About us Impact Programmes Alumni Knowledge Hub Contact us Locations Blog Home About Us Cities ABOUT US Common Purpose in cities Cities around the world host Common Purpose programmes. Nearly 3,000 leaders—from every part of a city—open their doors each year to host immersion experiences; they speak regularly, contribute their time and generously share their insights because they believe in the importance of what we do. Common Purpose aims to build leadership capacity within cities. We believe leaders who cross boundaries make cities work better; and cities that work better will be better at dealing with their own problems, and the world’s. We develop leaders from different life stages, from students to senior leaders. Our real-world experiential approach involves taking leaders to places in their city they would never otherwise go: hospitals, civic buildings, trading floors, prisons, businesses and places of worship. By using the city as our classroom, leaders feel more inclined to engage with their city, and take responsibility for problems they see. MUSTAFA KEMAL ISLER, Director of Planning and Strategy Department, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality "I started work straight after graduating from university, like many of my colleagues. Since then, we have been sitting in the ivory towers of the Metropolitan Municipality and trying to manage the city’s problems by ourselves. The programme has made me realize that we need to be out there and learn about the needs of the city, and work together with other people.” 94% of participants say they are better able to contribute to their cities and communities as a result of our programmes 96% are better able to spot common ground and make connections between people 93% are better able to create the conditions required for innovation to occur In 2018, Common Purpose delivered programmes for 7,167 leaders In 52 cities They came from 113 countries RONALD ARCULLI, Senior Partner, King & Wood Mallesons “Common Purpose is quite unique in that it provides a cross-sector platform to engage, empower and inspire people from the private, public and not-for-profit sectors to combine efforts and make cities work better. In doing so, participants enhance their confidence to make changes for the greater good of their organizations.” We believe that it is through leadership that we can help address cohesion in cities and break down divides. We deliver programmes designed to help leaders cross boundaries between sectors, specializations, geographies, generations, backgrounds and beliefs. We’re committed to developing new generations of inclusive, culturally intelligent leaders who can thrive in an increasingly diverse world. We connect cities internationally. Our global programmes take leaders to cities around the world to see leadership from a completely different context. Here they build the networks and skills to tackle global challenges, as well as gaining a fresh perspective, which they use to approach leadership in their own city. DEREK R.B. DOUGLAS, Vice President for Civic Engagement, The University of Chicago “We chose to partner with Common Purpose because of the depth of their experience and their understanding of civic and city leadership. The Fellows' trip to Johannesburg provided an unique opportunity for them to learn about civic leadership from an international perspective, which will help them make a greater impact in their own communities.” Which cities? Common Purpose delivers leadership programmes in over 100 cities worldwide: whether that’s programmes for university students or senior leaders. Abu Dhabi Abuja Accra Addis Ababa Adelaide Ahmedabad Alexandria Amman Amsterdam Ankara Auckland Bandung Bangalore Bangkok Barcelona Beijing Beirut Belfast Belo Horizonte Berlin Birmingham Boston Bradford Bristol Budapest Cairo Cambridge Canberra Cape Town Cardiff Casablanca Chennai Chicago Colombo Coventry Dakar Derby Dhaka Doha Dresden Dubai Dublin Durban Durham Edinburgh Exeter Frankfurt Gaborone Glasgow Hamburg Hanoi Harare Hong Kong Houston Hyderabad Istanbul Jakarta Johannesburg Kampala Kigali Kolkata Kuala Lumpur Lagos Leeds Leicester Leipzig Lille Liverpool London Lusaka Manchester Manila Melbourne Montreal Mumbai Nairobi New Delhi New York Newcastle Upon Tyne Nottingham Oxford Perth Philadelphia Phnom Penh Plymouth Pretoria Pune Quezon City Rabat Rio De Janeiro San Francisco Santiago Sao Paulo Seoul Shanghai Sharjah Sheffield Singapore Stuttgart Sydney Toronto Warwick Windhoek Yangon Yerevan York IRIS SIBANDA, Director, Brunswick Group, South Africa “In Johannesburg, I can meet people from Nigeria or Kenya, but they are living where I am so I’m not getting the full view of the differences. For me, the networks formed here will assist me in understanding how different markets operate and understanding a lot more about other people’s cultures, which in turn will inform how I approach my work.” Yangon, Myanmar How a collaborative effort between Common Purpose alumni led to a waste management solution for the city of Yangon EXPAND Shazia's story How a Common Purpose programme helped Shazia develop her coaching venture EXPAND Get in contact: T: +44 (0) 78 8965 0275 CONTACT US Useful links: About us Our approach Cultural Intelligence Leadership programmes Impact Careers Contact us — Coronavirus (COVID-19) Locations: Deutschland / Germany Hong Kong India Ireland Magyarország / Hungary Singapore South Africa Türkiye / Turkey United Kingdom United States Connect with us: LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Instagram YouTube Vimeo Flickr © Common Purpose 2021 Sitemap Terms of use Privacy Company information Accessibility Back to top Cookie settings This site uses cookies which are essential for the site to work. 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