European Universities on the Path Towards Inclusive Transformative Leadership
Laurea’s event brought together over 40 experts to explore transformative leadership in higher education. Offering dialogue, co-creation, and sharing best practices, the event received enthusiastic praise from participants.
Transformative leadership took center stage at the international event “Higher Education Leadership in Europe – Empowering Individuals and Teams to Drive Institutional and Societal Transformation,” organized in early June by Laurea University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with Avans University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands) and TH Köln (Germany). The week-long training brought together over 40 higher education professionals from across Europe — mainly from PIONEER Alliance partner institutions — to develop leadership competencies and share best practices.
Watch a video from the event on Youtube
Throughout the week, participants explored how inclusive, development-oriented leadership can accelerate strategic transformation in higher education — particularly in areas such as sustainability, digital transition, and social responsibility. Effective leadership was widely seen as a key enabler for engaging staff and students, and for creating agile, innovative, and psychologically safe learning and working communities.
- The aim of the event was to foster dialogue, exchange best practices, and deepen the understanding of what transformative leadership means. The programme included a mix of expert keynotes and lectures from the business world, student perspectives, and academia, along with workshops and company visits, says leading expert Mika Launikari who is responsible for the development work related to the PIONEER Alliance at Laurea.
Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive: the content, the quality of the organization, and the inspiring atmosphere of the event were all praised enthusiastically. Many highlighted the smooth practical arrangements, open interaction, and valuable opportunities for international networking.
At the heart of the event was a clear message: European universities must transform together in order to meet contemporary challenges and strengthen their societal impact. The leadership culture of the future will be built through dialogue, collaboration, and the courage to innovate—across countries, roles, and organizational boundaries.
More information:
- Mika Launikari
- Mika.Launikari@laurea.fi
- Tel +358503442976
- At Laurea, Mika is involved in international higher education cooperation, incl. the European University Alliance PIONEER, and competence development in the area of transformative leadership.