Learn by experience.
lead through uncertainty.
In 2026, the context your team operates in shifts faster than any framework can track. The decisions are harder, the stakes are higher and the old playbook doesn’t cover everything you’re facing now.
Leaders Challenge is built for exactly that: leadership tested in real conditions, with real consequences.

„This experience has given me perspective. Being among others like myself, the school made me realize, without false modesty, that I am a leader. You have to accept that about yourself. You are objectively born with certain qualities, you have to see them and use them.”
Entrepreneur and investor “Imperiul Leilor”. Graduate of Leaders Challenge #1
WHY LEADERS CHALLENGE?
Most leadership programs teach you how to lead when everything goes according to plan. Leadership in 2026 needs to be built under pressure to lead through uncertain times, so Leaders Challenge puts you in situations where uncertainty is one of the best teachers.
From the training room to the Black Sea: real business simulations, a nautical challenge and structured debriefs that translate every experience into concrete behavior change.
Real-life 24-hours Leadership Challenge
Decision-Making · Crisis Management · Leadership Under Pressure
You manage a real business: real clients, real constraints, real consequences.
No handbook, no right answers. Just you, your team, and what you do next. The debrief hits as hard as the experience itself.
You’ll walk away knowing how you lead when certainty is off the table and with the confidence that comes from having already been through something this tough.


Business Management Crash Course
Business Strategy · Financial Literacy · AI Integration
The management skills that actually matter in 2026, compressed into one intensive day, tailored to the challenges you’re already facing.
You’ll read a P&L like a CEO, build a one-page strategy under uncertainty and start using AI as a practical tool.
Starting the very next day.
Nautical Challenge
Team Dynamics · Leadership in the Moment · Performing Under Uncertainty
On a sailing boat, everything becomes immediate. The wind doesn’t wait for alignment and real leadership shows up in how you hold the helm when things go wrong.
You’ll lead a real crew through situations that demand decisiveness and trust. The skipper is there for safety, but the helm is all yours.


People Management Crash Course
Motivation · Difficult Conversations · Managing in the Age of Turbulence
The hardest part of leadership has always been the people. In 2026, it just got more complex.
A deep dive into the real situations leaders face alone: how to motivate individuals and how to lead a team whose relationship with work and AI is shifting faster than any playbook can track.
DEVELOP THE SKILLS THAT ENABLE YOU TO
UPGRADE YOUR LEADERSHIP AND LEAD WITH CONFIDENCE
PERSONAL LEADERSHIP
To lead others, you must first lead yourself. Personal leadership involves a high degree of self-awareness, conscious decisions regarding personal growth, and managing the inner “theatre”: a process of personal management that allows you to focus your efforts on what matters without ignoring internal signals.
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
In the age of speed, dynamic situations and constantly changing contexts require flexible leadership, prepared to manage the unknown. You learn how to integrate changes starting from internal emotions to thought structures and practical challenges, derived from your professional reality.
COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT
Crisis situations, negotiation sessions, one-on-one meetings are just a few contexts that require adapting communication styles, choosing the right words, and carefully formulating conveyed messages. You will gain experience in assertive communication, tailored to the contexts and situations around you.
NURTURING TALENTS
Training others and ‘passing on the torch’ are essential in the leadership process. Discover how to identify and nurture talents by recognizing strengths and creating contexts that challenge and facilitate growth.
TEAM LEADERSHIP
Leadership also involves followership. You learn how to create that healthy environment where people feel safe, act, innovate, and feel like they belong to a team.
STRATEGIC THINKING
Providing clear direction solves 50% of the leadership act. Developing a strategic thinking ability involves aligning your personal vision with industry trends, performance objectives, and team needs.
To find out more on the skills, agenda, speakers & pricing and benefits, download the Leaders Challenge Brochure!
IS CHALLENGE
FIT FOR ME?
