Aspen Institute First Movers Fellowship
Redesigning a corporate social entrepreneurship program
Overview of this work:
The Aspen Institute’s First Movers Fellowship supports corporate social intrapreneurs in driving business innovation with societal impact. Tasked with redesigning the program’s curriculum, I introduced updated frameworks like Organizational Influence, Prototyping for Change, and a capstone Personal Blueprint to empower leaders navigating career and innovation challenges. During the pandemic, I successfully transitioned the program to a virtual format, maintaining its high standards and integrating features into the post-Covid hybrid model for deeper leadership growth. Today, the enhanced curriculum continues to deliver strong outcomes, with fellows reporting increased confidence and purpose while advancing projects that align business success with positive global impact.
THE CHALLENGE
The Aspen Institute Business and Society Program is dedicated to aligning business decisions and investments with the long-term health of society and the planet. One of its key initiatives is The First Movers Fellowship, the foremost global network and professional development program for corporate social intrapreneurs. First Movers are accomplished innovators within companies who are shaping new products, services, and management practices to enhance business value and contribute to a better world.
The First Movers Program was designed with a deep in-person, cohort experience and a design thinking, innovation curriculum. However, after five years of running the program, it became evident that an upgrade was needed.
The program required stronger leadership to advance its innovation and intrapreneurship curriculum.
Upgrading the innovation curriculum:
I assumed a leadership role within Aspen First Movers’ Design Team, and undertook redesigning all of the innovation lessons to make them more relevant to corporate intrapreneurs and to give them greater understanding of how to move their own innovations forward. I included topics such as Organizational Influence, Prototyping for Change, Scaling Leadership, and a final capstone activity for leaders called their Personal Blueprint. This activity allowed leaders to anchor their learnings in a personal framework, enabling them to navigate career changes more effectively.
These more distinctive and unique activities helped to differentiate the program and increased the fellow’s ability to apply their new skills at work.
Evolving an in-person program into a hybrid, digital learning experience:
During my tenure with the First Movers Team, the Covid-19 pandemic unfolded. The First Movers Program traditionally involved three intensive week-long, in-person retreats bringing together leaders from around the globe. Over two years, I collaborated closely with the program’s Deputy Director to transition the Fellowship into a virtual meeting format. Remarkably, the new format proved highly successful, with evaluations maintaining their quality even when compared to the prestigious venues like Aspen, Colorado. Post-Covid, when the fellowship returned to an in-person format, several features from the virtual delivery were integrated, creating a more profound and impactful leadership growth experience.
IMPACT:
Overall the curriculum and experience provided by the First Movers fellowship continues to be strong, with 70% of fellows reporting increased confidence, 74% finding a stronger sense of professional purpose, and participating companies seeing substantial returns through innovative projects that deliver both financial and social value. The updated curriculum and hybrid digital- in person experience continues to empower corporate intrapreneurs, strengthening their ability to align business value with positive societal impact.
“Suz is a visionary leader, an insightful coach, a creative program designer, and a true pleasure to work with – an all too rare combination.”
— Eli Malinsky, Deputy Director, Aspen Institute Business & Society Program