Creative Leadership retreats for individuals, corporate, government and civil society leaders
We offer a range of bespoke retreats for leaders seeking to rest, restore and revive their leadership skills and be ready for a new chapter in their personal and professional development
Topics include
Individual leadership development: bespoke coaching on vision and mission and leadership presence
Confident communication
Teambuilding and Group dynamics
Storytelling and Narrative skills
Leading and Empowering Teams across the world
Ethical decision-making, Sustainability and Accountability
Building a Portfolio Life - personal and professional leadership
Building a legacy - vision, mission and action for your Third Act
Arts and social justice: techniques from Augusto Boal, Keith Johnstone and Dorothy Heathcote to empower and align stakeholders
We also run a number of high-level retreats with award-winning guest artists, speakers and thought leaders on a range of topics pertinent to the challenges we are facing in our world right now.
Feminine Leadership
Finding and Embodying Your Voice is an innovative leadership development workshop led by award-winning entrepreneur and global leader, Caroline Watson, with special guests award-winning choreographer and performer Preeti Vasudevan and Grammy-nominated composer and singer Clarice Assad, who harness the power of the arts to untap your true voice and leadership presence.
At a time of huge global crisis, Building New Narratives For The Future, is an extraordinary leadership learning experience that will challenge you to think differently about your leadership in the world and how we can solve the crises of our times.
Going beyond traditional leadership training methods, we draw on artistic processes, on pedagogies of listening, learning and simulations, to implement environments in which people feel welcomed, more understood, and emotionally connected.
All retreats and high-impact summits are lead by Caroline Watson, visionary founder of The Centre for the Arts and Global Leadership, and the Global Arts Impact Agenda. An award-winning entrepreneur, Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum (Davos) and a talented performer herself, using the arts to effect large-scale social change across the world, Caroline is the owner of Clos de Gaye and a masterful hostess and creator of extraordinary experiences.
Caroline Watson, Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, Harvard, Yale, INSEAD, Oxford
Coach and leadership development expert to global heads of state, corporate executives and world leaders.
Unfolding your leadership potential
Clos de Gaye
Extraordinary experiences where the world comes together for impact
Sample retreat schedule
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Arrival
4pm Arrival
5pm Welcome
8pm Dinner
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Day 1
8am Breakfast
9am Images of Transformation
10.30am Break
11am What got you here won’t get you there
12.30pm Lunch
2pm The Heroes Journey
3.30pm Afternoon tea
4pm Free Time; optional wine tour or cultural visit
8pm Dinner
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Day 2
7.30am Breakfast
8am Departure for the Pyrénées
9am Be the hero of your journey
10.30am Break
11am Lessons in Leadership
12.30pm Lunch
2pm Building New Narratives
3.30pm Afternoon Tea
4pm Free time and hiking
6pm Return to hotel
8pm Dinner
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Day 3
8am Breakfast
9am Hotseating
10.30am Break
11am The Moral Dilemma
12.30pm Lunch
2pm Strengthening the Narrative
3.30pm Afternoon Tea
4pm Rehearsal
7.30pm Dinner and Forum Theatre
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Day 4
7 am Breakfast
7.30am Departure for the Basque coast
9am Reflection, Renewal and Action
10.30am Break
11am One-to-one’s
12.30pm Lunch
2pm Wind down and Departure
Tangible Outputs for Past Clients
Global Leadership
One of the key hallmarks of our work, based on our founder’s background is the concept of ‘globale’ leadership, learning to navigate what it means to be in and of ‘the world’, but also to develop a truly holistic way of understanding our global responsibilities as well as our local ones. We’ve helped leaders develop a truly nuanced understanding of other cultures, navigate the impact of the rise of China and the emerging world, and learn how to communicate and lead across cultures.
Fundraising and Investment
In working with corporate leaders and government clients, we have helped past participants secure investments for projects, get buy-in for major policy initiatives, and influence key decision-makers at the highest level
Innovation and New Project Ideas
We have helped multi-national clients develop ideas for new industries in emerging markets, advocate for policy changes and rethink both local and global strategies for large-scale initiatives
Improve Products and Services
We have developed more human-centered approaches to new product development and service provision, ensuring they are more deeply-rooted in what the user needs and effective in their delivery
Leadership and Communication
Empowered the personal leadership of countless global leaders across the world, enabling them to develop the courage and confidence to communicate effectively and lead both ‘upstream’ and ‘downstream’
Change Management, Company Culture and Values
Working with senior management to identify challenges in execution related to company culture and strategy, helping to seed new transformation initiatives and get support from stakeholders at all levels
Corporate Social Responsibility, Philanthropy and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals
In working with foundations, philanthropists and change-makers across the world, we’ve helped them get under the skin of some of the most intractable problems our world is facing, learn to empathise with multiple perspectives and navigate how to lead with a strong sense of vision and purpose to bring about meaningful change in our world
Looking to be part of serious change in our world?
We also offer an annual high-level ‘action summit’ series for leaders with a serious commitment to identifying and building new models of leadership and global governance, to address some of the biggest challenges our world faces
Clos de Gaye
Extraordinary experiences where the world comes together for impact
A unique experience, unlike any other, the extraordinary beauty of south west France, overlooking the Pyrénées, on the border with Spain, with arts-based approaches to learning and development, enabling you to leave inspired and invigorated
Our retreats bring together exceptional people from all over the world - corporate, government and civil society leaders, academics, artists and cultural leaders - all those with a desire to bring about positive impact in our world.
By bringing together such a diverse mix of people, your own networks will expand in truly global ways and opportunities for collaboration on large-scale issues across the world will unfold.
Immersing yourself in nature, accommodation will be provided either on the Clos de Gaye estate or nearby Clos Mirabel.
You've helped us not just as leaders, but as creative thinkers, on a personal level and on so many other levels. These sessions create the kind of 10X thinking that we need. The ideas I have generated through this, for example, the idea for creating a new cinema industry, is such a big idea, and it came directly through the sessions. I can't really put into word what it has done for me. It has been life-changing.
Senior Minister,
Middle East government
Getting Here
Clos de Gaye is situated 20 minutes from Pau airport and train station, with direct transfers through Paris
We are also 50 minutes from Lourdes airport and 1 hour from Biarritz airport
Dates
We typically run retreats in spring and autumn, both beautiful seasons in south west France
We have both open enrollment and tailored bespoke retreats for individuals and organisations
Price
Our prices range from 4900 - 25,000 euros per person, depending on the length and content of the retreat and our guest artists and facilitators
Included:
All workshops, plus pre- and post- workshop preparation and follow up
Your Accommodation at Clos de Gaye or at nearby Clos Mirabel
All your meals, including eating out
Your day trips to the Pyrénées and the Basque coast
