Get Certified in Informed Leadership.
A Professional Standard for Responsible Leadership
ILS Certified Leaders are trusted to use influence responsibly.
Leadership is one of the only professions
with enormous influence
& no defined professional standard.
The Professional Body establishing the
ILS -Certified Leader designation.
A Professional Benchmark for Responsible Leadership.
Defined. Practiced. Upheld.
Leadership carries influence.
Influence shapes people, culture & systems.
Where influence is not anchored to a professional standard,
accountability becomes inconsist.
Informed Leadership Standards (ILS) establish a clear, assessable benchmark for how leadership is practiced, particularly under pressure, growth and scrutiny.
This is standards-based leadership.
Why A Professional Standard Is Necessary
Leadership spaces are still largely unregulated
Influence without responsibiity can cause harm
People, communities & movements need leaders they can trust
Across scaling organisations, institutional environments and founder-led systems, familiar patterns emerge:
Younger generations expect leadership that is
self-aware, ethical & responsible,
not just authoritative or high performing.
B Corp transformed how organisations demonstrate responsibility, ethics & impact.
But organisations are only as responsible as the leaders guiding them.
Organisations are recognising that culture, wellbeing, inclusion & sustainable success are shaped by how leaders lead.
ILS exists to define, develop & recognise responsible leadership.
Yet clear professional standards for responsible leadership have remained undefined:
Without A Shared Leadership Benchmark Familiar Patterns Appear.
Decisions shifting depending on who is in the room
Teams adapting to unpredictable authority
Cultural drift that is difficult to name
Accountability weakening under sustained pressure
Governance confidence fluctuating
Good people carrying invisible relational cost
The issue is rarely intention.
Most leaders care deeply.
The issue is the absence of a shared behavioural reference point.
Care alone is not a structure. Standards are.
Leadership Expectations Have Changed
Leadership is no longer judged solely by performance.
Modern leadership carries expectations of:
• Ethical use of power
• Psychological and relational safety
• Cultural accountability
• Transparent decision-making
• Responsible AI and technological awareness
• Governance-level integrity
Yet leadership remains one of the only professions without a universally defined competency benchmark.
ILS exists to close that gap..
What ILS is
Informed Leadership Standards (ILS) is a professional standards body
for responsible leadership.
• Defines a clear behavioural benchmark for responsible leadership
• Assesses leaders against that benchmark
• Certifies those who meet the standard
• Recognises organisations demonstrating leadership density
• Protects the integrity and renewal of the designation
Certification is independently assessed.
It is evidence-based.
It is renewable.
This is not attendance-based recognition.
The Informed Leadership Benchmark:
Responsible leadership requires capability across multiple dimensions of influence.
The ILS benchmark integrate eight interconnected layers:
Self-leadership & Nervous System Regulation
Relational & Psychological Safety Leadership
Power, Authority & Ethical Leadership
Trauma-Informed & Harm-Aware Leadership
Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Identity Safety
Systems Awareness, Results & Impact
Ethical AI, Data & Future-Ready Leadership
Challenge, Change, Coaching & Complex Leadership Conversations
Pathways to Certification
.
Choose the context that reflects your responsibility:
For Organisations
Pursue ILS Aligned or ILS -Certified Organisation recognition.
Anchor leadership practice to a measurable professional benchmark.
Increase leadership consistency and governance confidence.
Demonstrate accountable, system-level responsibility.
For Leaders
Achieve the ILS - Certified Leader designation.
Hold a defined professional standard.
Differentiate from unregulated leadership.
Signal responsible use of influence and trust.
Goverance & Integrity
Professional Standards are only credible when they are protected.
The strength of any professional designation rests in its governance.
ILS operates through a defined structure designed to:
• Protect the integrity of the benchmark
• Safeguard against dilution or drift
• Maintain ethical and professional oversight
• Separate standards stewardship from commercial activity
Professional standards require visible structure.
ILS is being built accordingly.
Certification is upheld through ongoing professional responsibility, yearly reviews & 3 yearly reassessment.
A Standard & A Shared Commitment
The Informed Leadership Standards are for
Leaders & Organisations,
who lead responsibly & influence with care.
They also represent a collective decision:
To use power under pressure.
To build systems where where performance does not come at the cost of people.
To lead in a way the future can trust.
This is not leadership theatre.
It is professional responsibility.
.
Choose the context that reflects your responsibility:
For Organisations
For Leaders
THE FOUNDER
Emma Last (She/Her)
Leadership consultant & Founder of the Informed Leadership Standards™
Mental health expert & speaker with over 25 years’ experience across leadership, coaching, wellbeing and transformation.
Emma founded ILS to advance regulated, responsible, ethical, human-first leadership, establishing a professional benchmark leaders and organisations can be trusted to uphold.
Emma’s work sits at the intersection of self-leadership, nervous system intelligence, relational leadership , ethical use responsible use of power, and future-fit AI. She supports leaders, organisations, and movements to achieve sustainable high performance without burnout, harm, or human cost.
Ongoing Professional Responsibility
Certification is not a one-time achievement.
The ILS - Certified Leader & ILS - Certified Organisation designations
are upheld through:
Annual Continuing Professional Development
Three - year reassessment
Continued adherence to the ILS Charter
Defined governance oversight
"Responsible leadership is practiced - not performed."
For Organisations
For Leaders
From Leaders to Organisational Recognition
When organisational indicators demonstrate behavioural stability and a critical proportion of leadership achieves certification, organisations may pursue:
ILS – Certified Organisation
This reflects leadership density, accountable practice and cultural consistency at system level.
Leadership credibility builds Organisational recognition.
Founding Members
The Informed Leadership Standards are currently forming their founding body of leaders and organisations.
The initial cohort is emerging across:
Scaling organisations navigating growth complexity
Institutional and governance-sensitive environments
Founder-led enterprises seeking behavioural maturity
Mission-driven contexts where leadership credibility matters deeply
Founding Members:
Complete full certification requirements
Commit deeply to Charter alignment
Contribute insight to the early evolution of the standards
Help establish the credibility and integrity of the designation
Get the potential opportunity for elevation to the Advisory panel
Leaders certified during this formative phase may hold:
ILS – Founding Leader
Organisations achieving recognition during this period may hold:
ILS – Founding Organisation
Founding status is retained while certification remains active and standards are upheld.
This is not early access.
It is early stewardship.
Responsible organisations need responsible leaders
Informed Leadership Standards exist to define,
develop and recognise responsible leadership.
Responsible leaders learn, integrate, role model, and become certified through ILS.
ILS is where leaders:
Learn responsible leadership
Integrate it into real decisions and relationships
Role model it in practice
Become certified to a recognised leadership standard
Leadership credibility builds Organisational recognition.
Learn it.
Integrate it.
Role model it.
Be certified in it.
The designation signals leadership that has been assessed, evidenced and maintained
When You hold the ILS Designation
You no longer rely solely on reputation
You hold a defined professional standard
You differentiate yourself from unregulated leaders & organisations
You signal responsible use of influence & trust
You align your leadership identity with assessed credibility
The designation becomes part of your professional positioning.
Informed Leadership Standards™
A renewable professional benchmark for responsible leadership.
Where Results Meet Responsibility.
Defined. Practised. Upheld.
Email: [email protected]
Phone or WhatsApp : +447970484228
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