The Purpose Lab: Empowering Future Leaders to Shape a Better Business World
Lisa’s story resonated with our student ambassadors, who gained a unique perspective on navigating career challenges and embracing their individual paths.
At the Purpose Coalition, we are driven by a commitment to foster a generation of business leaders equipped with the skills, perspectives, and social awareness needed to tackle today’s complex challenges. Our latest initiative, The Purpose Lab, expands on our successful Student Ambassador Programme, creating a powerful platform where young voices contribute directly to shaping responsible business strategies and social impact projects. Notably, the Student Ambassador role is a paid position, ensuring that students' insights and contributions are valued.
The Purpose Lab partners students from Purpose Coalition universities, and over the coming weeks colleges, with some of the UK’s leading organisations. It offers real-world experience that bridges the gap between academic studies and industry practices. With access to these diverse perspectives, our business members gain fresh, innovative solutions to pressing social and business challenges. This collaboration is crucial not only in empowering students but in helping businesses build socially conscious, inclusive, and forward-thinking strategies.
Rt Hon Justine Greening, Chair of the Purpose Coalition, sees The Purpose Lab as a catalyst for transformative change.
“We need to bring diverse voices into decision-making processes to build a fairer, more inclusive society,” she said. “The Purpose Lab provides a unique platform for students to bring their lived experiences to the table, allowing businesses to see the issues they face in new ways. This initiative ensures that these young people can actively shape the solutions we need.”
Nick Forbes CBE, Chair of the Breaking Down Barriers Commission, echoes this vision, emphasising the importance of breaking down traditional silos in business.
“Our society’s most pressing issues are often best understood by those closest to them,” he said. “The Purpose Lab’s approach of engaging students in corporate decision-making processes is a groundbreaking way to harness their insights, shaping a more diverse and dynamic future workforce.”
The recent Purpose Lab session welcomed Lisa Dolan, Regional VP of Employee Experience UKISSA at Teleperformance, a global digital business services company that provides customer care, technical support, and other specialised services to some of the world’s leading brands, whose personal and professional journey provided a powerful example of resilience and achievement.
Reflecting on her own experiences, Lisa shared,
“It’s not until you look back on your journey that you appreciate how each challenge, each role, and each success has built you up. Starting as a call centre agent to now serving as a VP, I want students to know that there are endless possibilities if they remain determined and open to change.”
Lisa’s story resonated with our student ambassadors, who gained a unique perspective on navigating career challenges and embracing their individual paths. Her encouragement to embrace every experience, overcome obstacles, and stay curious about the future offers invaluable guidance for young people at the start of their careers.
Another inspiring example of engagement with The Purpose Lab is Southeastern’s recent involvement. By offering a summer work placement to three Purpose Coalition student ambassadors, Southeastern has demonstrated a commitment to nurturing future leaders. This placement was more than just work experience, it was an opportunity for the students to see how purpose-driven strategies can be implemented within the corporate environment, gaining firsthand insights into the inner workings of a socially responsible organisation.
In a political climate that increasingly recognises the need for community engagement and diverse voices, initiatives like The Purpose Lab are more relevant than ever. Recently, the new government outlined its support for community assemblies, underlining the importance of diverse perspectives in decision-making. The Purpose Lab aligns perfectly with this call to action by integrating students’ insights into business strategies, building community-minded approaches and fostering social mobility from within.
By collaborating with Purpose Lab, organisations not only empower future leaders but also contribute to the development of an inclusive and diverse future workforce. They gain fresh ideas, new perspectives, and innovative solutions that help them to stay relevant and socially conscious.
The Purpose Coalition invites more organisations to join us in this vital initiative. As Lisa Dolan highlighted,
“Engaging with Purpose Lab is a chance to help students realise their potential while sparking change in our own organisations. Their ideas and insights are not only inspiring but vital to the future of responsible business.”
