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About the Fellowship

Use your skills to create positive impact

The LGT Impact Fellowship Program offers experienced business professionals the opportunity to apply their skills to create positive impact with leading organizations and companies around the world.
During a 12-month full-time engagement Fellows work on the ground with non-profit organizations or for-profit companies from the global portfolios of LGT Venture Philanthropy and Lightrock with the aim to strengthen their organizational capacity, thus contributing to their success. This engagement allows Fellows to gain valuable hands-on experience and learn lessons in the field. The Fellowship is part of LGT Venture Philanthropy’s and Lightrock's strategic investment support. Participants work closely with our local teams and important stakeholders, and tap into a global network of peer Fellows. This special setup enriches the experience and enables participants to enhance skills that are vital for the next stage of a purposeful career after the Fellowship.
 

The role of Fellows

Fellows are seen as a vital part of advancing our mission. They take on distinct roles and responsibilities, commit to clear goals and report on the progress on a regular basis. They typically provide a professional capacity building service to increase the organizations’ ability to grow their operations and scale their positive impact.
Fellows strengthen the organizational capacity by:

  • sharing their professional experience
  • improving, establishing or implementing systems, processes and tools that are transferable to permanent staff
  • apply private sector expertise
  • training and coaching local teams
  • Fellows are not meant to replace the need for permanent hires, hence succession planning plays a key role in ensuring sustainability of their work

Requirements to apply for a Fellowship

The minimum requirements to be eligible for an LGT Impact Fellowship are the following:

  • Undergraduate degree (MBA or other advanced degree in a relevant field preferred)
  • Minimum of two years of full-time work experience after university (internships during studies excluded)
  • Proficiency in English, both written and spoken (additional languages from relevant regions helpful)
 

Our most successful Fellows have the following skills and qualities:

  • Self-starter, willing to work independently with limited supervision and take responsibility for own actions
  • Strong commitment to make a difference and preparedness to make financial and personal sacrifices
  • Good understanding of challenges and trends in low to middle income country development
  • Willingness to live and work abroad and engage with other cultures with a positive attitude and sensitivity
  • Flexibility, open-mindedness and the ability to deal with ambiguity, unforeseeable events and a changing environment

With the aim of building organizational capacity, our portfolio organizations commonly seek mid-level career professionals with expertise in the following functional areas:
  • Finance and Accounting
  • Investment Management
  • Business Consulting
  • Strategy
  • Business Development
  • Fundraising
  • Marketing and Communications
  • Operations Management
  • Project Management
  • Data Analytics
  • IT and Data Management
  • Research and M&E
  • Human Resources
  • Process and Quality Management
 

Timeline

All applications will be reviewed once the application portal closes in the beginning of April and the Fellowship team will inform candidates if they are selected to interview for one of the open Fellowship positions. Throughout April/May, selected candidates usually go through 2-3 rounds of interviews with the organization they have applied for. Final nominations are expected by end of May for candidates to start their 12-month engagement around July. All Fellows will be invited for a kick-off workshop in Switzerland, which is expected to take place in July/August.

 

Career development of Fellows

Our Fellowship Program is a proven gateway to pursuing an impact driven career. The LGT Impact Fellowship offers an exceptional opportunity for personal and professional development by exposing its participants to complex and unknown environments at portfolio organizations and companies of LGT Venture Philanthropy and Lightrock primarily operating in Latin America, Africa, India and Europe. The program therefore provides by design a stepping-stone for professionals who wish to transition into or advance a career in social entrepreneurship, impact investing or the sustainable business sector more broadly.
 

Need more information?

Join our virtual information sessions on 7 March to learn more about the LGT Impact Fellowship program and ask all your questions. Please register for the webinar here.

You can also find additional information in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section on this site.