Redefining Leadership at Link

At Link, we’ve always tried to live our values when it comes to equity, collaboration, and sustainability — not just in our programmes, but in how we run our organisation.

That’s why, earlier this year, we made a significant structural change: we eliminated the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) role.

The CEO title can imply a traditional top-down hierarchy, which didn’t reflect the collaborative way we’ve been working in practice. Instead, we’ve formalised a new, flatter structure, led by an International Management Team made up of Executive Directors representing each of our partners in Ethiopia, Malawi, Uganda and UK, each with shared responsibility and decision-making power.

This shift is part of Link’s longstanding commitment to localisation — the principle that decisions about development should be made by those closest to the context. At Link, this means that our partner countries are governed by their own independent local boards, and our Executive Directors are seasoned experts with extensive understanding of the national contexts, power structures and lived experience of their communities. This leadership model strengthens both our legitimacy and our effectiveness.

This move supports:

• More balanced leadership across Link partners
• Clearer accountability aligned with our values
• Better representation of diverse voices in strategic decision-making
• Genuine knowledge sharing and listening to improve effective programming

We believe this structure better reflects the spirit of our partnerships and the way we want to lead — together.

We will continue evolving, learning, and sharing how this shift supports our work in education.

Denis Olak, Executive Director in Uganda, says “With this rebalanced leadership, the Link family has become a truly global community of practice, where leadership, learning, and accountability are shared. And I’m proud to be part of a team that’s showing the world a new, values-driven way forward.”

Abaynew Mulat, Executive Director in Ethiopia says “This new chapter moves beyond traditional leadership models, promoting collaboration, empowering regional voices, enhancing accountability, and fostering shared decision-making across Link Education countries.”

We’re pleased to have been supported by BOND on our journey towards locally-led development, and to have our journey featured as a case study to inspire other organisations on a similar path.