Who You’ll Learn From
- Senior Global Director of Government Relations and Policy at One Acre Fund, leading 90+ professionals across 10 African markets
- Brings 20+ years of experience driving large-scale transformation across international development, government, and the private sector, with deep expertise in policy reform, systems-building, and navigating complex political environments at scale
Coming Soon
- Deep expertise working with India’s local, state, and national governments to implement policy and systemic changes
Partnering with Public Systems
Navigating public systems to drive lasting impact at scale
Senior leaders in social ventures are under growing pressure to build government partnerships, yet many feel underprepared to navigate the complexity of public systems. In this program, leaders will build the mindset and practical skills to identify who holds influence and align their approach with government priorities to secure lasting operational partnerships. The program includes a global session open to all, followed by two regional deep dives recommended for organizations operating in India and Africa.
Specifically, they will:
- Learn how to map formal and informal influence in public systems to engage the right people at the right moment
- Practice adapting their approach to align with existing government priorities, using a research, contact, negotiate, and execute framework to navigate a nonlinear process
- Explore what it takes to structure an operational partnership that is durable for both sides
- Gain access to a network of leaders across sectors and functional areas from around the world
This program will be offered in English (Zoom automated captions available in 35 languages).
Who Should Attend
Senior leaders who:
- Are responsible for scaling strategy, partnership development, or government engagement
- Can devote the time to learn and grow with peers across the globe
We recommend that two leaders from an organization participate together. Participating with a colleague fosters accountability and thought partnership that makes it easier to share learnings across an organization.
Program Schedule
See these options in your time zone here
Global Session | Thursday, August 27th, 6 am – 8 am Pacific Time
India Deep-Dive (recommended for teams working in India) | Tuesday, September 1st, 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm India Standard Time
Africa Deep-Dive (recommended for teams working in Africa) | Thursday, September 3rd, 3 pm – 5 pm East Africa Time
Applications close August 24
What to Expect
Each 2-hour session (with a midpoint break) combines expert-led frameworks drawn from real-world experience with structured peer conversation in hand-matched breakout groups of 4–5 leaders, paired by experience level, sector, or geography to make every exchange count.
Come ready to engage: sessions run on Zoom with cameras on, which is central to how connection and trust develop in the room. A reliable internet connection is recommended. Everything from the session, including slides, templates, worksheets, and curated resources, is shared post-session so learning continues outside the virtual room.
What Leaders Have Said
“Loved the expert, and also had my first really great and juicy peer group session”
– Previous Leaders Studio Participant
“This has been the best training/discussion I have had in a long time. Please keep bringing such industry experts.”
– Previous Leaders Studio Participant
“Stay adaptable through constant pulse-checking. We can get comfortable with the relationships we’ve built and miss priority shifts. Build the muscle to sense shifts early and respond fast.”
– Previous Leaders Studio Participant
About Rippleworks Leaders Studio
Rippleworks Leaders Studio is a series of expert-led learning programs designed specifically for social ventures. We partner with leading industry executives to run interactive, results-driven learning programs where social venture leaders gain critical skills so ventures can deliver impact at scale.