Our Story
Our story began…
when we noticed a common struggle across industries in which we were leaders:
Organisations were promoting their brightest talent into leadership roles, but failing to provide the practical support and tools needed to succeed.
The result? Overwhelmed leaders. Disengaged teams. Poor company performance. Missed opportunities for growth.
We knew there had to be a better way. With over two decades of leadership experience across startups, scale-ups, Series A-D and global organisations, our founding team set out to rethink leadership development and performance management.
What if we could go beyond traditional training and create a solution that didn’t just teach leadership, but truly empowered leaders and tangibly improved overall performance across organisations? A solution that combined actionable insights with hands-on support and real-time application.
That’s exactly what we built.
Activate Leaders partners with organisations to not just train leaders, but to equip them with the skills, strategies, and confidence to lead effectively - at every stage of their journey.
Through diagnostics, modularised content, personalised coaching, team coaching, and ongoing support, we walk alongside leaders, helping them tackle challenges, build high-performing teams, and create cultures where everyone can thrive.
We’re here to ensure leadership is never a bottleneck, but a catalyst for growth.
At Activate Leaders, we’re not just about developing leaders - we’re about transforming organisations.
Let’s lead the change together.
Meet the Founding Team
Alison Fourie
CEO & Co-Founder
Alison Fourie is a seasoned executive with extensive experience in leadership roles across the United States and South Africa. She has held C-suite and COO positions in tech, ed-tech and consulting sectors, demonstrating a strong track record in organisational culture, leadership, and strategy execution. Alison most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer for Mmusi Maimane's Build One South Africa, where she played a pivotal role in driving the organisation's operational initiatives up until the 2024 elections. Aside from her role as CEO at Activate Leaders, she holds a number of board roles and partner positions, and is passionate about impact and influence across the globe, especially Africa.
Mike Cheney
CPO & Co-Founder
Mike Cheney is a skilled operational leader with a proven track record in scaling startups and building impactful systems in global companies. He has successfully grown businesses across diverse sectors, scaling operations from small teams to large, and increasing revenue by 3500% in under a year. In addition to his role as Head of Product at Activate Leaders, Mike has collaborated with leading organisations like KPMG, Visa, and John Lewis to design upskilling strategies that drive team performance. A South African Springbok Scout and former Chair of the International Committee for Scouts South Africa, Mike is passionate about leadership development and creating solutions that empower teams to thrive.
Our Trusted Partners
We have an ecosystem of hand-picked partners who we work with.
Our partners’ services complement our work at Activate Leaders, and if we feel your company will benefit from their services, we’ll propose exactly what we think you need, and liaise with our partners on your behalf.
Be Brave: Strategy Design Lab
Be Brave helps you design a winning strategy.
Founded by Pierre Du Plessis, Be Brave has helped numerous top companies develop their high-level strategies.
Dataplane: All things data
Dataplane will help you sort out all of your company’s data needs, from beginning to end.
Founded by Daniel Miller, Dataplane focuses on three key pillars:
Data Analysis & Visualisation
Decision Modelling & Predictive Analysis
Data Infrastructure