Introduction to CLS

The Centre for Leadership Studies was established in 1997 as a specialist Centre within the School of Business at the University of Exeter. Our mission is to serve as a leading world centre for the advanced study of leadership and leadership development and we are currently the only such University centre in Europe to concentrate solely on developing leaders for the future.

Our main activities include our MA in Leadership Studies, a range of shorter programmes (both open and tailored), research, leadership consultancy and support, and developing partnerships and networks.

We are a national Centre of Excellence and also a partner in international leadership consortia, an advisor on leadership development to international corporations and non-governmental organisations and a world-class teaching and research centre.

The Centre for Leadership Studies attracts and hosts the best visiting faculty from around the world as well as current and aspiring leaders from all parts of society and is thus the ideal place to reflect on the dilemmas of leadership and the numerous ways in which scholars have tried to understand it - and practitioners have tried to improve it.