REIMAGINING GOVERNMENT FOR A CHANGING WORLD
Governments today face unprecedented challenges. From responding to climate change and tackling
inequality to managing public health crises, they are under immense pressure to meet the growing
demands of their citizens while maintaining trust and staying relevant. Yet, many of the systems and
structures that underpin government operations are no longer fit for purpose in our rapidly changing world.
At CPI, we believe it’s time to reimagine government so that it works for everyone. We envision a future
where governments are not just responsive but also resilient, inclusive, and adaptive to the complexities
of modern society. To make this vision a reality, governments must evolve—and CPI is here to help them
on that journey.
We act as a learning partner, empowering changemakers within and around government to think
differently, embrace new approaches, and create lasting, positive change. Our work is built on two core
practices: sensemaking and action-learning.
THE WORK WE DO
At CPI, we help governments transform in order to best meet the challenges of the 21st century. To do this, we focus on three core objectives:
1. Inspiring leaders to act: We cultivate visionary, empathetic leaders who are driven by a commitment to the public good. By mobilizing leaders around shared goals, we empower them to drive meaningful change, particularly in communities that have historically been underserved.
2. Innovating systems and services: We help governments and partners rethink how public services are designed and delivered. By embracing innovation, we create systems that are not only capable of solving today’s challenges but
are resilient enough to adapt to future societal, technological, and environmental shifts.
3. Integrating across boundaries: Collaboration is key to creating long-lasting impact. We help our partners break down silos and foster cross-sector partnerships, connecting ideas and people across diverse ecosystems. By doing so, we enable government leaders to continuously learn from others, improve their services, and deliver better outcomes for citizens.
At CPI, we don’t just advocate for change—we model it. Our core values—Curiosity, Courage, Collaboration, Empathy, and Equity—are at the heart of everything we do. These values shape our work culture, our partnerships, and how we engage with the world. By living these values, we create an environment where everyone can thrive and contribute to the positive
changes we want to see in government. Together, we believe that by reimagining government, we can build a future where public systems are not only more capable but also more equitable, responsive, and aligned with the needs of everyone they serve. Through partnership, learning, and experimentation, CPI is uniquely positioned to lead this charge and help shape
the future of government.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE CEO
1. Values – Shaping culture and people leadership
At CPI, we strive to “walk the talk.” Our ability to serve our partners effectively starts with living our values internally—creating a culture that encourages creativity, reimagining, and bold, generative work. To unlock truly innovative ideas and approaches with our partners, we must first embody the change we seek to bring about. This requires a values-based approach that not only challenges us but also inspires those we work with to think and act differently.
Our values are at the heart of everything we do:
Curiosity - We champion exploration and creativity.
Courage - We remain authentic and brave in our decisions and actions.
Collaboration - We share power and work together.
Empathy - We seek to understand others’ perspectives and experiences.
Equity - We challenge systemic barriers to foster inclusivity and opportunity.
Therefore, the CEO of CPI must:
• Model and steward our values: Lead with integrity, transparency, accountability, and humility. Ensure that every decision and action reflects CPI’s core values.
• Inspire a relational culture: Lead through authentic, people-centred leadership. Foster an environment of honest conversations, active listening, mutual support, and resilience. Show up with presence and patience, offering support when needed.
• Champion a culture of inclusivity: Foster an environment where everyone feels they belong by embedding inclusivity and equitable practices. Ensure power is shared, and all team members are valued and empowered to contribute their unique strengths.
• Nurture a learning culture: Promote continuous learning and reflection. Encourage experimentation, embrace failure as a learning opportunity, and challenge assumptions to strengthen the organization.
2. Vision– Re-imagining government through thought-leadership
The CEO will represent CPI’s vision for reimagining government, grounded in systems thinking and complexity theory. They will be an active thought leader driving the intellectual frontier forward. Through thought leadership—whether via podcasts, reports, conferences, or advocacy—the CEO will position CPI to attract partners, collaborators, and projects that align with our unique approach and capabilities. Beyond our project portfolio, the CEO will inspire and grow a broader movement of changemakers, expanding CPI’s influence and impact across sectors and geographies.
