AIESEC enables leadership development in young people to make a positive impact in society. The study explores AIESEC's influence on leadership development and impact through an analysis of survey responses from over 1,000 alumni from 107 countries. It focuses on AIESEC's influence on leadership development, leadership traits of alumni, and alumni impact in society. The study found that AIESEC significantly influenced leadership development in its members, particularly in the areas of effective communication and cultural awareness. It also determined that AIESEC alumni demonstrate traits like open-mindedness, adaptability, and self-confidence, and have careers where they take on leadership roles and work internationally.

1. April!
2014

2. AIESEC enables leadership development in young people to make a
positive impact in society. The AIESEC Global Alumni Impact Study uses
primary data to explore the leadership development and impact of AIESEC’s alumni.
The study involves an analysis of survey responses of over 1000 alumni from 107
countries and a range of different generations and professional backgrounds.!
!
To explore this, the study focuses on three key questions: !
!
• What is the extent of AIESEC’s influence on the leadership development of its members?!
• What are the leadership traits that characterise AIESEC alumni?!
• What impact have AIESEC alumni had in society?!
!
The analysis is based on the leadership development model of AIESEC, which consists of the
following three elements of leadership development:!
!
I & Myself! Self Aware – Aware of my strengths and weaknesses; Know my values
and purpose in life!
!
I & The World !Responsible to the World – Aware; Take ownership and action!
!
I & Others ! Effective Communication – Engaging others with one’s purpose and
values; Communicate effectively and build networks!
!
The study was conducted by a global team of AIESEC members in 2014. !
!
This report presents the findings of the study.
Introduction
ReportStructure
Introduction! ! ! ! ! ! ! 1!
Data Overview! ! ! ! ! ! ! 2!
AIESEC’s Influence on Leadership Development! 3!
Leadership Traits of Alumni! ! ! ! ! 7
! - Personal Development! ! ! ! 7!
! - Professional Development! ! ! ! 9!
! - Skills Development! ! ! ! ! 11!
! - Personal Values! ! ! ! ! 14!
Alumni Impact in the World! ! ! ! ! 16!
Conclusions! ! ! ! ! ! ! 21
Legend
TMP: Team Member Program!
TLP: Team Leader Program!
GIP: Global Internship
Program!
GCDP: Global Community
Development Program
1

3. 37%
18%
20%
7%
7%
11% Multinational company
Small or Medium Company
Entrepreneur
Government or Government
Institution
Not-for-Profit Sector
Other
27%
23%
18%
16%
9%
5%
2% Central & Eastern Europe
North America
Western Europe
South America
Asia Pacific
Africa
Middle East & North Africa
Both quantitative and qualitative data was collected through a survey
involving questions that are based on the three key questions of this study.!
!
In this report, the quantitative data is reported in the form of graphs and statistics. The
qualitative data that is reported is based on examples of typical comments made by alumni in
the surveys. Those typical comments were determined by examining multiple sets of
samples from the total data and identifying the most common themes.!
!
Survey responses were collected from 1087 alumni with the following characteristics:
DataOverview
Region
CurrentOrganisation
Age
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%
Psychology
Media & Communications
Science
Law
Social Sciences
Political Science
Computer Sciences
Marketing
Engineering
Finance and Accounting
Other
Management
Economics
Business Administration
Percentage of Respondents (%)
AcademicBackground
AIESECProgramParticipation NumberofAIESECExperiences
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Other
GCDP
GIP
TLP
TMP
Percentage of Respondents (%)
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
Less than 2 3 to 5 5 to 10 10 to 20 More than 20
PercentageofRespondents(%)
Number of AIESEC Experiences
107 countries in total
2
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 73
NumberofRespondents
Age (Years)

