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Executive
Leadership

About the Executive Leadership Program

The Executive Leadership program was initially developed in response to a need and demand to nurture a talent pool of arts leaders in Canada and prepare them to transition and extend their current leadership to take on roles in leading some of Canada’s largest arts institutions. The goal of this program is to provide mentorship and career development particularly for those who are interested in leading large arts, culture and heritage institutions, creating an opportunity to diversify our leadership and allow for aspiring leaders to access established arts leaders from large Canadian cultural organizations. 

Through this one-year program, 10 arts leaders across Canada are paired with key leaders in the arts sector. These leaders act as mentors, providing participants with leadership, advice and counsel, as well as sharing valuable knowledge and insight to support professional development and facilitate valuable networking opportunities. 


Program Objectives 

The Business / Arts Executive Leadership program is a mentorship and leadership development program offered to promising leaders of arts, culture and heritage organizations across Canada. This program creates an opportunity for aspiring leaders to access established arts leaders from large cultural organizations and establish a mentor relationship that will: 

  • Provide a path for upward mobility through leadership and career development 
  • Share knowledge and insight; role model and support
  • Build social capital through professional development and networking

Program Components

  • The program will run over a one-year period. 
  • 10 participants from across Canada will be accepted each year. 
  • Participants will be paired with CEOs and/or senior leaders of large cultural organizations for monthly, one-hour one-on-one mentorship sessions. 
  • Monthly group mentorship sessions will be provided and will present opportunities to connect with guest speakers to develop competencies in specific, high-priority areas identified by current CEOs and executive leaders. 
  • The program will provide opportunities for professional development and networking in order to build social capital.
  • Participants will participate in the 2021 and 2022 Canadian Arts Summit, where they will have an opportunity to engage in online activities and facilitated conversations with Summit members. 

Program Overview

One on One Mentorship Sessions: 

  • Hour-long monthly meetings where participants access highly individualized support from their mentor. Mentor and Mentee work together to create a work plan to address challenges and identify goals and objectives to be achieved throughout the program. 
  • Focus area: Individual needs for career and leadership development, professional aspirations and alignment with personal and organizational goals and values.

Group Mentorship Sessions:

  • Participants join mentors, guest speakers and experts for group mentoring sessions with a focus on priority competency subjects and broader leadership needs. Group mentorship will also take place through structured, intentional networking opportunities facilitated by the mentor to provide individualized support and development of social capital.
  • Focus area: Leadership topics including Innovation & Change management, Building Human, Social and Political Capital, Strategic & Shared Leadership, Fundraising and Fiscal Responsibility.

Peer to Peer Mentorship Sessions: 

  • Peer-to-Peer sessions provide an opportunity for participants to engage with and learn from one another through shared experiences, workshops and experiential learning. All these elements of mentoring, coaching and networking are linked in a way that produces an integrated leadership development system.
  • Focus area: practical challenges and current issues; co-learning, co-mentoring, collective solutions.

Partners