Working with partners in the Latin American region, we support, encourage, and connect transformative leaders and other agents of change to improve the quality of life of Latin Americans.

Agora Leaders believes that nurturing the correct type of leadership is indispensable to sustain progress in society.

The leaders in the network we support believe in social, economic, gender, and racial equality, respect human rights and understand that collaboration and teamwork are indispensable to bring about change. They are trustworthy, embrace openness and empathy, and believe that self-care and well-being are critical attributes for transformational¹ leadership.

We understand leadership as the capacity of an individual to influence a group of people toward a common goal through their ideas, interactions, relationships, communication, initiatives, and work ethics. Leaders can also be entrepreneurs that build institutions, movements, and teams; some are innovators and systems thinkers.

Leadership is a process experienced through others. We believe that leadership exercised in a collective manner can be truly transformational and bring social change. We also understand that leaders must nurture leadership in others to make leadership a distributed attribute in a team or an organization.

Studies have proven that, although some people have some genetic makeup towards leadership, many of its attributes and tools can be learned and, therefore, can be nurtured.

The Latin American region faces tremendous social, economic, and governance challenges. Inequality and public discontent are rising. People are losing hope and depositing their faith in populism, as trust in political parties and traditional institutions is very low. Even when capable and ethical, governments struggle to meet the citizens’ ever-growing demands. Increasingly governments in the region are turning authoritarian. The Andean region has confronted a long and growing humanitarian crisis, resulting in millions of people migrating to more developed countries or to other countries in the region.

Existential global threats compound the problems in the region, among them climate change, loss of natural habitat and species and deforestation, and the pollution and destruction of land and oceans, all due to human activities. Also, as the work of many is moving millions of people out of poverty, changing their quality of life and life expectancy, the world’s population grows. The pressure on natural resources is already surpassing the capacity of our planet. We need to develop more sustainable ways of life.

While humans are connecting in unprecedented ways, technology also creates constant new wants among users fueled by unrealistic lifestyle expectations, which diminishes the people’s trust that a better future is possible –a paradox that we must understand and tackle.

We do not defend the status quo; we believe that economic and social inequality are problems that require addressing.

Latin Americans have experienced tremendous progress since the 1980s. Over the last 30 years, most Latin American countries turned into democracies. For the most part, countries embrace freedom of the press and have become more transparent and better at managing their issues and resources. Many improved their economic policies and controlled inflation while successfully implementing important and broad social programs. As a result, many more Latin Americans have had access to education, health services, and better jobs. Sizeable investment in infrastructure has changed the region’s face. Wireless technology became accessible almost everywhere –profoundly changed the way people communicate and consume information. Furthermore, improvements in the rule of law and expansion of financial services fueled an entrepreneurial spirit in Latin America.

Unfortunately, most Latin Americans who can improve their circumstances do not have the opportunities and support to implement their ideas and build new businesses, social organizations, or movements. Young adults and women are disproportionately affected. Moreover, most individuals do not envision themselves playing a significant role in building more democratic, sustainable, and equitable societies.

Nevertheless, individuals must contribute to solving their communities’ problems, and a new leadership needs to emerge. Latin America needs a new generation of transformational entrepreneurial leaders who can chart a social and economic pathway to change.