25@25 We inherit our history. We choose our future.
25@25 was a fully funded leadership programme to develop and nurture the leaders of tomorrow.
Leading Northern Ireland's Future
At Ulster University, we are committed to our people, our place and our partnerships and as part of Ulster University’s programme of events marking twenty-five years since the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, we supercharged our commitments.
We invested in twenty-five people from Ulster’s alumni community to take part in this pivotal programme who are committed to our place in Northern Ireland and who choose to lead Northern Ireland’s future.
We called it 25@25
That's twenty-five people, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, with a firm focus on the next twenty-five years ahead.
25@25 was about the future, designed to expand experiences, grow leadership capacity and build a long-lasting network of change-makers.
Our future. Your future. Everyone's future.
Designed to provide
The programme is designed to provide participants with:
About the programme
25@25 was a fully funded experiential learning and leadership development programme which ran from September 2023 – June 2024.
It was structured around four primary pillars of activity:
- Nine leadership group sessions with exceptional leaders from across a range of fields sharing their own leadership experiences, including: Jayne Brady, Head Northern Ireland Civil Service; Sarah Friar, CEO Nextdoor; Tommy Bowe, Irish Television Presenter and former Irish Rugby International; Samantha Barry, Glamour's Americas Editorial Director; and Lisa McGee, Irish playwright and BAFTA award winning screenwriter of Derry Girls.
- A week-long fully funded international residential at Babson College, Boston, USA framed around Babson’s respected Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® methodology which will help leaders drive the economic growth and social change that is needed.
- A series of one-to-one coaching sessions with experienced and credentialed International Coaching Federation (ICF) Coaches throughout the duration of the programme.
- A mentoring programme including a partnership with the Institute of Directors NI, where participants are partnered with a senior leader from across the region.
- The development of a leaders' community network with other participants which will extend beyond the formal learning period, across the years that follow.
This programme structure allowed participants to develop their own leadership skills and share their learnings alongside a group of diverse leaders from Northern Ireland and beyond.
The interactive sessions enabled participants to continue to manage their own professional and personal responsibilities and still afforded time for reading, reflection and networking over the year.
Each session had a different focus, on a range of themes that are important to Northern Ireland’s future such as:
- Creativity
- Entrepreneurship
- Innovation
- Sustainability
- Civic leadership
Sponsors
Garfield Weston Trust
25 @25 was generously supported by the Garfield Weston Trust. The Garfield Weston Trust (GWT) was established in January 1969 and is supported by a gift made by the Garfield Weston Foundation. The Trust is a registered Charity, whose key aims are to promote and enhance education and research, to promote the University and its involvement with the surrounding community, to widen participation for prospective students and to support current students at the University.
Babson College
Babson College, located in Boston, is renowned for entrepreneurship education. Founded in 1919, it offers undergraduate, graduate, and executive education programs focusing on innovation, leadership and business principles. With a global perspective , Babson emphasizes hands-on learning, experiential projects, and a supportive community fostering entrepreneurial mindset and success in diverse industries. Babson College delivered a bespoke Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® methodology programme to the 25@25 in March 2024.
Partners
