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Mark Doughty Named 'CEO of the Year' Finalist in the Inaugural Workplace Kindness Awards in New York City.

Mark Doughty, Founder of the Global Kindness Institute (GKI), has been named a finalist for CEO of the Year at the inaugural Workplace Kindness Awards, taking place at Nasdaq in New York City on 12 November 2026. With over 25 years’ experience in leadership and organisational development across leading global organisations, Mark founded GKI in 2025 following a deeply troubling experience of workplace unkindness. That experience became the catalyst for a clear mission: to establish kindness as a measurable driver of trust, leadership effectiveness and organisational performance.

Since then, Mark has published Kindness in Leadership – The Only Strategic Competitive Advantage for a Forever Changing World and championed the development of KINDset KQ®, an approach designed to make kindness in leadership more visible, measurable and actionable. Reflecting on the recognition, Mark said:"Two years ago, I walked away from a career without another job to go to, driven by a belief that leadership could and should be better. I never imagined that journey would take me to New York as a finalist in the inaugural Workplace Kindness Awards. For me, this international recognition reinforces what we believe at the Global Kindness Institute: kindness is a powerful driver of business performance. It's the only source of competitive advantage. It builds trust, strengthens leadership and creates the conditions for people and organisations to thrive. Kindness and high performance go hand in hand - in fact they always have.”

Mark Doughty, Founder of the Global Kindness Institute, has been appointed Chair of Human Nature & Relational Intelligence – Learning Design Committee at 41 North Business School, Istanbul.

The appointment reflects Mark’s extensive international experience in leadership development, organisational effectiveness and human behaviour, alongside his commitment to advancing kindness and relational intelligence as drivers of organisational performance.

In this role, Mark will contribute to shaping innovative, evidence-informed approaches to executive education, connecting the science of human behaviour with the practical challenges of modern leadership.

The appointment further strengthens the Global Kindness Institute’s international engagement and its ambition to place human understanding, relational intelligence and kindness at the heart of business education and leadership practice.

At a time when artificial intelligence is reshaping the world of work, understanding human nature has never been more commercially relevant. The challenge for tomorrow’s leaders is not simply how to harness new technologies, but how to strengthen the distinctly human capabilities of judgement, trust, empathy, collaboration and responsible decision-making.

Through this appointment, Mark will help bridge academic thinking and commercial reality, exploring how relational intelligence can be translated into practical leadership capability, stronger organisational cultures and measurable business outcomes. The ambition is to help shape a new generation of leaders who understand that technological intelligence and human intelligence are not competing forces, but complementary capabilities essential to sustainable organisational success.

A Strategic Partnership

Following a 16-year association with TetraMap as a consumer, Mark Doughty has been appointed Managing Director of TetraMap International across the UK, Europe, MENA & USA.This appointment marks a new chapter in the partnership between TetraMap International and the Global Kindness Institute (GKI), combining complementary approaches to leadership, team effectiveness and organisational performance.

Better human understanding drives better business performance.

As artificial intelligence transforms organisations, human understanding, trust and judgement become increasingly critical. Technology provides capability, but human relationships determine its effectiveness. By combining TetraMap's established framework with GKI's expertise in kindness and leadership, the partnership will develop practical solutions for an AI-enabled world.

Our ambition is to establish relational intelligence as a defining organisational capability, connecting human understanding, AI and commercial performance.

Global Kindness Institute & PINCH Performance

A Strategic Partnership to Turn Human Potential into Measurable Performance

As the Global Kindness Institute (GKI) expands internationally, having trusted, experienced delivery partners is essential to ensuring the quality, consistency and impact of our work.

Our partnership with PINCH Performance brings together GKI's expertise in kindness, relational intelligence and leadership with PINCH's strengths in learning science, leadership lab, capability building and organisational performance.

Together, our aim is to translate insight into action, designing and delivering practical, evidence-led development experiences that strengthen leadership, improve team effectiveness and deliver measurable business outcomes.

One shared ambition: to build human capability that drives lasting organisational performance.

*Global HR Summit -Proudly announces Mark Doughty as Keynote speaker . 12th May 2026. Istanbul*.

In conjunction with his GKI leadership role, Mark is attending the conference in his capacity as Board Director of TetraMap UK Limited.

In his session, “Beyond Personality: How TetraMap of Leadership Transforms Team Collaboration,” Mark will introduce TetraMap's powerful model, which goes beyond traditional leadership frameworks. Participants will discover how to unlock team potential, improve collaboration and build high-performing teams through a natural yet deeper understanding of human behaviour and leadership preferences.

