Leadership in Major Projects: Catalyst Program

The Catalyst Program builds project leadership capacity – grounded in the evidence of project success. It helps leaders move beyond traditional project management skills to develop the leadership mindset necessary to navigate complex projects.

This is not another skills course. It is a deeper investment in how you think, collaborate, and lead when the stakes are high and the project management playbook runs out. You will leave not just with new approaches, but with a steadier, more grounded leadership presence.

Grounded in the same methodology as the John Grill Institute for Project Leadership’s flagship Executive Leadership in Major Projects program and designed as a natural entry point to our learning ecosystem.

About you

This program is designed for senior project managers or project leaders who sense the next stage demands a different way of leading, not more of the same. 

• 5–15 years’ experience in major projects.
• Currently a senior project manager or project leader.
• At a career threshold: sensing the next level requires something different.
• Curious about how to influence without control, motivate through challenge, create positive culture and progress organisational change?
• Ready to invest seriously in your own development, not just your credentials.

What you will develop

This program fosters a project leadership mindset that is aligned with the evidence on project success. 

Your learning journey

• Two 5-day deep dive residentials that explore the mind of a leader and how it differs from management. 
• Online small group skills development sessions – one half-day per month. 
• 360-degree leadership assessment and feedback to guide your developmental journey. 
• 1:1 coaching tailored to support your leadership transition. 
• 1:1 mentoring from a senior industry leader who has made the same journey. 
• Fireside chats with major project leaders, government executives, and globally renowned academics. 
• AI-development learning platform – your own development partner that helps with real-world leadership challenges. 
• A cross-sector peer cohort at the same career threshold – building lifelong connections. 

How is this program unique?

• John Grill Institute for Project Leadership expertise: Proven learning that uplifts careers and transforms major project outcomes.   
• Leadership that goes deeper: Most programs add to what you know. This one sharpens how you think – building the judgment, confidence, and presence that distinguish senior leaders from good project managers. 
• Accelerated development: The traditional career ladder has compressed. Our catalyst program accelerates the leadership shift that used to take a decade of trial and error. 
• Your development at the centre: 
  • Coaching support: Development is supported by highly trained 1-1 coaches. 
  • AI developmental partner: A thinking and feedback partner for working through real leadership challenges, decoding uncertainty, and identifying blind spots. 
  • Pod learning: Learning is deeper when connected with peers facing the same leadership challenges at the same career stage. 
• Real world: Apply learning to your real-world leadership challenges, not theory.

Our Executive Education has proven impact

For sponsoring organisations, the return is two-fold: 

• A noticeable shift in leadership capacity: leaders who can influence across organisational boundaries, make sound decisions under uncertainty, and take an enterprise-wide view — strengthening governance, delivery outcomes, and the leadership pipeline. 

• Real results on live project challenges: a direct result of the practical and real world learning approach. 

What our alumni say