The leadership insight series 'Unconventional Leadership from Unusual Places - Convened by Johanna Mair, explores how leadership emerges and operates beyond traditional centres of power. ‘Tolon’s World’ in Kyrgyzstan examines how one entrepreneur has built interconnected institutions across business, education, and culture to drive systemic change. Through conversation and reflection, the session invites participants to engage with new, locally grounded perspectives on leadership.
The inaugural session of the series ‘Leadership Insight Series: Unconventional Leadership from Unusual Places - Convened by Johanna Mair’ invites you to explore the remarkable trajectory of Tolon’s World in Kyrgyzstan.
At the heart of this story is an entrepreneur who has built a constellation of initiatives spanning medical diagnostics (Labnet), education (Bilimkana schools), and culture (Tolon Museum of Modern Art and the Aivanism movement). Together, these efforts form a triad of economic, educational, and cultural institutions that challenge post-Soviet legacies while imagining new possibilities for the future.
Through a conversational format, Johanna Mair will engage with Christian Seelos (Director, Global Innovation for Impact Lab and co-author of the Tolon’s World case study published in Stanford Social Innovation Review), Tolondu Tolon Toichubaev (entrepreneur), and Yulia Kim (filmmaker). The discussion will explore how unconventional leadership takes shape in unexpected contexts; how stepping-stone strategies can enable systems change under conditions of uncertainty; and how the interplay of culture, learning, and entrepreneurship can contribute to more resilient and inclusive societies.
The event is designed for Master in Transnational Governance (MTnG) students, researchers working on democracy, governance, and development, Policy Leader Fellows, and practitioners interested in new forms of leadership, social innovation, and locally grounded transformation.
About the series:
What does leadership look like across different contexts, sectors, and conditions? The Leadership Insight Series explores this question by bringing together a diverse range of voices, from those working within established institutions to those leading initiatives in less conventional settings.
In conversation with STG Director Johanna Mair, leaders of different kinds will share their insights, experiences, and reflections on navigating in complex environments.
Designed for students, researchers working on democracy, governance, and development, Fellows, and practitioners, the series encourages critical reflection on how leadership is evolving in response to today’s social, political, and environmental challenges.
The series fosters meaningful conversations that invite participants to reflect critically, exchange ideas, and interact with those advancing new approaches to leadership.
Registrations are open - the event is residential.