Shaping a new generation of leaders in Indonesia

As Indonesia’s higher education system shifted towards quality and reform, leaders were expected to deliver change – often without the support to do so.

We partnered with the sector to create PEMIMPIN, a national leadership network and development programme designed for scale.

Today, it connects 269 universities, has supported over 1,200 leaders, and is driving sustainable change across institutions and the wider system.

The challenge

Indonesia’s higher education system was entering a new phase – shifting from expanding access to improving quality.

This required a different kind of leadership: more strategic, more agile, and capable of delivering change at scale – focusing on quality of offer.

But across 3,500+ institutions, most leaders had stepped into their roles with little or no formal preparation. Existing training reached only a small number, while demand for meaningful development was high.

Without stronger leadership capability, sector-wide reform would be difficult to achieve.

What we did

We worked with partners across Indonesia to build something ambitious: a national leadership development network and programme designed for scale and sustainability.

Together, we co-created PEMIMPIN – a bespoke model that combines structured leadership development with ongoing professional support.

At its heart, the programme focused on real-world change – supporting leaders to apply their learning directly within their institutions and across the sector.

Our impact

What began as a capacity-building initiative is now a growing national movement.

The programme is shaping a new generation of leaders – better equipped to drive reform, influence policy and improve the quality of higher education across Indonesia.