Sponsor the Podcast Shaping Modern Leadership
Reach senior leaders, board‑adjacent decision makers, and innovators through Innovating Leadership: Co‑Creating Our Future—a globally recognized podcast hosted by Maureen Metcalf.
Position your brand inside high‑trust conversations on strategy, AI and technology, culture, and leadership performance—where modern executives shape how they lead and what they build next.
Trusted by global executives, policymakers, and senior leadership teams
seeking practical, future‑ready perspectives.
Guests include:
Former Heads of State • Fortune‑level Leaders • UN & Global Policy Advisors • Leading Researchers and Futurists
Distributed on:
Why Sponsorship on This Podcast Performs
Senior leaders decide whom to trust by how an organization thinks, not by what it advertises. In the 2024 Edelman–LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report, 73% of B2B decision-makers said an organization’s thought leadership is a more trustworthy basis for assessing its capabilities than its marketing materials, and 90% of decision-makers and C-suite executives said they are more receptive to outreach from organizations that consistently produce high-quality thought leadership.
The host’s voice matters as well. In Nielsen’s podcast ad-effectiveness research, host-read podcast messages produced 71% brand recall, compared with 62% for podcast ads that were not host-read. Every sponsorship level includes host-read acknowledgments.
That effect is strongest when an audience seeks out long-form insight during focused working hours, as the audience of Innovating Leadership does.
Sources: 2024 Edelman–LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report (nearly 3,500 management-level professionals, seven countries); Nielsen Podcast Ad Effectiveness research, 2020 (more than 260 surveys across 240 brands).
That performance is amplified when sponsorship reaches decision‑makers who intentionally seek long‑form insight during focused listening hours, as is the case with Innovating Leadership: Co-Creating Our Future.
Innovating Leadership: Co‑Creating Our Future features in-depth conversations with leaders, futurists, authors, and professors exploring the practices that build resilient organizations—strategy, culture, innovation, AI, and leadership development.
Our listeners are professionals and decision-makers who invest in learning and share high-quality resources with their teams. Sponsorship is a way to align your brand with thoughtful leadership content—and reach an audience that prefers trusted expertise over mass-market soundbites.
High-trust audience + global reach:
- Global leadership audience with a strong U.S. core (about 66%), across 121 countries
- Built for senior leaders: CEOs, board members, CHROs, CIOs, senior managers, VPs, and executive advisors
- Core audience aged 35–65
- 8,000+ listeners per episode
- 145,000 LinkedIn newsletter subscribers
- Top 1% of podcasts worldwide (Listen Notes global rank)
Audience Snapshot:
- Senior‑Level Decision Makers
Senior managers, VPs, C‑suite executives, and executive advisors form the core audience. Our measured audience is disproportionately composed of senior leaders, executive advisors, leadership development professionals, and systems thinkers. Even before accounting for unmeasured distribution, the audience profile is exceptionally well aligned with organizations seeking influence among experienced decision-makers - Workday, High‑Intent Listening
~67% of listening occurs during standard U.S. business hours, aligning sponsorship with focused professional attention. - Leadership‑Dense Geography
U.S.-based core audience centered in Washington, DC; New York; Chicago; and San Francisco, aligned with government, enterprise, and consulting ecosystems, and extending globally. - Evergreen Engagement
Episodes continue generating listening well beyond release, positioning sponsor messages alongside enduring leadership insight.
Why Sponsor This Podcast
Reach Leaders Who Make Decisions
Our audience engages for depth—leaders responsible for enterprise performance, transformation, governance, and culture.
Worldwide Visibility With Relevance
Connect with a leadership community across 121 countries, amplified through podcast and newsletter distribution.
Conversations That Signal Authority
Guests include prominent global leaders and senior executives—credibility that elevates sponsor brand association.
Be Part of the Leadership Narrative
Show up in discussions on strategy, AI, culture, and capability—topics leaders are actively applying.