Drawing on over 25 years of international leadership and organisational development experience, Mark will demonstrate how understanding individual differences can translate into stronger relationships, better decision-making and measurable business performance. He will also explore why, in an increasingly technology-driven world, relational intelligence is becoming an essential capability for leaders and organisations seeking sustainable success.

Good luck, Mark!

Carver Lane: Immersive Leadership Development Experience

In partnership with Diagram Learning Studio the GKI introduce Carver Lane a high‑impact, immersive leadership experience designed for senior leaders.

Set within a leading global professional services firm. This is not a workshop. It is a live, unfolding leadership simulation where every decision shapes the next scene, the next challenge, and ultimately the performance of the organisation you are leading. Carver Lane blends theatre, behavioural science, and leadership psychology to create an unforgettable learning experience. It is immersive, emotionally engaging, and directly transferable to the real world.

This is leadership development that feels real because it is. If you would like to see a demonstration, or explore how you can adopt and adapt Carver Lane for your organisation, please get in touch using the contact form below.

GKI Achieves Landmark ICF Recognition, Setting a New Benchmark in Coaching Excellence. The Competitive Edge Every Coach Needs

We are thrilled to announce that the KINDset KQ® Certification Training for Coaches has been officially recognised and accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) for both learning design and delivery. The KINDset KQ ® certification has been awarded 24 credits.

To put this achievement into perspective, 24 ICF credits represent more than 60% of a coach’s annual renewal requirement. This places the GKI in a category of excellence reserved for organisations that not only deliver high‑impact practitioner training but also shape the field as thought leaders and curriculum designers.
The ICF with 50,000 members and 60,000 credential holders across 160+ countries is the world’s most respected coaching body. Being recognised at the highest level by such a global authority is both an honour and a powerful signal of trust. We look forward to serving this international community of professionals in the years ahead.

More importantly, this recognition elevates our authority in the coaching and leadership space. It affirms that our frameworks including the KINDset KQ® and our wider leadership philosophy meet global coaching standards and stand shoulder to shoulder with the most respected methodologies in the field

In November 2025, Mark partnered with Open Water for a live online conversation to coincide with the publication of his new book, Kindness in Leadership: The Only Competitive Advantage in a Forever‑Changing World (Amazon Books, 2025).

During the one‑hour session, Mark was joined by GKI’s global advisors, Jim Steele and Heather Swain, for a lively exploration of why Kindness in Leadership is emerging as the only true competitive advantage in today’s shifting landscape.

Together, they unpacked the research, the real‑world impact, and the practical shifts leaders can make to create meaningful change.

You can watch the full recording of the session here.

Watch the recording

Our Why - Rachel's Story

Rachel's story is the driving force behind the founding of the Global Kindness Institute.

A pivotal life event sparked a profound friendship, igniting a purpose and bold ambition—to redefine leadership excellence along with a focus on transforming leadership with clarity, impact, and a commitment to meaningful change.

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Kindness in Leadership: The Only Strategic Advantage In A Forever Changing World

Available now from Amazon - Please see purchase button below

Leadership is changing radically, irreversibly, and urgently. In a world defined by complexity, disruption, and rising demands for transparency, from the old paradigms of power and control to the more recent models of servant, authentic, and transformational leadership, none are truly fit for purpose in today’s world. They were built for stability, not complexity. Designed to manage, not to inspire. Even the most progressive leadership frameworks now struggle to meet the demands of a landscape defined by volatility and systemic accountability. After all, $bn's are invested in leadership development from world-renowned business schools to bespoke in-house frameworks and coaching pipelines. And yet, the question persists: Where are all the great leaders?

Despite the psychometrics, talent development models, and fast-track programs, we continue to produce leaders who struggle to navigate complexity, inspire trust, or deliver sustained change. The problem isn’t a lack of investment, it’s a failure of imagination. Kindness in Leadership doesn’t just critique the system. It offers a new blueprint, one that redefines the foundation of leadership excellence in a world that demands both exceptional workplaces and commercial impact. Kindness in Leadership introduces a new standard, one that doesn’t just adapt to change, but thrives. It reveals how kindness, when operationalised with Trust, Credibility, and Purpose, becomes the most powerful competitive advantage in today’s volatile landscape. This vision is powered by the introduction of the Kindness Quotient (KQ), a new way to measure leadership that strengthens both IQ and EQ via a unique 360° tool called KINDset, which measures Kindness In Leadership across seven key dimensions.

Written for both emerging and established leaders, reformers, and changemakers. Whether you're leading a team, shaping policy, or redefining organisational culture, Kindness in Leadership equips you with the tools to lead like the leader you always wished you'd had.

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