You’ve proven yourself as a professional. Now you’re responsible for a team and you’re discovering that the skills that got you here aren’t always the ones you need now.
Your team is navigating uncertainty about AI, about their roles, about what performance even means in 2026. And you’re expected to have answers, even when you don’t.
If any of this sounds familiar, you’re in the right place.
In each edition, we create a mix of participants from different industries and fields to give you the chance to interact with and learn from as many different people as possible.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
More than just a program, an experience that leaves a mark! Every event, every emotion helped me grow, gain deeper understanding, and discover how I can inspire and guide my colleagues.
All in all, one of the best experiences of my life. It changed me completely, in how I express myself and on an emotional level, and I truly wish to take part in such events again and again! 🙂
I find it hard to put my feelings into words , they seem too simple to capture the multitude of emotions I’ve lived through. I was in a carousel of emotions and experiences, and I’m grateful that I allowed both the child and the adult within me to enjoy it all. Pieces of myself long forgotten, yet beautiful, resurfaced to make me whole again. It was a journey shared with many wonderful people, filled with exchanges of knowledge and insights that I wish I could have stored, word for word. It’s hard to express everything, I still need time for the experience to settle within me, so I can hold onto it for a lifetime. Yes, now I feel that I can act with purpose, awareness, and harmony with myself. Thank you all, and I’m sending you hugs!
An experience that takes you on a journey through yourself, through others, through yourself with others, it deconstructs you, shows you what makes you shine, and how you can illuminate parts of yourself to get even closer to who you truly are.
The Leaders Challenge experience was a truly eye-opening one — a journey between the concrete (such as the boat experience, the Go game, etc.) and the return to self, through theatre. We pushed past our limits and learned more about ourselves than we ever had before in our entire lives. We discovered what triggers our reactions, what motivates us, and how to respond with greater awareness. It wasn’t just a training — it was something that can truly change your life. It helps you see yourself differently, to grow, to gain more confidence, and also to find the courage to be vulnerable. To listen more, to be more present with those around you. It was a unique blend of emotions and discoveries shared by 13 people who came together in a collective experience that would be hard to recreate in any other context.
It is a profoundly human experience that pushes, shapes, and brings to the surface, to the conscious, the qualities of a leader. The challenges may also encounter resistance or a certain psychological rigidity that might even require therapy, but the space is contained and safe, a space for growth. Thank you!
I have experienced a truly transformative journey: I stepped onto the stage of the National Theatre—not as a spectator, but as an actress—playing the most challenging role of all: the story of my own life.
This intense experience was part of the final module of the Leaders Challenge program, organized by the LEADERS Foundation, which pushed me to discover and embrace my vulnerability in the most authentic way.
It wasn’t easy to open up, to share my story, and to be vulnerable in front of an audience. But this very act of courage showed me just how much personal stories influence leadership style. This learning journey helped me understand that being a good leader is not just about guiding others, but also about listening, empathizing, and having the willingness to be open.
For me, Leaders Challenge came at the perfect moment. I learned to listen more carefully to my team, to be more present, and to focus on both their growth and my own. Leadership is a continuous journey, and this program brought significant changes in the way I relate to myself and those around me.
I am deeply grateful to the LEADERS Foundation for this unique experience and for all the support offered throughout the program.
If you are looking for a challenge that will push you out of your comfort zone and help you become a better leader, I encourage you to join Leaders Challenge. It is an incredible opportunity for self-discovery, learning, and growth—both personally and professionally.
Leaders Challenge has helped me to see my true value, at least to realize that I need to be exposed even more than I have done so far, it has helped me to see what else I can do differently so that it can be even better, to see the potential that exists in other businesses in other fields and last but not least it has helped me to network with a variety of people from very different fields. Thank you!
Leaders Challenge has given me more clarity and context to reflect on my role and mission. The program has helped me through all the information, interactions and experiences provided, to better understand my leadership style and qualities and the position from which I can be a better support to my team and the organization.