4. 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Self Aware
Effective Communication
Responsible to the World
Percentage of Respondents (%)
I communicate effectively with other people and
engage them with my vision
I understand and attend to needs of others
I developed new insights about other cultures
I am accepting diversity
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
I am aware of my strengths and weaknesses
I know my purpose in life and live according to it
I know my values and live according to it
I set and accomplish goals for my own
development
I consider continuous learning as part of my
everyday life
I developed new insights about Leadership
Percentage of Respondents (%)
I am aware of my responsibility for the world
(country, city) and feel ownership towards it
I enjoy taking responsibility
Responsible to
the World
Effective
Communication
Self Aware
3
AIESEC’sInfluenceon
LeadershipDevelopment
The vast majority of alumni respondents (84%) consider themselves to be a ‘leader’.
This section of the report examines the extent to which AIESEC and its programs has
influenced this leadership development.
ThreeElementsofLeadershipDevelopment
The alumni surveyed were asked to rate the extent to which AIESEC had an influence over the
different leadership characteristics related to the three leadership development elements
mentioned in the introduction of this report. The results are in the graphs below.!
It is quite clear that all three areas of the leadership development were at least significantly
influenced by AIESEC, and a large portion of the alumni said that they would not have those
characteristics without AIESEC. Although a large portion also said that AIESEC only somehow
influenced their development in these areas, very few respondents said that AIESEC had no effect.!
!
More particularly, there were more alumni indicating that, without AIESEC, they would not have
characteristics of effective communication than there were for the other two areas. However, there
were also more alumni indicating that AIESEC only somehow had an influence on their self
awareness. The next subsection goes into more detail regarding which programs develop which
characteristics.

5. 4
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
I developed new insights about Leadership
I enjoy taking responsibility
I communicate effectively with other people and
engage them with my vision
I understand and attend to needs of others
I developed new insights about other cultures
I am accepting diversity
I am aware of my strengths and weaknesses
I know my purpose in life and live according to it
I know my values and live according to it
I set and accomplish goals for my own
development
I consider continuous learning as part of my
everyday life
I am aware of my responsibility for the world
(country, city) and feel ownership towards it
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
I developed new insights about Leadership
I enjoy taking responsibility
I communicate effectively with other people and
engage them with my vision
I understand and attend to needs of others
I developed new insights about other cultures
I am accepting diversity
I am aware of my strengths and weaknesses
I know my purpose in life and live according to it
I know my values and live according to it
I set and accomplish goals for my own
development
I consider continuous learning as part of my
everyday life
I am aware of my responsibility for the world
(country, city) and feel ownership towards it
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Percentage of respondents (%)
GIP GCDP
InfluenceofEachProgram
The following graphs present a breakdown of the data per program. Each graph takes into account
those respondents who had only participated in that respective program and no other program.
Because of this restriction on the data, the sample sizes for each graph are very low, and hence,
the conclusions made here are done so with caution.
TMP TLP
Percentage of respondents (%)

6. 5
TMP
!
For TMP participants, the characteristics that AIESEC seems to have the most influence on are
related to effective communication. In particular, the characteristics that had the highest
proportion of respondents select ‘Without AIESEC, wouldn’t have it’ are: ‘I am accepting of
diversity’; ’I developed new insights about other culture’; and ’I communicate effectively with other
people and engage them with my vision’.!
!
Characteristics related to being self aware seemed to have the most respondents selecting ‘Not
at all’, such as: ‘I know my purpose in life and live according to it’ and ‘I know my values and live
according to it’. This indicates that perhaps TMP does not offer as much opportunity for self
reflection and self awareness as desired.!
!
Characteristics relating to responsibility to the world do not have very extreme responses, but a
fairly large number of respondents selected ‘Significantly influenced' for ‘I enjoy taking
responsibility’ and ‘I am aware of my responsibility for the world (country, city) and feel ownership
towards it’.!
TLP
!
Respondents who participated in TLP show very similar trends as TMP participants. However, it is
further worth noting that a particularly higher proportion of TLP participants than participants of
other programs selected 'Significantly influenced’ for ‘I developed new insights about leadership’.
This suggests that this program may be particularly influential in allowing participants to explore
their leadership abilities.
GIP
!
For participants of GIP, AIESEC seems to have the most influence on characteristics related to
effective communication. The characteristics that had the highest proportion of respondents select
‘Without AIESEC, wouldn’t have it’ are: ‘I am accepting of diversity’ and ’I developed new insights
about other culture’. The latter is substantially higher for GIP participants than participants of other
programs, indicating that this program is particularly valuable for enhancing cultural awareness.!
!
Characteristics related to being self aware also seemed to be more influenced by GIP. A larger
proportion of respondents selected ‘Significantly influenced’ for characteristics like: ‘I know my
purpose in life and live according to it’; ‘I know my values and live according to it’; ‘I consider
continuous learning as part of my everyday life’; and ‘I set and accomplish goals for my own
development’.!
GCDP
!
It is difficult to draw conclusions from the data of GCDP participants, since the sample size is
particularly low. However, one important observation is that, similar to GIP participants, for ‘I
developed new insights about other cultures’, a substantially large proportion of respondents
selected ‘Without AIESEC, wouldn't have it’. This suggests that GIP and GCDP seem to allow for
greater opportunity to develop cultural awareness than the other programs, and this is consistent
with data presented later in this report which suggests that participants of these programs
develop cultural sensitivity skills.

