A dynamic change leader with 25 years of practice, research and teaching, Leith has taught leadership for sustainability at Harvard University for 18 years, earning numerous commendations for distinguished teaching performance.
Leith founded the Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership program at Harvard in 2014. This cross-sectoral, residential leadership program brings sustainability leadership, human well-being, purpose, biomimicry, agility, integrated business models and organizational design together.
In 2017, Leith co-founded Leaders on Purpose to engage global CEOs in defining and scaling a new leadership paradigm and business logic with the fitness to deliver on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Global CEOs from Paypal, Siemens, Mastercard, Ikea, P&G, Sodexo, Danone, Mars, Best Buy, Phillips, SAP, BMW, L’Oreal and many more have contributed.
Leith is well known for founding Harvard’s Office for Sustainability, where over a period of 9 years she led Harvard to become a global leader in campus sustainability. In 2010, Leith became the founding executive director for the Illinois Green Economy Network, working with the state’s 40 college presidents to raise $24 million for green workforce development.
Leith has consulted with over 200 organizations and has received numerous awards internationally, including Young Australian of the Year, NSW Environment Category and a Churchill Fellowship. Leith has an environmental engineering degree (UNSW), a master of education (Harvard) and is currently completing a Master of Science in Biomimicry (ASU).