The Leaders Challenge experience was a truly transformational one; the caliber of the modules, guests and sessions was hard to match. I realized by accepting this challenge that I am – indeed – a leader, and that accepting this means recognizing my own qualities, not pride or vanity. I found myself curious, courageous and at the same time in control of my powers. Thank you, LEADERS, for giving me the opportunity and the space to feel safe to experiment with my vulnerability and boundaries!
Leaders Challenge for managers, is something so different and at the same time so exciting!!!! No matter how much you know and what you know, you are put in front of challenges that you have to accept and overcome in order to find the best solution. You learn what team and result mean, you learn to calibrate yourself in a team and as a team leader, to choose the right strategy, and you learn that it’s up to you how you make a story reach exactly on target. And all of this happens through experiential learning that strengthens your confidence in who you are.
If you’re looking for a challenge that will take you out of your comfort zone and help you become a better leader, I encourage you to participate in Leaders Challenge.
For me, the Leaders Challenge came at the perfect time. I’ve learned to listen more carefully to my team, be more present and focus on their development as well as my own. Leadership is an ongoing journey, and this program has brought major changes in how I relate to both myself and those around me. It is a tremendous opportunity to discover, learn and grow, both personally and professionally.
A heartfelt thank you to the Leaders Foundation for this unique experience and for all the support throughout the program. It was, is and will always be a Leadership program that I will recommend to anyone. It helped me overcome many professional and personal difficulties in a surprising way.
My experience was transformative. I did things I couldn’t have imagined I could do, I stepped out of my comfort zone and let the experience carry me. I gained courage, I know how to manage my emotions and make them work for me and now I know exactly what my strengths are.
„I participated in the Leaders Challenge program looking to test and develop my skills. I believe that exposing ourselves to challenges in a supportive environment is key to pushing our limits. Leaders Experience managed to create the necessary contexts, I met beautiful people and many many sources of inspiration.” – Alex Turdean
„For me the Leaders Challenge was more than a learning experience. It was an opportunity to meet valuable people, to make new friendships and at the same time to build business relationships. I have been in the management area for more than 10 years, some skills I had before, some I acquired along the way. The management area puts you in situations you may never have encountered before and it is largely up to you, as a leader, to come out of them well, to learn the necessary lessons, to develop the team with you, so that the boat keeps the desired direction, no matter how high the waves. The Leaders Challenge, in its 4 modules, put me in real life limit situations that I have never experienced before. For me Leaders Challenge was real.” – Ionel Timis
„Through Leaders Challenge, I learned to see every challenge as an opportunity for growth, approaching each situation with innovation and courage. The program equipped me with the necessary skills to lead teams with confidence, no matter the complexity of the challenges faced. I have discovered the importance of effective communication and adaptability in leadership, essential elements to inspire and motivate a diverse team. The experience gained prepares me to successfully navigate the dynamic landscape of today’s professional world.” – Paul Soare
„I understand that you need Challenges to become the best version of yourself. I’ve participated in every Leaders program so far and thought it would be hard to surprise me again. There were so many things I did for the first time that the experience can’t be compared to anything. Instead, the people are the same, and the fact that for the 10 years I’ve known them we’ve been together on this project shows that they know how to build real teams.” – Paula Cionca
„My experience in the Leaders Challenge project was truly remarkable. By participating in this project, I had the opportunity to discover not only the skills and talents of my team, but also effective ways to coordinate and collaborate with others. It was a profound learning experience that helped me develop my leadership skills and understand the importance of effective team communication. I am grateful for this opportunity and for having the chance to grow both professionally and personally through this project.” – Vladislava Coneschi-Covalciuc
AGENDA 2026
Before you arrive
Coaching I
1-hour online session | Scheduled between May 24 – June 8
Before the bootcamp begins, you take part in a 1-on-1 coaching session to reflect on you leadership style and identify key areas for growth.
Together with you coach, you analyze current challenges, set clear learning objectives, and build a personal action plan to guide your experience throughout the program.
