The 2025 American Express Leadership Academy Kicks Off in Sydney to Help Non-Profit Changemakers Amplify Their Impact

Next week, more than 70 non-profit leaders from across 15 countries in the Asia-Pacific region will gather in Sydney to sharpen their leadership skills as the 2025 American Express Leadership Academy begins. It’s the first of three Academies this year, delivered in partnership with global nonprofit Common Purpose. The aim: to help changemakers around the world create impact in their communities and beyond.  
 
“As leaders, we can be filled with self-doubt,” said Sue Yee Khor, co-founder and director of Zero Waste Malaysia, which works to boost environmental awareness. "After I went to the 2024 Academy in Sydney, it became more natural for me to show my vulnerable self, which helped me build more empathy with my team and bring clarity on the direction we wanted to pursue.” In turn, her team has brought more projects to life, and the broader community sees them as a more as a genuine organization that stays aligned with their purpose.

With the support of strategic partner Delta Air Lines, this year’s Sydney academy will offer an agenda brimming with networking and learning opportunities, from workshops on powerful storytelling to panels with leaders across various industries sharing insights. Athlete Nedd Brockmann, chef Luke Nguyen, and cricketer Smriti Mandhana, among others, will speak on leading beyond authority, purpose, and resilience, helping leaders become more confident and communicative so they can better generate new ideas, problem-solve, and navigate challenges. 

In addition, the American Express Leadership Academy Alumni Awards, introduced at last year’s New York City Academy, are coming to Sydney for the first time. American Express will award three alumni $25,000 each to help them develop programs at their nonprofits, inspired by their experience at the Leadership Academy.

Receiving one of the grants last year helped Kate Greavette, Executive Director of York Region Food Network in Canada, drive “transformational change” by redesigning the non-profit’s organizational structure. The new model “empowers staff, creates leadership pathways, and better positions the organization to respond swiftly to both community needs and emerging opportunities,” she said. “It’s been a game-changer in building long-term strength, resilience, and capacity.” 

Alumni Awards will also be granted at the two other upcoming Academies: the Europe, Middle East, and Africa program convening in July, and the Americas program convening in November. These sessions will also be packed with workshop wisdom, expert insights, and city excursions to local organizations. 

Attending the Leadership Academy in London last year helped Henry Nicholson see that he was denying his team growth by trying to protect them from pressure. “I was solving challenges alone — thinking I was helping, when I was actually holding us back,” explained the CEO of The Rebel School. “The Academy pushed me to step fully into a strategic leadership role, allowing others to rise and setting the business up for long-term success. It’s created a ripple effect — as departments take more ownership and individuals have more freedom, we’re delivering more impact within communities.” 

This year’s attendees join more than 165,000 leaders who have graduated from the Leadership Academy over the past 18 years. American Express has invested more than $100 million in nonprofit leaders since the Leadership Academy began.  

To apply for the 2025 Americas program, head here.