7. In summary, it appears that AIESEC does have a substantial influence on the leadership
development of its members. TMP and TLP seem to particularly influence characteristics of
effective communication, while GIP seems to provide more holistic development. Along with GIP,
GCDP seems to be specifically influential on its participants’ cultural awareness.!
!
The next section provides more insights into the leadership traits that participants of each program
develop.
Summary
6
“AIESEC gave me a platform to do so many things. I travelled the world.
I was a minority, I was the majority. I failed, I succeeded. I take
these lessons with me into life every day and
now look to push further in everything I do. I run
marathons and do ironmans, I continue to study and volunteer around
issues that move me. AIESEC is with me always.”!
!
Jennifer Harwood!
Standards Australia Ltd.!
Sydney, Australia

8. LeadershipTraits
ofAlumni
PersonalDevelopment
The alumni were asked to indicate which personal characteristics most apply to them. The
following graph shows the results.
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Other
I am creative and innovative
I am consistent with my words and actions
I have risk-taking attitude
I am emotionally intelligent
I am persistent and result-oriented
I learn proactively
I believe in myself
I am adapting fast to new/challenging
environment
I think globally
I am open minded and accept diversity
Percentage of Respondents (%)
PersonalCharacteristics
As shown in the graph, the majority of respondents
(approximately 67%) indicated that they are open-
minded, accept diversity, think globally and adapt to
different environments. Repeatedly, alumni mentioned
in their comments how their exposure to different
people and places allowed them to broaden their
perspective and understanding of the world, which
relates to the ‘Effective Communication’ aspect of the
leadership development model. Often, alumni
described themselves with phrases like “global citizen”
and “globally-minded”. These sentiments are summed
up in the comment on the right of this particular
alumnus from Canada.!
!
While appreciation of differences was a major theme in
responses, many alumni also seemed mention how
they learned to appreciate the similarities that bring
people together. An example is this comment on the
right of an alumnus from New Zealand.!
This section of the report focuses on the second key question of the study which
aims to explore insights into the leadership traits that characterise AIESEC alumni. These
traits are presented in terms of personal and professional development, skills development and
personal values.
“I am a more empathetic person
because of my connection to the
people I met in AIESEC and the issues
facing people all over the world. I feel
connected to global events and believe
I can make differences locally that
relate to global situations.”
! Alumnus from Canada
“It reinforced my existing belief that
we live in a small world and people of
all different cultures are
fundamentally the same and equally
valuable.”
! Alumnus from New Zealand
7

9. Another dominant theme that recurred in responses
was personal confidence and drive, which relates to
the ‘Self Aware’ aspect of the leadership development
model. This is reflected in the graph by, for example,
the selection of ‘I believe in myself’, ‘I learn
proactively’ and ‘I am persistent and result-oriented’ by
around 45-55% of respondents. The respondents
often mentioned becoming empowered to take
untraditional paths and gain the skills and experience
to be able to achieve goals. This is summed up by the
comment on the right from an alumnus from Canada.!
!
!
!
This comment of this alumnus from the United States
is another example how AIESEC can help people
develop the personal confidence to make significant
life changes.!
!
0% 10% 20% 30%
1 (None)
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 (Extreme)
Percentage of respondents (%)
DegreeofInfluence
The alumni surveyed were asked to rank the degree to which AIESEC influenced their personal
development on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being no influence, and 10 being extreme influence).
!
As can be seen in the graph, most respondents indicated a high to extreme degree of influence.
DegreeofAIESEC’sInfluence
“AIESEC’s international opportunities
and the many talented people I met
through its global network gave me
the confidence to follow an
untraditional career path and
contribute to fixing some of the
world's problems rather than settle
for a typical existence based on the
expectation of others. I'm very pleased
to have my AIESEC experience as a
foundation for whatever challenge I
choose to tackle.”
! Alumnus from Canada
“I am not afraid to live or work in a
different country - despite all the
obstacles living and working abroad
inevitably entails. In fact, this year, I
moved from Miami, FL - quitting my
job as a successful attorney - to
Brussels, Belgium to pursue a career
in international public policy. Without
my experience with AIESEC, I highly
doubt I would have the drive and
confidence to make such a drastic
change!”
! Alumnus from USA
8