Recognized for Leadership Impact
Innovating Leadership: Co‑Creating Our Future is consistently recognized for leadership relevance and impact.
 | Positive Change Podcast Awards
|
  | Million Podcasts
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
|
What Strategic Partners Gain
- Thought leadership credibility with senior leaders
- Long‑term brand trust, not episodic impressions
- Alignment with leadership, governance, and AI‑era decision‑making
- Presence in conversations that shape enterprise priorities
What We Deliver
- Sponsor integration that fits the tone of executive dialogue—credible, relevant, and value‑adding.
- Multi‑channel amplification aligned to audience consumption patterns (podcast + newsletter + social).
- Options that range from brief mentions to deeper collaboration, depending on outcomes and timeframe.
Conversations That Shape How Leaders Think—and Act
Notable guests include former heads of state, global policy leaders, Fortune‑level executives, and recognized scholars.
Content Driven by The Innovative Leadership Think-Tank™
Innovating Leadership: Co-Creating Our Future is produced by the Innovative Leadership Think-Tank™ (ILI Think-Tank™). Every episode is curated to advance executive-level understanding of leadership, decision-making, and organizational systems.
The podcast is sponsored by the Innovative Leadership Institute, the ILI Think-Tank, and the James Madison University School of Strategic Leadership Studies.
We feature senior executives, researchers, and system-level thinkers selected for the quality of their insight, not their promotional reach. Sponsors are therefore aligned with credible conversations that resonate with CEOs, boards, and senior leaders.
Sponsorship Levels
Premier Partner:
For organizations shaping enterprise leadership and transformation at scale.
Includes:
- Priority positioning on Sponsor page
- Host-read acknowledgments aligned to flagship themes
- Quarterly performance summary + alignment plan
- Optional: Co-created executive insight brief (ILI-led; partner acknowledged)
- Optional: Invitation to ILI executive roundtables
- 2 partners maximum
Thought Leadership Partner:
For governance, succession, leadership ecosystems, and premium advisory partners.
Includes:
Sponsor page positioning + theme cluster alignment
Host-read acknowledgments on aligned episodes
Quarterly performance summary
Optional: Contribution to a curated theme series (ILI editorial control maintained)
- 3–4 partners maximum
Strategic Partner:
For enterprise platforms and services aligned with leadership, innovation, and operating model change.
Includes:
Sponsor page profile
Host-read acknowledgments in relevant episodes
Quarterly performance summary + theme alignment
- 4–6 partners maximum
Supporting Partner:
For values-aligned organizations building trust with senior leaders.
Includes:
Sponsor page listing
Limited host-read acknowledgment rotation
Quarterly summary snapshot
We’ll follow up within 2 business days.
Maureen prepared for our conversation the way a strong board member prepares for a meeting. Her questions went past the talking points to how decisions are actually made in the boardroom, and I left with a sharper view of my own work. It is the rare interview I would ask my own leadership team to hear in full.
Editorial Independence &
Brand Guardrails
To protect the trust of our audience:
- Sponsorships are limited and selective
- We do not accept sponsor scripts that compromise credibility
- ILI retains editorial control of content and insights
- Sponsorship is framed as alignment, not promotion
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can we sponsor a specific theme (AI, governance, succession)?
Yes—theme alignment is the preferred model and is included in most levels.
Q: Do you offer exclusivity?
Limited exclusivity is available by tier and category.
Q: What will we receive to share internally?
A sponsor packet (including a one-page overview), an alignment plan, and a quarterly performance
summary. Download the one-page overview (PDF) →
What Happens Next
Brief Alignment Conversation
We confirm audience fit, outcomes, and timeline.
Custom Sponsor Brief
You receive recommended options, themes, and activation approach.
Launch & Amplify
We execute the episode or segment and extend reach through coordinated promotion.
Put your brand where leadership decisions are being shaped
Sponsor Innovating Leadership: Co-Creating Our Future to reach 8,000+ engaged listeners per episode and extend your message across a global leadership community.
Questions before you submit? Contact Maureen Metcalf, Host and Sponsorship Lead, at inquiries@innovativeleadership.com
Our Podcast Team:
Maureen Metcalf
Host & Sponsorship Lead
Dan Mushalko
Executive Producer
Jenna Reik
Guest Booking Manager