Although operating in different cultures and contexts around
the world, our Senior Leadership team share the same passion - to
make change happen and to help leaders develop both at work and in
society.
Meet one of our Senior Leadership Team
Elsbeth Dixon, Chief Executive, Common Purpose South
Africa
Elsbeth grew up on a farm in the Eastern Cape, and was educated
by her mother in a rural school, later attending a boarding school
in Grahamstown. She studied for a BSc at Stellenbosch University
and subsequently completed her Masters degree and PhD at Cambridge
University, UK.
She returned to South Africa in 1989 and began work as an
applied mathematician at the CSIR in Pretoria. During her 12 years
at CSIR she held many different roles, including that of Special
Assistant to the CSIR President and founding Director of the CSIR
Innovation, Leadership and Learning Academy. On leaving CSIR she
joined Adcorp in the private sector, and ran the Technology Top 100
Awards Programme for several years.
Elsbeth joined Common Purpose, an international not-for-profit
organisation specialising cross-sectoral leadership and diversity
programmes, in 2006, as CEO.
Elsbeth is married with 3 children. She loves to live a full and
busy life. She delights in her family life and has pursued a
part-time career for most of her professional life in order to
balance professional and family activities. She holds and enjoys
several community roles beyond her professional work. She is an
avid road runner and enjoys sport in many forms. She is by nature a
seeker and searcher and holds at her centre a deep
spirituality.
