History
Common Purpose was founded by Julia Middleton in 1989 with four staff in a small office in London and a big idea.
The first programmes in the UK ran in Newcastle and Coventry, and were dedicated to improving the quality of leadership by increasing the number of informed individuals who were actively involved in shaping the future of the areas in which they lived and worked. Since then, more than 120,000 leaders worldwide have been involved in Common Purpose's programmes.
Common Purpose expanded into Dublin in Ireland in 1996.
In 1997, Common Purpose programmes launched in Hannover in Germany and Örebro in Sweden.
The first programme in South Africa was run in Johannesburg in 2000.
Common Purpose Nederland was established in 2002 with a programme in Amsterdam.
Common Purpose Hungary began in 2006.
Programmes are also being developed in many other countries.