10. 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
I develop innovations at my work
I am regularly getting rewarded for the
quality of my work
I develop or implement new projects in an
organization
I am coach or mentor
I lead a team(s) at my work
I work abroad or with multicultural teams
I am proactively bringing new ideas at my
work
I get along well and easy with diverse
employees at my work
I work effectively without much supervision
I effectively set goals and timeline for my
duties
I set career goals for myself
Percentage of Respondents (%)
ProfessionalDevelopment
The alumni were also asked to indicate which professional characteristics most apply to them.
The following graph shows the results.
ProfessionalCharacteristics
Similar to the results on personal development, much of the professional development related to
diversity and new perspectives. !
!
A large proportion of respondents (approximately
58%) indicated that they get along well and easy
with diverse employees at work, which, again,
relates to the ‘Effective Communication’ aspect of the
leadership development model. The comments from
alumni seem to indicate that this may stem from the
exposure to diverse people that alumni experienced in
AIESEC. The comment on the right from an alumnus
working in a multinational bank is one example of what
many respondents expressed.!
!
A large proportion of alumni (approximately 47%)
indicated that they proactively bring new ideas and
new projects in their organisation. The respondents’
comments also seem to indicate that this may relate
back to the diversity of experiences and perspectives
that alumni encountered in AIESEC and its effect on
their ability to generate innovative ideas and projects
in diverse teams. One example is the comment on the
right of an alumnus from Germany, who related his
diverse AIESEC experiences to “humbling co-creation,
innovation and strategic thinking”.
“Working in a company with a vast
amount of cultures has proven
challenging to so many people – but I
seem to thrive in that arena and I
believe it is due to the exposure
AIESEC has given me.”
!Alumnus working for TD Bank in
Canada
“Living and working in several
AIESEC countries and interacting
with members nation-wide in several
languages truly built my language
and cultural understanding within
varying workplaces and improved my
relationship building. Dealing with
complexity in multiple teams enabled
humbling co-creation, innovation and
strategic thinking.”
! Alumnus from Germany
9

11. 0% 10% 20% 30%
1 (None)
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 (Extreme)
Percentage of Respondents (%)
DegreeofInfluence
The professional development of alumni also seems to be reflected in the following data, which
shows how long AIESEC alumni received a job promotion after leaving AIESEC.
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
Less than 1 year Between one (1)
and two (2)
years
Between three
(3) and five (5)
years
More than five
(5) years
I have not been
promoted yet
I became an
entrepreneur
PercentageofRespondents(%)
Timing of First Promotion
JobPromotions
Forty-three per cent (43%) of respondents were
promoted within one year of leaving AIESEC, while
30% were promoted between one and two years after
leaving. This speed of promotion may be partly due to
the organisational skills and experiences that are
gained from participating in AIESEC programs, as
indicated by repeated comments from the alumni
respondents. For example, the comment on the right is
what one alumnus from Australia said regarding his
internship in Switzerland.!
!
!
Also, this career progress may be partly due to
AIESEC enabling its members to discover career paths
that they are truly passionate about, and therefore
more motivated towards, since this is a very common
recurring theme in the responses. The comment on the
right is an example of this from an alumnus from
Bangladesh.!
!
DegreeofAIESEC’sInfluence
The alumni surveyed were asked to rank the
degree to which AIESEC influenced their
professional development on a scale of 1 to
10 (1 being no influence, and 10 being
extreme influence).!
!
As can be seen in the graph, most
respondents indicated a high to extreme
degree of influence.
“The AIESEC experiences prior to my
internship prepared me to enter a
commercial environment post
undergraduate study with real value
to my employers. The internship
provided relevant commercial
experience to jump-start my career in
a management role.”
! Head of Business Development
and Planning at Syngenta in
Australia
“AIESEC made me realize who I am
and who I want to be … It taught me
how to perfect what I was good at,
and how to work with what I wasn't
good at. It gave me my true passions –
PR, communications, leadership,
innovation, and a world of social
causes to fight for.”
! Alumnus from Bangladesh
10