The Bootcamp
Bootcamp
June 9–13 | Mangalia, in person
I. SDI Leadership Profiling
II. Nautical Challenge & Debrief
III. People Management
IV. Business Simulation & Debrief
V. Business Management
Back to reality
Coaching II
1-hour online session | Scheduled between June 15 – July 4
A follow-up session to translate what happened in the Bootcamp into concrete actions for your team, your decisions, and your next 90 days.
This session focuses on clarifying and applying key learnings, building a personal action plan for the next 1–3 months with clear priorities and resources and anchoring new behaviors within your business objectives.
3–6 months later
Reflection Session
3-hour online session | Date set by the group
Held 3–6 months after the bootcamp, this closing session brings the cohort back together for a meaningful peer-to-peer exchange.
You share what shifted, what didn’t and where you are now. Because growth worth having shows up after the program ends, not just during it.
A space to recognize growth and keep the momentum going.
MAKE MISTAKES ALONGSIDE THE BEST
Valentin Radu is an entrepreneur with 16 years of experience in Technology and Online Marketing. He is Founder and CEO of Omniconvert, a conversion optimization platform that has received numerous international awards.
Ilie Gageatu is a trainer & coach partner in LEADERS programs, but also in customized programs for managers in various fields. With 20 years experience in management and sales, he has led multiple teams to performance. He holds a Master in Management, Open University Business School, London and international certifications in leadership and coaching.
Florin Petrescu is an educational partner of the LEADERS Foundation, facilitating memorable sessions on leadership and adapting to change. He is Senior Faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership for Europe where he helps companies increase their organizational agility and develop new generations of leaders. He holds a Masters in International Human Resource Management from Cranfield School of Management in the UK.
Beatrice is the CEO of the Leaders Foundation. A graduate of the Polytechnic University and of one of LEADERS’ successful programs, she discovered that there is no such thing as “no can do.” Today, she channels her energy, optimism, and overflowing confidence into organizing the most ambitious project for high school students in Romania and coordinating teams of volunteers in ten cities across the country, ensuring that the foundation’s ideas and actions remain dynamic and consistent. She scrupulously analyzes and implements the LEADERS vision, aiming for a long-term impact in the student communities the foundation reaches.
Elena believes in people’s ability to evolve and discover their path. She is actively involved in education, cultivating healthy behaviors and leadership skills. She is an ANC-licensed vocational counselor and a licensed user of the Jackson Vocational Interest Survey (JVIS) psychometric instrument. Elena holds a Master’s degree in Psychodiagnosis, Experiential Psychotherapy, and Personal Development (PEU) from the University of Bucharest.
Mădălina is a trainer, training designer and coach. Her role within the Leaders Foundation programs is to create and deliver the most effective educational content through creative methods. She has expertise in training, credit risk, sales and HR. She practices systemic coaching and conducts equine guided education programs.
YOUR INVESTMENT
2300 EUR for the days that will change how you lead for the next years.
Covered in three ways:
Invest in Yourself
You can also choose to pay the amount in installments. We’ll figure out together what works best for you.
Your Employer Invests in You
Take it to your HR or your manager. After Leaders Challenge, you’ll deliver better for both of you.
That’s a straightforward business case.
Scholarships
Our partners fund scholarships for exceptional managers and entrepreneurs.
To be announced
WHAT YOU ACTUALLY GET
The entire educational experience (trainers, educational materials, curriculum, experiential modules)
2 online individual coaching sessions, before and after the bootcamp
Accomodation for all live sessions taking place outside Bucharest
Lunch & Coffee breaks during live sessions
Advisory Board sessions: participatory development sessions, peer problem-solving that taps into the intelligence of the group;
Access to the LEADERS Alumni Community
PARTNERS
PHONE
0722 295 582
0722 295 582




























