Leslie has over 25 years of management experience across entrepreneurship, development, and philanthropy, including ten years developing and growing smallholder farmer businesses across Africa. As Laudes Foundation’s founding CEO, Leslie Johnston leads a team of 50 professionals to deliver – via its 300+ partners - on its mission to accelerate the transition to a green, fair and inclusive global economy. Previously, she headed C&A Foundation as its first Executive Director, repositioning it as a global catalyst to make fashion a force for good. She served as Executive Director of the Argidius Foundation, Deputy Director for TechnoServe in Africa and a management consultant for McKinsey & Company. 

Leslie is also an accomplished board director, currently serving on the boards of Impact Europe (formerly the European Venture Philanthropy Association) as Chair, PUR, Fashion for Good BV, Built by Nature Stichting (as Vice Chair), Climate Resilience for All, EAT’s Advisory Board as well as University College London’s Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose Advisory Board. She is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Jobs and Frontier Technologies (and previously served on the Global Future Council on the Future of Philanthropy for Climate and Nature.)

Leslie lives in Zug, Switzerland with her husband and two teenage sons.