12. 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%
Other
Innovation
Teamwork
Coaching
Personal effectiveness
Negotiation skills
Sales skills
Ability to work virtually
Time management
Oral and written communication skills
Planning
Foreign language skills
Dealing with complexity
Problem solving
Networking skills
Strategic thinking
Collaboration
Co-creating and brainstorming
Project management
Relationship building
Ability to see the big picture
Cultural sensitivity
Public speaking
Percentage of Respondents (%)
The alumni were asked to select from a list of skills that they felt they gained the most from their
AIESEC experience. The following graph shows the results:!
SkillsDevelopment
11
The graph shows that the skills that are most commonly developed (greater than 40% of
respondents) are public speaking, cultural sensitivity, ability to see the big picture, relationship
bulging and project management. The skills that seem be to least commonly developed (less
than 25% of respondents) are teamwork and innovation.!
!
For this data to be more useful, though, it is worthwhile segmenting it according to each program.

13. Dealing with complexity 64%
Time management 60%
Foreign language skills 55%
Problem solving 54%
Relationship building 53%
Teamwork 51%
Project management 51%
Collaboration 49%
Planning 48%
Networking skills 47%
Public speaking 67%
Cultural sensitivity 60%
Project management 56%
Ability to see the big picture 55%
Relationship building 53%
Strategic thinking 53%
Co-creating and
brainstorming
52%
Collaboration 49%
Problem solving 47%
Networking skills 47%
TMP TLP
Cultural sensitivity 76%
Public Speaking 65%
Ability to see the big picture 57%
Relationship building 56%
Foreign language skills 56%
Project Management 52%
Dealing with complexity 50%
Collaboration 49%
Strategic Thinking 49%
Co-creating and
brainstorming
48%
GIP
Public speaking 59%
Cultural sensitivity 58%
Strategic thinking 51%
Project management 50%
Ability to see the big picture 46%
Co-creating and
brainstorming
44%
Collaboration 42%
Foreign language skills 42%
Relationship building 40%
Planning 40%
GCDP
The tables below show the top 10 skills developed by participants in each program.
12

14. There are a few interesting observations from this data.!
!
‘Cultural sensitivity’ is substantially higher for
participants of GIP (76%) than the other programs.
This may be due to the intense cultural immersion for
an extended period of time that is usually experienced
in GIP, which alumni respondents have repeatedly
mentioned. For example, in the comment on the right,
an alumnus from Austria describes the value of his
internship experience.!
!
Although ‘Foreign language skills’ does not appear
within the top 10 skills of the total respondents, it does
for GIP and GCDP participants (fifth and eighth,
respectively). Again, this may be due to the exposure
to a different country and culture. However, this skill
also ranks highly for TMP participants (third). This may
be because many AIESEC members in non-English
speaking countries valued their membership in
AIESEC as an opportunity to enhance their English
language skills. The comments to the right are a few of
many similar ones.!
!
‘Project Management’ is a skill that appears higher in the rankings for TLP and GCDP
participants than the other programs. This indicates that these programs may be more suitable
for gaining this particular skill development, especially since managing projects is a common part
of the job description of many TLP and GCDP roles.!
!
‘Teamwork’ and ‘Time management’ appear only in the top 10 list for TMP. This suggests that
perhaps TMP is more effective in developing these particular skills than the other programs.!
!
Certain skills do not appear in any of the top 10 lists, including ‘Oral and written communication
skills’, ‘Ability to work virtually’, ‘Sales skills’, ‘Negotiation skills’, ’Personal effectiveness’,
‘Coaching’ and ‘Innovation’. This indicates that perhaps none of AIESEC’s programs are
particularly effective in developing these skills. It may be relevant for AIESEC to explore how its
programs can be enhanced to better deliver this skill development.
“My internship in South Africa during
times of change … This traineeship
outside Europe influenced my views
on the world and Africa heavily and
definitely changed me as a person.”
! Alumnus from Austria
“Knowledge of my English became
better and I'm thankful to all my
AIESEC international friends because
of that.”
! Alumnus from Croatia
!“I gained the ability to speak English
and work with multicultural teams.”
! Alumnus from France
13

