Julia Middleton is the host of the Women Emerging podcast and a best-selling author of “If that’s leading, I’m in” as well as two previous books: "Leading beyond Authority" and "Cultural Intelligence". She is deeply committed to helping people from all backgrounds to find their own approach to leading.

In 2020, Julia launched Women Emerging and in 2022 she lead an expedition of 24 women to find 'an approach to leading that resonates with women'. She now leads expeditions with women all over the world based on 4Es methodology, discovered in the first expedition.

Prior to that, Julia was founder and, for over thirty years, Chief Executive of Common Purpose, which grew to become one of the biggest leadership development organisations in the world.

Julia is also an Ambassador for the Aurora Prize based in Armenia, on the boards of Alfanar Venture Philanthropy in the Arab World and Equality Now which operates globally, and on the Advisory Councils of Fundacao Dom Cabral in Brazil and Synapse in Pakistan.

Born in London and brought up in New York, Julia was educated at French Lycées and graduated from the London School of Economics. She is married, with five children and lots of grandchildren.

Julia’s books can be found here: 1. If that’s leading, I’m in 2. Beyond Authority 3. Leadership in a changing world Cultural Intelligence: The competitive edge for leaders crossing boundaries

Julia Middleton

Founder Common Purpose & Women Emerging

Amy Stillman loves helping to build the brand and profile of young, founder-led, global non-profits focused on systems change. She was previously the Chief Communications Officer of the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) where she led the development and execution of the communications strategy to advance the GIIN’s mission and brand.

Prior to joining the GIIN, Amy was Director of Communications at Impetus – The Private Equity Foundation, the pioneer of venture philanthropy in the UK, where she was responsible for both external/internal communications, and UK policy. Previously she was Head of Communications and Public Engagement at Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), the world’s leading independent international development organisation that uses volunteers to fight poverty and reduce inequality. Her background also includes senior marketing and communications roles at commercial organisations, including Merrill Lynch and WATG, as well as marketing consulting at the Commonwealth Group. She moved to the social sector in 1999 as Marketing Director of global leadership development organisation Common Purpose. Amy was based in the United Kingdom for 25 years before returning to New York in 2014.

Amy Stillman

COO

Sonam is a brand and marketing expert with a passion for bringing brands to life via powerful storytelling, and integrated marketing. Her expertise lies in designing integrated branding and marketing strategies with execution at the core of it, developing, and implementing processes and performance metrics, building, and leading high-performance teams, and contributing to bottom-line growth. In her 15-year career span, she has worked with enterprises to achieve 1.5x growth by driving multi-locational teams, and an integrated B2B marketing strategy. Her experience spans across Not for profit, B2B SaaS, IT Solutions, Outsourcing, Recruitment, and financial industries.

Sonam Dave

Marketing Director

Funmi has a track record of delivering successful program, fundraising, and partnership solutions on a global scale. Funmi is passionate about empowering women through education and leadership, which prompted her to join the Women Emerging team.

Funmi is an experienced professional who has worked in various roles focused on development, partnerships, and education across Not for profit, Television and Radio. Her last role was with Teach For Nigeria, where she successfully secured financial partnerships and increased funding support for the organisation. Funmi holds a Master's degree in English Language and Literature/Letters, and has undergone training in education and teaching.

Funmi Adeyemi

Expeditions Director