WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 10, 2026 - Today, the Atlantic Council's Millennium Leadership Program is excited to announce the 2026-2027 class of Millenium Fellows.

The Millennium Fellowship is a nine-month hybrid program for mid-career professionals that elevates fellows' leadership, fosters a supportive community of global leaders, and expands their capacity for meaningful impact.

The 2026-2027 cohort - the twelfth cohort in the fellowship's history - comprises 40 fellows from nineteen countries with expertise spanning government, civil society, media, and business. Members of the class have advised presidential administrations, shaped policy at the World Bank, World Economic Forum, and NATO, and launched nonprofits and social enterprises.

Among this year's fellows are an Icelandic parliament member and former minister of justice who shaped national policy on AI and digital transformation; a Mastercard vice president driving market transformation across the Americas at the intersection of public policy, commerce, and financial inclusion; and an American co-founder and CEO whose healthcare company has enabled over one billion pharmaceutical interventions across Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, and Senegal. From the mayor of St. Louis Park, Minnesota, to a founder supporting 15,000 students across more than 100 countries, this cohort reflects a cadre of high-impact leaders whose work spans continents, sectors, and scales of impact.

"What makes this class of Fellows remarkable isn't just their individual talent - it's their willingness to learn from perspectives unlike their own," said Jonah Fisher, senior director of the Atlantic Council's Millennium Leadership Program. "In a moment when the world feels more fragmented than ever, that openness is itself a form of leadership."

The fellowship curriculum includes Spencer Stuart-led leadership facilitation and coaching, engagement with Atlantic Council experts, and peer learning pods.

This cohort will take part in a 10-day immersive study tour to Turkey, examining domestic, regional, and international leadership challenges and opportunities through a range of meetings with leaders and institutions. After completing the program, they join a dynamic network of 500 alumni continuing to drive impact and shape the global future in partnership with the Council and its allies.

For further information please contact Millennium Leadership Program Senior Director Jonah Fisher at [email protected].

For press inquiries, please contact [email protected].

About the Millennium Leadership Program

For over sixty years, the Atlantic Council has convened global leaders to address our world's most pressing challenges. As a central pillar of this legacy, the Millennium Leadership Program (MLP) connects and empowers rising international leaders shaping the twenty-first century through a portfolio of programs, including the Millennium Fellowship, the Millennium Leadership Intensive, and the Global Leadership Forum. Built on three core pillars-leadership, community, and impact-the MLP helps professionals across diverse industries strengthen their leadership skills and drive meaningful impact through a dynamic cohort experience that connects them with a global network of exceptional peers and world leaders. The MLP also boasts a robust and active alumni network, ensuring participants stay connected and engaged after completing the program.

About the Atlantic Council

Founded in 1961, the Atlantic Council promotes constructive leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the Atlantic community's central role in meeting global challenges. Sixty-five years later, the Council's enduring mission of "shaping the global future together" with partners and allies has never been more urgent or consequential. The Council provides an essential forum for navigating the dramatic economic and political changes defining the twenty-first century by informing and galvanizing its uniquely influential network of global leaders. Through the papers it publishes, the ideas it generates, and the communities it builds, the Atlantic Council shapes policy choices and strategies to create a more free, secure, and prosperous world.