Therefore, we seek a CEO who will:
• Inspire big conversations and tell powerful stories: The CEO will reflect, imagine, and communicate boundary-pushing thought leadership that challenges teams and engages public and social sector leaders. By sharing the ideas, insights, and inspirations that emerge from CPI’s work through blogs, podcasts, conferences, and public speaking, the CEO will inspire external audiences and catalyze bold conversations. Through storytelling, the CEO will amplify CPI’s vision, challenging others to achieve greater impact and contributing to a global movement reimagining government across sectors and geographies.
• Support public service innovation and impact: Ensure CPI is designing creative programs with our partners that help civil servants excel as stewards of public resources
• Advocate for better governance: Promote policy and governance reforms that prioritise empathy, inclusivity, and trust, positioning CPI as a global thought leader in reimagining the role of government in society.
• Convene thought leaders: Recognising government reform is hard work and hugely complex, the CEO can leverage CPI networks to create meaningful spaces for shared learning and co- produced thought leadership.
3. Strategy- Positioning CPI, prioritising our focus areas, sequencing our organizational development
CPI’s approach starts with a shift in values and thinking before driving system change and service design. Our work spans thematic areas like democratic governance, climate change, AI, gender equity, public health, and more. We use diverse tools—from service design and challenge prizes to partnership- building and fund management. As CPI grows across regions like North America, Europe, and Asia, we need a leader who can balance visionary positioning with operational priorities.
Therefore, we need a CEO who can:
• Cultivate our strategy: Building on existing strengths, develop a long-term strategy for the organization that delivers on its mission and for its partners, while harnessing the full range of capabilities within the team. CPI has a regionally federated structure, with authority appropriately devolved to trusted leaders across the organization. The CEO will play a critical role in uniting these efforts by identifying CPI’s core strengths and focus areas and clearly articulating strategic priorities for both the short and long term. At the same time, the CEO must ensure that CPI remains agile and responsive to emerging opportunities for growth and impact.
• Communicate CPI’s identity: Clarify and strengthen CPI’s identity. Ensure that our work, though complex, is communicated boldly and clearly to raise our profile. Our recent re-brand is part of this, but our next CEO will help craft a bolder, sharper presentation of who we are and how we serve.
• Global perspective and leadership: Continue to build a truly global organization, with a presence across multiple regions. While much of our team, work, and revenue are currently concentrated in the United States, we are committed to maintaining and expanding our international presence. The next CEO must have a global outlook, be comfortable working across different cultures, and actively support CPI’s vision of remaining a diverse and internationally balanced organization. It will be crucial for the CEO to lead efforts to rebalance our organizational focus, ensuring that we continue to strengthen CPI’s work across the world.
• Strengthen our operational core: Build a cohesive and high-functioning foundation across Finance, People & Culture, and Communications. The next CEO will ensure that CPI remains adaptive and entrepreneurial while developing the robust infrastructure needed for sustainable growth. This includes strengthening key operational systems to support CPI’s long-term success without compromising its innovative spirit. The CEO will maintain a strong overview of the financial health and funding forecast for CPI.
• Partner with the Board: Maintain a strong, collaborative relationship with CPI’s Board of Directors, including regular updates on progress and co-creating strategies for future growth. Support the identification and onboarding of new Board members who bring diverse perspectives and are committed to CPI’s mission and values.
4. Partnerships – expanding and deepening our collaborations Collaboration is at the heart of CPI’s work. The CEO will be a bridge-builder across sectors, geographies, and themes, growing the community of those re-imagining government.
