Our Vision:
HEALTHY LEADERSHIP. HEALTHY PEOPLE.
HEALTHY WORLD.
WHO WE
ARE
LEADS Global is the international steward of theLEADS in a Caring Environment Framework, a research-informed model that describes the required leadership capabilities to be successful in health care, and that can be used to strengthen leadership capacity across health and social systems.
Our Purpose
To work with organizations around the world to help leaders strengthen their capacity to lead positive change, improve health delivery outcomes, strengthen health systems, and support healthier communities.
The LEADS in a Caring Environment Framework:
A research-informed leadership framework designed to strengthen leadership capacity across health and social systems globally.
OUR VALUES
Mutual Trust, Respect, and Inclusivity
All individuals and groups dedicated to high-quality, evidencebased, and caring leadership are welcomed and afforded equal dignity and respect.
Commitment to healthcare leadership as a social good
We are committed to strengthening leadership capacity in healthcare not for profit, but in service of healthier people, communities, and systems.
Diversity
Recognition that each partner brings different strengths, benefits, and potential inputs to the partnership and those differences enrich our understanding of leadership as a social good.
Reciprocity
The practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefit, especially privileges granted by one country or organization to another.
WHAT WE DO
- Leadership development programs
- Organizational consulting and advisory services
- Facilitation and coaching
- Action learning initiatives
- Knowledge mobilization and thought leadership
- Global partnerships and collaboration
Our Global Impact
LEADS has and is used by organizations, governments, and systems in:
Thousands of leaders across clinical, administrative, academic, and system roles use LEADS to guide development, strengthen governance, and support transformation.
OUR STORY
The LEADS in a Caring Environment Framework was developed in Canada and refreshed in 2026 to address the evolving challenges facing leaders in health and social systems.
The framework provides a unified, evidence-informed approach to leadership development and has demonstrated its ability to:
- Align leadership expectations
- Strengthen governance and reduce fragmentation across organizations and systems
- Support workforce and talent development
- Enable system-wide leadership transformation and improved health delivery outcomes
Today, LEADS is one of the most widely adopted health leadership frameworks in the world.
LEADS Global is the international steward of the framework and leads its ongoing development, application, and innovation across global health systems.
OUR APPROACH
We believe that leadership is personal, collective, and distributed.
This means building leadership capacity at all levels — from emerging leaders to executives — across teams, organizations, and systems.
Being — Who We Are
Self-awareness, integrity, and character in action.
Caring — Why We Lead
A commitment to purpose, service, and the well-being of people and communities.
Doing — How We Lead
Engaging others, achieving meaningful results, building partnerships, and transforming systems.
This approach ensures that LEADS is not just a framework — it is a way of leading.
OUR TEAM
Empowering leaders, organizations, and health systems through leadership development
Our senior leaders bring expertise across four key areas: personal leadership development, creating healthy workplaces, building capacity for organizational change, and supporting national initiatives on leadership and system transformation.
GRAHAM DICKSON (CEO)
PHD
Graham Dickson is Professor Emeritus of Leadership Studies at Royal Roads University and CEO of LEADS Global, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving health leadership worldwide. In Canada, he also serves as Senior Research Advisor to the Canadian Society of Physician Leaders and the Canadian Health Leadership Network, and supports leadership development through the Canadian Medical Association’s Physician Leadership Institute.
Graham was the principal investigator for the national research project that developed the LEADS in a Caring Environment capabilities framework, now endorsed by health authorities and organizations across Canada. He has extensive experience designing and delivering leadership programs internationally, including collaborations in Australia, the Middle East, Europe, India, and the Caribbean. He also contributed to the development of SimuLEADerShip, an online leadership simulation created with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
His work focuses on leadership development, systems transformation, quality improvement, and strengthening healthcare leadership capacity globally.
