Purposeful Leaders, Effective Boards, Investment Ready Organisations — Join the Ambitions 2026 Programme
30 Apr 2026 - 01 May 2026
- Online
- Support
A dynamic leadership experience for impact-driven founders and CEOs ready to grow their organisations, deepen their impact and unlock strategic confidence.
You’re passionate about impact — but leadership today asks more than passion alone.
You need clarity, confidence and strategic support to lead your organisation toward growth without burning out. Ambitions 2026 helps you step up with peers who understand your journey, expert facilitators who guide you, and tools that work in the real world.
This year, you’ll walk away with:
🔹 A clear growth strategy tailored to your organisation
🔹 Confidence in leading both people and strategic change
🔹 Practical commercial skills to grow income sustainably
🔹 A network of ambitious leaders who challenge and support you
🔹 Tools to navigate complexity with focus and resilience.
The Ambitions Programme involves weekly 90-minute sessions from Thursday, 30 April (Scale Up) and Friday, 1 May (Step Up) and will run for 16 weeks (with breaks for some key holidays).
For leaders who are:
✔ Ready to move beyond day-to-day operations
✔ Seeking practical growth and leadership tools
✔ Ambitious about their organisation’s impact
✔ Open to peer learning and reflection.
The 16-week programme includes in-person and online workshops, tailored 1:1 support, specialist trustee sessions, wellbeing delivery, and access to associate business support (by selection).
Workshops and Learning Sessions
Commercial & Customer Insight - Delivered by Chloe Cannon, these sessions will focus on understanding your customer, strengthening your commercial approach and developing sustainable income models.
Wellbeing Support - Ellis Beardsmore will host dedicated wellbeing sessions as part of the 16-week programme. A follow-up wellbeing check-in session will also be delivered to reinforce learning after the in-person wellbeing day.
1:1 Mentoring and Associate Business Support
Participants will be offered dedicated 1:1 sessions with our course facilitators, and/or access to tailored business consultancy support from a range of SIS Associates.
I absolutely love the course. I had no idea what to expect when I applied, but it exceeded my expectations. I am recommending it to everyone. It's a bit humbling because I didn't realise how much I didn't know, but I am learning so much and it's very exciting. Rachael, you are amazing. Thank you all for your work.”
Member of the cohort
Ambitions 2024 Programme
Rachael Arnold
Our sessions will deliver a range of core learning topics and live challenges and opportunities coming from our weekly group discussions, led by programme facilitator and SIS Associate, Rachael Arnold and supported by your peers in the room. Topics will include understanding your customers and establishing key insights, storytelling and your impact, and having the right people around you.
Marcella Boyle
Marcella’s early career was in economic development before joining a global talent management company, where she was UK & Ireland Client Services Director. For the last ten years, she has worked as an Interim undertaking assignments across the third and public sectors - initiating and implementing new projects, supporting Executive Teams in the development and execution of strategies, and undertaking Board governance reviews with a focus on board effectiveness.
Ellis Beardsmore
How often do you keep going with the endless ‘to-do’ list and hit double-digit working hour days? Eventually, you will reach burnout. Ellis will spend time focusing on ‘you as a priority’, balancing both your workload and health and wellbeing, alongside that of your team.
Chloe Cannon
If you have the aspiration to increase your trading, Chloe will lead commercial conversations, helping to de-mystify the process and build your confidence in approaching buyers, ‘selling’, and using language that will help you not only open new doors but also the right doors.