Ashoka Visionary Program for Executives
An in-person Executive Leadership Program running over six months, designed to help you become a change leader, address societal problems in an entrepreneurial manner, co-create new projects, and expand your network.
Course dates & times:
The next cohort starts in November 2026 in Vienna, Austria.
Applications are now open. Please fill out the form below by August 31st, 2026.
About the learning journey
The Visionary Program brings together the knowledge, insights, and experience generated by Ashoka over the past 45 years in one executive learning journey, designed for the social leaders of today and the future.
The program was created to fill a critical gap: the need for a space where changemakers can develop systemic changemaking skills in an entrepreneurial, practical, and immersive way, while co-creating with peers who are also working to transform society.
Over the course of six months, participants take part in four in-person modules that explore the life cycle of a social enterprise and the key capabilities needed to drive systems change. Each module combines expert input, practical tools, personal stories, peer learning, and hands-on application.
Experts include Ashoka Fellows and other world-class social entrepreneurs, as well as academic experts from Ashoka’s network of partner universities, media actors, leaders from the social sector, and practitioners working at the forefront of impact.
Prototyped and operated out of the Ashoka Austria office, the Visionary Program has a strong European focus and brings together, in one executive program, leaders from Europe and North Africa who want to drive systemic change within their organizations, sectors, and broader environments.
The modules include workshops, team-building exercises, pitches, and evening events designed to create space for networking, reflection, and thoughtful exchange. Speakers, contributors, and content may vary depending on the region.
Learning objectives:
Through the Visionary Program, participants will:
- Acquire innovative tools and strategies for systems change in one comprehensive learning journey.
- Connect with a community of peers, meet Ashoka Fellows, and learn how groundbreaking social entrepreneurs are creating a better world.
- Work alongside an Ashoka Fellow or another leading social entrepreneur, or apply the learning journey to their own impact challenges through co-creation with a diverse team.
- Put their learnings into practice by combining entrepreneurial success with social impact, addressing societal challenges in new and unexpected ways.
- Become part of the global Visionary Program Alumni network, connecting changemakers and their ideas across borders.
The upcoming cohort will be the 12th edition of the program, joining a growing alumni community of more than 300 participants from over 40 countries.
Who this is for
This program is designed for executives and leaders of change from all sectors who are eager to embrace a systemic approach to achieve greater social impact. It is for people who are accelerating social impact initiatives within their organizations, communities, and broader environments.
Our participants include:
- Ashoka Fellows
- Current and future social entrepreneurs
- Representatives from the corporate world, the public sector, civil society/NGOs, foundations, and impact founders
- Philanthropists and social investors
Please note that a minimum of 5 years of changemaking experience is required to apply. The next cohort starts in November 2026 in Vienna, Austria.
Practical information
Format:
- Part-time for 6 months, with 4 modules taking place every 6–8 weeks
- 12 days of in-person sessions, held from Thursday to Saturday
- Thought partner sessions, online support, and additional sessions between modules
- Opportunities to apply your learnings by developing or advancing your own social project alongside a group of peers
- Lifetime access to curated preparation materials and follow-up content for each module
- Encounters with Ashoka Fellows in each module
Dates:
The next cohort will take place in Vienna and Prague from November 2026 to April 2027.
Commitment:
This is an intensive learning journey in which participants meet in person four times over the course of six months, creating strong connections and opportunities for collaboration.
The program fee is EUR 10,000 excl. VAT. Stipends are available; more information can be found on the program website. Selected Ashoka Fellows may join for a reduced fee of EUR 2,000.
Modules
You can find out more about the Program by visiting the Ashoka Visionary Program website.
Module 1 - Changemaking and System level impact
Spotting opportunities in the emerging market of social entrepreneurship for new system-changing ideas, social innovations, and collaborations. Identifying root causes of the problem, formulating targeted systemic changes, and designing a strategy to make them happen.
Module 2 - Shifting mindsets & scaling solutions
Uncovering mental models that play a critical role in maintaining the status quo and designing actionable pathways to establish new narratives and norms. Increasing the reach of proven solutions via replication, and getting government and corporate partners to take up and institutionalize ideas.
Module 3 - Multistakeholders collaboration & hybrid funding for system change
Learning about key principles of funding systems change and crafting hybrid models of securing resources.
Module 4 - New leadership & system storytelling
Getting inspired by the leadership style that unlocks the changemaker potential of people and builds fertile ground for collective action. Designing and communicating powerful stories that motivate people to join your (ad)venture.
Ashoka Visionary Program Team
Olga Shirobokova
Olga has been with Ashoka for 14 years and is one of the longest-serving Ashokans in Europe. She has built up our country office in Czechia, organized the selection of Ashoka Fellows in Central Europe, facilitated the strategy development process for 100+ changemaker teams around the world with a focus on systems change, and led Ashoka’s knowledge creation globally.
The courses and case studies Olga developed on systems change, working with government, and mindset shift have been translated into multiple languages and are used by thousands of people in the citizen sector, philanthropy, universities, and public officials across the world. In her private capacity, Olga has co-led social and environmental ventures and advises philanthropy globally. In the last years, Olga has been channeling her insights on systems change into Ashoka’s unique executive education program – Visionary Program.
Camila García Torighelli
Camila has been the Director of Communication and Marketing at Ashoka Spain and Portugal since November 2022, and she is also part of the Visionary Program team at Ashoka Austria. Before joining Ashoka, she spent seven years at Oxfam, where she served as Brand Manager, Campaigns Manager, and Project Manager.
Today, she is also a professor in the Master’s in International Cooperation, Development, and Social Economy at Universitat Internacional de Catalunya. Additionally, she lectures at universities in the United States, England, and South Africa.
A graduate with honors in Social and Corporate Communication from Uruguay, she holds a Master’s in International Cooperation and Development from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan. She also studied Public Relations and Journalism at the State University of New York on a Fulbright Program scholarship and completed an Executive Program in Leadership and Social Innovation at ESADE in Madrid.
Mar De José Homs
Community Director Ashoka Austria | Manager Ashoka Visionary Program
Benjamin Rabl
Benjamin supports the Visionary Program and the Generation Changemaker Program at Ashoka Austria. His changemaker journey began during his civil service in Uganda. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics from WU Vienna, where he focused on ethics in management, organizations and society, as well as entrepreneurship and innovation.
Benjamin is the founder of the NGO Cross Border Dialogue, which brings together young people from border regions to bridge divides between civil societies and co-create interregional and European solutions to shared challenges.