Leadership Waikato
For experienced leaders ready to step up their leadership impact
WHO ARE WE
The Community & Enterprise Leadership Foundation (CELF) is a Waikato-based place-led leadership organisation.
We bring together experienced leaders from across business, community and NGOs to grow leadership capability where it matters most, here in our region.
Our role is simple; connect the right people, create the right environment, and support conversations and experiences that shift how leaders see themselves, their role, their influence and their impact.
We believe strong leadership sits at the very heart of a thriving Waikato.
Leadership Waikato - Our Flagship Programme
Leadership Waikato is an 8-month part-time programme spanning from April to December, bringing together a carefully curated cohort of leaders from across business, community and NGOs.
Our place-based leadership programme is designed for experienced leaders ready to broaden perspective, deepen capability, and strengthen impact in the Waikato.
Our programme includes a monthly in-person session (Friday and Saturday), supported by a monthly online connect session to maintain momentum and connection.
It is not classroom learning, it is real-world, relational, and grounded in the Waikato.
The Leadership Waikato Programme will challenge you, inspire you, and ultimately transform the way you lead, ensuring that you are well-equipped to tackle the most pressing cultural, economic, environmental, and social issues facing our Waikato community.
Become a Sponsor
Investing in the CELF Leadership Waikato Programme is more than just leadership development—it's an opportunity for businesses to make a lasting impact on the Waikato community. By sponsoring a leader, you’re not only enhancing your own business growth but also contributing to the social, economic, cultural, and environmental health of our region. Strong leaders drive strong communities, and together, we can build a thriving, connected Waikato. Become a sponsor of our Waikato leadership programme and be part of shaping the future of our community and your business.
Kylie Leonard
Kylie Leonard, Class of 2019 & CELF Alumni Leader of the Year 2022, shares her leadership insights.
Kylie Leonard's journey through the Leadership Waikato Programme was sponsored by Tompkins Wake in 2019. Her progress since then has been nothing short of inspirational.
Why It Matters
CELF was founded on the belief that healthy businesses and communities empower each other. By fostering socially responsible leaders through our Waikato leadership development programme, we aim to transform our region for the better. Our mission is to cultivate as many of these leaders as possible, strengthening both businesses and communities along the way.
Donate to The Ripple Initiative
Join CELF alumni in paying it forward by supporting the next generation of transformational leaders. Your donation helps fund a sponsored seat in the Leadership Waikato Programme, empowering future leaders to grow and make a lasting impact. Our goal is to fund at least two places each year, creating ripples of change in our community.
“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop." - Mother Teresa
CELFie Testimonial
“The communion between the Commercial and For Purpose sectors within the cohort was truly ‘collabor-active’. I learnt as much from my cohort as from the external leaders and visits to other businesses/entities across the Waikato Region and beyond. This has affirmed for me, the very real and living nature of the key message from a Samoan proverb, “O le ala I le pule o le tautua” the pathway to leadership is through service."
Rachel Karalus - CEO, K’aute Pasifika Trust
Programme Partners
Supporting Partners
