Leadership on the Edge

What is Leadership on the Edge?

iLearn in strategic partnership with Mpower is the exclusive official representative for 2041 in the Middle East. . 2041 was founded by polar explorer and environmental leader Robert Swan, OBE, the first person in history to walk to both the North and South poles. Swan has dedicated his life to the preservation of Antarctica by the promotion of sustainability and education and development of leaders.

The Leadership on Edge Program is a two-week expedition to the last wilderness on Earth – Antarctica. Based on nine successful expeditions and more than 500 participants from leading companies like Coca-Cola, BP, KPMG, Shell, Akzo Nobel, Kroll, Tesco, China Light and Power, etc. and many others, the program focuses on empowering team members to develop their own distinctive leadership skills and deliver extraordinary results into today’s challenging work environment.

The program takes place in a unique glacial setting, and the experiences the participants take back to their businesses and communities are crucial for their ability to raise local and global awareness on sustainable development. The iLearn Mpower team work closely with the participants to provide them with the necessary leadership skill-set to ensure continuity of the experiences gained during the trip and coach them before and after the expedition to become truly inspirational leaders.

Outcomes of the program

The objective is that upon their return the participants become sustainable leaders and ambassadors in their organizations and carry on the message though projects, programs, conferences, summits and symposiums. Attendees typically start business, community projects and campaigns to initiate change in their organizations and the communities. Attendees become so immersed in the sustainability field that they are often invited to speak at events to share their experience. The after expedition experience is almost as life changing as the expedition itself, the expedition is just the beginning.

Leadership on the Edge and UAE

As official representative of 2041, iLearn Mpower introduces for the first time the Leadership on the Edge Program in the UAE and the Middle East. The objective of our partnership is to identify and take a combination of 15 corporate executives, high potential and valued employees and 15 young Emiratis, students and residents of UAE to the March 2011 Antarctica expedition.

Selection process

The selection process is a rigorous one and will take place in the following ways:

• Corporate participants will be selected by application and selection process. Corporations who are demonstrating real commitment to leadership, sustainability and climate change will be selected. Corporate executives and employees will be nominated in close cooperation with HR and Management through essay or project competition, as well as existing employee recognition programs. For more information, please contact us directly.


• Young Emiratis, students and residents of UAE will be selected through a National Sustainability Competition, organized in collaboration with the UAE government and prominent NGO’s . For more information and registration, please go to National Sustainability Competition


• Sponsors for the National Sustainability Competition will be selected though application and selection process. For more information, please contact us directly.


• Members of society and residents, who are not part of a large organization and are not eligible for the National Sustainability Competition but would still like to be part of the Leadership on the Edge Program 2011, will be required to raise the sponsorship money and commit to the pre and post expedition activities and the Alumni Program. Potential participants should demonstrate open and proactive personality, with a commitment to sustainability. For more information, please contact us directly.

Corporate Leadership Program

Corporate participants will be part of an intensive Leadership program run by iLearn Mpower, which will consist of pre and post expedition leadership development sessions, individual coaching and business case preparations. Corporate participants will pledge to work on a project, which they will implement upon their return from the expedition give community lectures presentations and training within their organization and community and be ambassadors for the cause.

Alumni Program

Upon return all participants will become member of the exclusive 2041 alumni program, which members use as an avenue to tap into resources from all over the world. Alumni call on each other for resources, contacts, brainstorming, material from industry experts etc. The alumni programs are nurtured guided and promoted by the leadership team, iLearn Mpower and 2041.

Why Antarctica?

The Antarctic continent is one of the most remote, inhospitable environments on earth. Antarctica is the last great wilderness on earth! It is the world’s fifth largest continent; the coldest, the driest, and the windiest on earth. Twice the size of Australia, Antarctica is east of the sun, west of the moon and south of everything else. The 5.4 million square miles of ice covering the continent contains 90% of the world’s ice and 70% of the world’s fresh water. Antarctica is a frozen, windswept continent, so hostile and remote that there are no permanent residents. No place on earth provides a more demanding environment to face the ultimate leadership challenge. Here participants experience first hand the effects of global warming.

To watch video from Antarctica Expedition 2010 go to See us in action

For more information, please download brochure:

Robert Swan Lecture Pack

Antarctica Expedition 2011 -IAE2011