DR. ANURAG SAXENA
MD, FRCSC, PHD, MED, MBA, CHE, CCPE
Anurag Saxena is Professor of Pathology and Associate Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education, at the University of Saskatchewan. With certifications in medicine, pathology, education, business administration, and leadership, he is a certified LEADS Global facilitator engaged in clinical service, teaching, research, coaching, and consulting nationally and internationally.
He has extensive leadership and governance experience in areas such as accreditation, competency-based medical education, quality improvement, and transformative learning. His work combines data-driven decision-making with human-centered approaches, including LEAN management in medical education. He currently serves on the Council of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Dr. Saxena has received numerous teaching awards, including the Master Teacher Award at the University of Saskatchewan, and has published widely on leadership, systems thinking, and medical education.
BETTY MUTWIRI
PCC, PHD, LEADS GLOBAL ASSOCIATE
Betty is a leadership practitioner-scholar, executive coach, facilitator, and speaker with more than two decades of senior leadership experience in healthcare and higher education. Recognized internationally for her work in leadership development, she has supported individuals, teams, and organizations through coaching, facilitation, and her work as a LEADS Facilitator and Coach.
She holds a Master of Arts in Leadership from Royal Roads University and a doctorate from the University of Saskatchewan, where her research focused on adult development, adaptive agility, and transformative change. Betty is also certified in Emotional Intelligence, Cultural Intelligence, change management, and vertical development.
Her contributions to leadership and coaching have earned several recognitions, including the 2023 Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal and multiple international leadership awards. She is passionate about mentoring emerging leaders and advancing human-centered initiatives.
BILL THOLL
O.C., M.A
Bill Tholl is a Canadian health executive, economist, and policy leader who has held several senior leadership roles across the country’s health sector. He served as CEO of Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (1995–2001), the Canadian Medical Association (2001–2008), and HealthCareCAN (2014–2017).
Earlier in his career, he was a senior official at Health and Welfare Canada (1978–1990), where he advised federal ministers and contributed to the development of the Canada Health Act. He is also the founding Executive Director of the Canadian Health Leadership Network.
Bill Tholl has co-authored leadership textbooks, including LEADS in a Caring Environment (2014, 2020), and has published extensively on health system reform in Canada. He is an Associate Professor (part-time) at McMaster University, Faculty of Health Sciences, and has received numerous national awards, including being appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.
STEWART DICKSON
EXECUTIVE CONSULTANT
Stewart Dickson is an Executive Consultant with LEADS Global whose work focuses on
leadership, collaboration, and creating the conditions for meaningful social change in
complex environments. Drawing on experience as both a researcher and senior public
servant, Stewart helps leaders and organizations navigate complexity, build trust, and
strengthen relationships across diverse perspectives.
Stewart holds a PhD in Human and Health Sciences from the University of Northern British Columbia, a Master of Arts in Human Security and Peacebuilding from Royal Roads University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and African Studies from the University of British Columbia.
His research explores leadership in reconciliatory contexts, with a particular interest in how leaders foster trust, collaboration, and transformative change. Stewart’s perspective has been shaped not only through academic research, but also through more than a decade of public service and experiences living, working, and volunteering in England, Ireland, Thailand, Uganda, and Saudi Arabia.
DR. ANNE MATLOW
MD, FRCPC, ACC
Anne Matlow is Professor Emerita in the Department of Medicine at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine (TFOM), University of Toronto (UofT). She has held numerous healthcare leadership positions in the past including locally (eg: Faculty LEAD PG Leadership at TFOM; Director, SickKids site, UofT’s Centre for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety); nationally (eg: Board executive, Canadian Patient Safety Institute) and internationally (eg: founding member and Co-President of Sanokondu; steering group member World Health Leadership Network (WHLNet)).
Anne is a LEADS Global and Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL) leadership facilitator and coach. She is certified as both an Executive Coach and as a vertical development coach, and is accredited through the International Coaching Federation. Her focus is on supporting physicians, particularly those in academic medicine, along their leadership trajectory through transformational coaching and vertical development.