Therefore, we expect our next CEO to:
• Steward our partnership with BCG: With our branding recently shifting from “a BCG Foundation” to “founded by BCG,” we have a unique opportunity to further maximize the benefits of our heritage and deepen our partnership with BCG. As valued learning partners and collaborators, BCG has been a steadfast supporter and proud champion of CPI. While CPI operates independently, this exceptional partnership allows us to both benefit from and contribute to BCG’s expertise, creating mutual value and enhancing our collective impact.
• Foster our strategic relationships: Strengthen and deepen relationships with governments, foundations, corporates, and changemakers. Use these collaborations to extend CPI’s impact and mutual learning.
• Network and build partnerships: Act as an ambassador for CPI, catalyzing new partnerships and co-designing innovative solutions.
• Fundraise: Although we primarily operate under a contract-based business model, our recent rebranding presents a unique opportunity to expand our ambitions and elevate our funding strategy. The next CEO will have the chance to attract larger and more innovative funding partners who share our vision and ambition, enabling us to secure core funding that strengthens CPI’s long-term impact and reach.
EXPERIENCE WE SEEK IN OUR NEXT CEO
CPI is deeply rooted in our values. Our next CEO must not only embody Curiosity, Courage, Collaboration, Empathy, and Equity but also share their personal journey of growth and continuous learning as they strive to live these values. Leading by example, they will inspire others to embrace the same principles.
As a vision-led organization, CPI requires a leader who is already thinking expansively about the future of public institutions. The ideal candidate will be a thought leader—speaking, writing, and advocating for bold, creative solutions that deliver maximum impact from public services.
CPI operates at the intersection of sectors, so our CEO must bring credibility, humility, and learning from a diverse career. Ideally, they will have experience in government, not-for-profit leadership, and commercial sectors, providing a well-rounded perspective that enhances CPI’s unique positioning. CPI has enjoyed a truly remarkable founding decade and is now entering a pivotal phase of growth and maturity. We are beyond the start-up stage but still evolving, and we seek a leader who has successfully guided organizations through similar transitions. The ideal candidate will have a track record of strategic transformation, having helped previous organizations reach their full potential during key stages of development.
We are not a generic consultancy; we are systems-thinkers versed in complexity theory, and in particular, applied to the unique challenges of government and the wider public sector. The CEO will likely have immersed themselves in these disciplines, bringing a nuanced understanding of how to navigate complexity and apply systems thinking to large-scale challenges. Our CEO must be comfortable also sitting with uncertainty and ambiguity, letting solutions be emergent and co-created in a relational context, embracing experimentation’s iterative process.
CPI is an innovative and entrepreneurial organization. We need a leader who has thrived in such
settings, made bold decisions, taken calculated risks, learned from failures, and remains a progressive
thinker in areas such as organizational design, new management practices, creative financing, and
unconventional partnerships. As an increasingly international organization, we seek a leader who is passionate about cross-cultural leadership, managing a dispersed team, and bringing a wealth of experience, networks, and insights
from working across multiple regions.
REMUNERATION
At CPI, we are committed to aligning our compensation framework with the principles of fairness, equity, and transparency. We benchmark salaries using national, country-specific data and aim to offer compensation between the 50th and 75th percentiles for all staff roles. Additionally, we maintain a 5-to-1 ratio between the most senior and junior staff, ensuring that our compensation structure remains equitable across the organization.
For the CEO role, a competitive salary will be offered in line with local benchmarking for the country where the CEO is based. As a reference, in our two largest offices, the salary range for a UK-based CEO is £170,000-200,000, and for a US-based CEO, the range is $275,000-310,000. Beyond base salary, we take a holistic approach to compensation, offering a benefits package designed to support work-life balance. This includes a generous package and leave entitlement, comprehensive health care, and flexible working arrangements. CPI’s CEO would preferably be based in the US (East Coast) or Western Europe, but we are open to discussing other locations in an exceptional circumstance. Travel will be an important part of the role, with consideration given to climate impact and effective use of time and resources. Travel will include visits to team meetings, attending key global forums, client meetings, and events that showcase CPI’s vision and inspire the re-imagination of government.
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