Mission and Impact

A futuristic city skyline at dusk with bright blue digital connection arcs and orange light‑trail roads representing interconnected systems and dynamic urban activity.

A pathway to long‑term prosperity, resilience and competitiveness depends on how markets are shaped. CISL works with leaders in business, policy and finance to influence market and policy conditions and support economic and industrial transition at scale.

Our impact

For more than three decades, CISL has played a vital role in shaping the global business and policy agenda on how economies grow, invest and respond to disruption.

  • 40,000+ global alumni leading change in business, finance, and policy. 
  • 10,000+ leaders engaged annually through executive education, leadership programmes and tailored interventions.
  • Engagement with 5,000+ organisations across over 150 countries. 
  • A proven track record Influencing market standards, regulation and business models to support large-scale economic transition.
Professor Deborah Prentice Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge

“As economies change and new markets take shape, universities have an important role to play in generating new ideas and innovations – and ensuring these are used in ways that are credible, inclusive and guided by evidence. Through CISL, the University of Cambridge is leaning into this role, working with leaders across the private sector to strengthen partnerships, mobilise investment and accelerate innovation that can shape markets and economic systems at scale.”

Professor Deborah Prentice Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge 

 

Our three pathways for delivering impact

Building business leadership: We empower companies to lead market transformation through strategy, advocacy, collaboration and innovation.

Business Leadership

Enabling the private sector to accelerate change within their organisations and across markets  to create sustainable, long-term value.

Business Leadership: changing the story

Transforming Systems, Sectors and Places: explore our new initiative

Accelerating Systems Innovation

Building support for new visions of critical sectors such as food, agriculture and the built environment to scale new market-based solutions, address barriers and create incentives for change.  Transforming Systems, Sectors and Places.

Accelerating Systems Innovation

Rewiring Finance: We work with financial institutions to enable the system to mobilise capital and manage risk in support of a sustainable, resilient economy.

Rewiring the Financial System

Empowering the finance sector to drive the transition to a sustainable economy, connecting capital to innovation and contributing to investible transition plans Rewiring Finance.

Rewiring Finance

Support for CISL's mission helps create the conditions for lasting change. 

Through leadership, innovation, evidence and collaboration, CISL works to help shape markets, systems and institutions that reward long-term value, resilience and better outcomes for people and nature. 

Philanthropic support enables independent, long-term work that often sits beyond the scope of commercial funding, helping CISL: 

  • Develop leaders and capabilities for change. 
  • Build the evidence, partnerships and coalitions needed for market transformation. 
  • Accelerate progress across critical systems, from food and land to finance, energy and the built environment. 

By supporting CISL, philanthropists and partners help strengthen the conditions that enable lasting impact at scale. 

Find out more about supporting CISL's work

 

CISL annual review 2025 cover

CISL’s Annual Review 2025

Sustainability shifted in 2025 from comfortable global goals and polished frameworks into contested, costly and messy spaces of real‑world implementation, yet the overall direction of economic transition has remained more resilient and positive than many expected.

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