Leigh Morgan is a global executive and independent director whose mission is to build and scale high performing, purpose-based organizations that change the world for better. Known for her ability to lead organizations in complex international and domestic environments, her experience spans the private & public sectors including biopharma/healthcare, philanthropy, academia, climate and social enterprise.
She is CEO of Imaginal Leadership Strategies (ILS), a boutique, advisory services firm that works with some of the world’s most innovative organizations and leaders across multiple sectors, and is Sr. Advisor, Design, for ASU President Michael Crow.
Prior to ILS, she was a founding executive and Chief Strategy & Operating Officer at Nia Tero Foundation, a global NGO focused on biodiversity & Indigenous rights. Accountabilities included enterprise strategy, communications, governance, impact investments, infrastructure & innovation, finance, and operations.
Other executive roles include COO at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she was a key architect of the Foundation’s culture transformation initiative. Her portfolio included IT, cyber security, HR, project management, real estate and driving operating efficiency and a stronger performance culture. As a member of the executive team, Leigh was a key contributor the foundations strategy & represented the foundation to grantees, partners, and nation state leadership around the world.
Corporate roles include Vice President/Global Head of HR at Genentech (later Roche) & HR leadership roles at GlaxoSmithKline where she led global M&A integration across EU and Asia-Pacific region.
Public sector roles included Associate Chancellor at the University of California San Francisco and serving in NC Governor Jim Hunt’s administration.
Leigh’s governance roles include is an independent director at Kymera (Nasdaq: KYMR), Curemark, and
board chair of the Fred Hutch Cancer Center, one of the world’s leading comprehensive oncology centers. Advisory board roles include UW Medicine, and Duke University’s Fuqua Business School Center for Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship.
She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and Chief, a US-based executive womens networking group.
Leigh received her MS in Organization Development at The American University and BA degree from Duke University. In 2017 she received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from the Asian University for Women. While at Duke, she was the starting point guard for the women’s basketball team #GoDuke