15. The alumni were asked to list their personal values. The word cloud below visually depicts the
commonality of words used by respondents to describe their values.
PersonalValues
The list below shows the top 10 most common sets of values mentioned by alumni and their
frequencies.
Values (Keywords) Count
%
Responses
Containing
Keywords
1
Honesty, integrity, sincerity, genuinity, authenticity, ethics, trust,
reliability
389 36%
2 Respect, diversity, inclusiveness, tolerance, peace, harmony 200 18%
3 Family, friendship, relationships 178 16%
4 Kindness, generosity, compassion, care, altruism, love, empathy 136 12%
5 Enjoyment, fun, humour, positivity, optimism, happiness, joy 121 11%
6 Hard work, proactivity, excellence, progress, achievement 92 8%
7 Personal growth, development, fulfilment, learning 72 7%
8
Perseverance, reslience, determination, commitment, boldness,
courage
69 6%
9 Work-life balance, health, well-being 67 6%
10 Equality, fairness, justice 56 5%
14

16. The majority of alumni respondents (36%) identify with values related to
honesty, integrity, sincerity, genuineness, authenticity, ethics, trust and
reliability. Values relating to diversity, respect, inclusiveness, tolerance,
peace and harmony are also common, which is consistent with the
personal and professional characteristics related to diversity that
many alumni have developed (discussed earlier).!
!
The personal values of the alumni are generally aligned to the
organisational values of AIESEC. For example, Set 1 relates to
‘Demonstrating Integrity’; Set 2 relates to ‘Living Diversity’;
Set 5 relates to ‘Enjoying Participation’; and Set 6 relates to
‘Striving for Excellence’.!
!
!
!
!
This indicates that AIESEC may attract like-minded
people who share similar values because they are
aligned to the organisation’s set of values. This is
reflected by the comments of some of the alumni
respondents, such as the comment on the right of an
alumnus from Nigeria.!
!
AIESEC also seems to allow members to achieve
greater clarity in their personal values. Some alumni
respondents made comments like the one on the right.!
!
!
The
AIESEC
Values
Living Diversity!
Demonstrating Integrity!
Striving for Excellence!
Enjoying Participation!
Acting Sustainably!
Activating Leadership
“My closest friends where cultivated
through AIESEC because our values
and beliefs are aligned.”
! Alumnus from Nigeria
15
“The values that drive my life were
defined during my time in AIESEC and
the original learning plan I developed
when I was still in AIESEC still
influence my life and who I am as a
leader in the corporate world.”
! Alumnus from Brazil
“Until death, we are too
young to have preconceived
notions.”!
!
Pratyush Sureka!
Alex Astral Power Private Limited!
Kolkata, India

17. AlumniImpactin
theWorld
LifePurpose
When asked about what they believe their life purpose to be, the majority of the alumni’s
responses generally related to three common themes:
!
•
‘Become the best I can be’
•
‘Help others be the best they can be’
•
‘Help make the world a better place’
!
Examples of typical responses include:
The vast majority of alumni (76%) said that they feel they are currently making a
positive impact in the world. This section of the report focuses on the third key question of
the study, which aims to explore what kind of impact this is. The section looks at how alumni
describe their life purpose, the kinds of impactful activities that they are involved in, and the ways
in which AIESEC has enabled its alumni to lead impactful lives.
“Being useful to people, to society, to
my country, to the world. Because
that's what we're here for. Ultimately,
our mission, as a human being is to be
useful for the world.”
! Alumnus from Armenia
“I aim to have positive interactions
with those I cross paths with. To learn
from others to improve myself and to
inspire and support others to have a
positive impact. In future, I hope to
utilise my (hopefully) greater
influence in political, business and
social terms to support the issues and
values important to me and my
society.”
! Alumnus from Australia
“Broaden
people's horizons,
make them know that
there is more to what they
see daily. Create tools to make
education reach everybody
everywhere. