About CLRI

The Canadian Leadership Research Institute is a Canadian non-profit dedicated to advancing leadership research, education, and innovation across civilian and defence contexts.

Mission

To foster rigorous, applied research on leadership through collaboration with academic, professional, and community partners — and to translate that research into education and practice that strengthens organizations.

Vision

A Canada in which research, practice, and policy on leadership are tightly connected — where insights generated in academic and operational contexts inform one another, and where practitioners, researchers, and policymakers can work across disciplinary and institutional boundaries.

How we work

CLRI organizes its work around four interconnected areas. Together they form a pipeline from inquiry to practice and back again.

1. Leadership research. Applied study of leadership practice, shared and co-leadership, and leadership in extreme and public-sector contexts — with a sustained focus on defence.
2. Education and training. Workshops, seminars, courses, and certifications for professionals at all career stages, including custom programs for corporate, government, and defence clients.
3. Community engagement. Conferences, public lectures, and partnerships — including connecting external researchers with Canadian Armed Forces contexts and matching CAF leaders with relevant researchers and trainers.
4. Funding activities. Directing grants and contracts to university partners and supporting scholarships, knowledge mobilization, and awareness initiatives that strengthen the broader research ecosystem.

Governance

CLRI operates under a board of directors with a mix of permanent and rotating members. Day-to-day operations are coordinated by an Executive Director, supported by directors of Finance, Programs and Partnerships, and Knowledge Development and Dissemination. Subject matter experts — academics, emerging scholars, and practitioners — lead specific projects.

Bilingual posture

CLRI works in both English and French, reflecting Canadian linguistic duality and the practical realities of working with the Canadian Armed Forces and federal partners.