Public Sector Futures: A Public Leadership Masterclass Series
Preparing leaders for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow's public service.
Price
TBC
Location
Online
Duration
5x 2hr masterclasses
Dates
TBC
Overview
In an era defined by volatility, ambiguity and accelerating change, today’s public sector leaders are being called to navigate complexity with clarity and integrity, and to lead for a lasting impact.
Led by inspiring facilitators delivering in-depth and practical content, this five-part masterclass series introduces the critical skills, tools, and mindsets required to lead effectively in a changing world.
Join us to explore leadership through the lenses of vision, complexity and transformation for the future.
Program details
Led by Karise Hutchison, ANZSOG Program Director and Founder, Illuminaire Leadership.
In environments where rules are unclear and values may conflict, how can public leaders make confident and ethical decisions? This session offers frameworks and tools to help leaders operate effectively in ambiguity.
Key focus areas:
- Navigating “the grey zone”
- Making decisions when the path isn’t clear
- Balancing competing priorities and values.
Date: Tuesday, 21 October 2025
Co-led by Sally Washington, ANZSOG Practice Fellow and Jasmina Joldic, ANZSOG Research Fellow and former Director General Queensland Government.
This session supports leaders working at the intersection of public purpose and political influence. Learn how to build trusted relationships, exercise influence with integrity, and lead confidently in politically sensitive environments. The session will focus on practical insights and strategies to help you, and your colleagues strengthen political acumen while staying anchored in public service values.
Key focus areas:
- Building trusted relationships across political and institutional boundaries
- Maintaining integrity and neutrality while exercising influence
- Balancing responsiveness with long-term public purpose.
Date: Wednesday, 29 October 2025
Led by Rob Warner JP, Chief Advisor, Strategy, Maritime New Zealand.
This masterclass introduces participants to strategic foresight and futures thinking, including using scenario-based exploration as a practical tool. Through the 4Sights Framework – Hindsight, Insight, Foresight, and Oversight – participants will learn ways to better navigate complexity, enhance adaptability in uncertain operating environments, and help embed long-term thinking into culture. The session weaves theory with hands-on application to support future-ready leadership and decision-making in context.
Key focus areas:
- Introducing strategic foresight and futures thinking through anticipatory scenarios
- Bridging theory and practice with the 4Sights Framework
- Enhancing agility and adaptability in decision-making
Date: Wednesday, 5 November 2025
Led by Professor Peter Welsh, Ph.D, Ipsos UK.
This masterclass explores how leaders can embed meaningful evaluation into the strategy and lifecycle of public initiatives, helping justify, adapt, and communicate impact over time. Rather than pitting short-term vs long-term thinking, this session acknowledges the value of both and focuses on how to align evaluation with evolving goals, contexts and learning needs.
Key focus areas:
- Embedding evaluation into strategy from the outset
- Navigating the challenges of measuring impact in dynamic systems
- Understanding how evidence requirements shift over the course of an initiative
Date: Wednesday, 19 November 2025
Key leadership outcomes
This masterclass series will inspire public sector leaders to:
- Strengthen decision-making in complexity
- Lead change with empathy and clarity
- Build political acumen and influence
- Embed integrity and accountability
- Evaluate long-term public value.
Who should attend?
- Senior executives and directors
- Mid-level managers
- Policy professionals
- Program and project leads
- Integrity and accountability officers
- Change agents and reform leaders
Background on the series
Public leaders have always needed to think creatively to solve complex problems and deliver public value to their communities. Now, in a global environment of increasing economic and political uncertainty, it is even more important for you as an emerging public leader to have the knowledge, creativity and confidence required to provide informed and timely advice, and lead others through change.
ANZSOG’s Public Leadership Masterclass series (PLM) are designed to re-energise and educate hard-working and passionate emerging and current leaders and expose them to fresh ideas.
The format of the PLM series has changed this year to better facilitate peer-to-peer learning and cross-jurisdictional connection. Each masterclass series features 5 masterclasses that speak to an overarching theme and are structured to allow for ample reflection and discussion with your counterparts from across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
Unable to make every class in the schedule?
Each masterclass will be recorded and made available to participants for three months after the masterclass is scheduled.
Why should I choose a Public Leadership Masterclass series?
In this series, you will:
- Explore core leadership values critical for today’s public sector environment.
- Engage with expert faculty members and gain practical insights tailored to public leadership.
- Build a toolkit to strengthen your leadership impact and navigate complex public challenges with clarity.
- Connect with peers across Australia and Aotearoa NZ to share experiences, challenges, and solutions.
Format
Each 2-hour session in this masterclass series combines inspiring content with interactive discussions and reflection opportunities. They offer thought-provoking concepts, illustrative case studies, and stimulating peer conversations that spark interest in innovative approaches. Participants will be introduced to key ideas and frameworks while connecting with fellow leaders in a supportive environment designed to ignite curiosity and motivation for continued learning and application.
Date, time, location
All sessions will be held online.
- Session 1: Tuesday, 21 October 2025 (9:00 AM AEDT | 7:00 AM AWST | 11:00 AM NZST)
- Session 2: Wednesday, 29 October 2025 (12:00 PM AEDT | 9:00 AM AWST | 2:00 PM NZST)
- Session 3: Wednesday, 5 November 2025 (12:00 PM AEDT | 9:00 AM AWST | 2:00 PM NZST)
- Session 4: Wednesday, 12 November 2025 (12:00 PM AEDT | 9:00 AM AWST | 2:00 PM NZST)
- Session 5: Wednesday, 19 November 2025 (12:00 PM AEDT | 9:00 AM AWST | 2:00 PM NZST)
Fee
Early Bird: $1,095 pp (excl. GST)
Full price: $1,405 pp (excl. GST)
Group discount for 5 or more: $985 pp (excl. GST)
More information
Created by and for the governments of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, ANZSOG creates and delivers education programs tailored to meet the needs of public sector leaders who are currently facing distinct challenges. Our programs are designed with significant government input, for government, and led by renowned academics and respected practitioners. For more information contact engage@anzsog.edu.au.
