Image: Right: Sonja Johnson is CEO of Regional Development Australia Tropical North. Left Compost for a Farming Future – Shark Recyclers composting facility in Biboohra, Far North Queensland.

This year 30 scholarships have been awarded to not-for-profit executive leaders to join the McKinsey Executive Leadership Program in 2023. This leadership development program is run for over 200 executives from the private, public, NFP and social sectors across Australia.

The program consists of three key parts: two one-week residential blocks and remote learning and individual and group coaching sessions. Week one commences in May 2023.

On receiving the scholarship Sonja Johnson, CEO of Regional Development Australia Tropical North shares, “As part of the McKinsey Executive Leadership Program, my aim is to further develop my negotiation, leadership and conflict resolution skills to enable me to support our region in driving economic development opportunities with stakeholders, including local, state and Australian governments. This scholarship will undoubtedly better equip me with the knowledge, guidance and expertise to deliver on this goal.”

Dr Scott Winch is Acting Head Australia First Nations Program and First Nations Senior Policy Advisor with World Vision Australia and Co-Chair, Know Your Country Campaign. Scott is also a McKinsey Execuitve Leadership Program (ELP) Scholarship recipient this year. Scott shares on receiving this scholarship, “While I have had leadership opportunities at various times throughout my career, the Not-for-Profit space is relatively new to me and has a distinct culture requiring different leadership styles and skills. I’m interested in acquiring new knowledge and skills to assist being an effective leader within World Vision when working across the organisation from staff in the field to the executive lead team. Importantly, there are new spaces in which I find myself being engaged such as with politicians, government, peak agencies and with the media which I feel I could benefit greatly from additional leadership skills.”

We wish all the winners the very best with the program and know they will enjoy the opportunity to break from their busy schedules to learn with peers whilst gaining new perspectives and practices to take back to their teams.

The McKinsey Executive Leadership Program not-for-profit recipients in 2023 include:

Congrats everyone and enjoy the experience.

Read more about the McKinsey Executive Leadership Program scholarships for not-for-profit leaders here.

Mission Delivery NFP leadership programs 2023

McKinsey and Company have developed the Mission Delivery leadership program, a series of standalone day programs for leaders of not-for-profit organisations and social enterprises. The programs are designed to give participants the space for reflection, introduce new tools, and develop peer connections to help them lead successfully.

Three fee-free programs (delivered virtually) offered to the sector in 2023 including, for:

Board Directors

  • Building the conditions for success​ – Friday 31 March, 9:00am – 1:00pm AEDT
  • Shaping the organisation and system​ – Friday 19 May, 9:00am – 1:00pm AEST

CEOs and Executives

  • Leading self and teams​ – Friday 2 June, 10:00am – 4:00pm AEST
  • Leading organisations and systems  – Friday 28 July, 10:00am – 4:00pm AEST

Team Leaders

  • Leading self and teams​ – Friday 4 August, 10:00am – 4:00pm AEST
  • Leading organisations and systems​ ​ – Friday 1 September, 10:00am – 4:00pm AEST


Table showing 35% of organisations are above median benchmark for Talent Growth, 40% are above benchmark for Execution Excellence, and 60% are above benchmark for System Shaping

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