicine, and leadership. Drawing on cutting-edge research and real-world experience, they offer a powerful mix of theoretical knowledge and practical insights.
Stay tuned for additional key speaker announcements.
James Leape
William and Eva Price Senior Fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment
John Hennessy
President Emeritus, Shriram Family Director of the Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program, James F. and Mary Lynn Gibbons Professor and Professor of Electrical Engineering and of Computer Science
Mike Lepech
C. L. Peck, Class of 1906, Professor and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment
Rodney Irwin
Chief Education Officer and Corporate Secretary, WBCSD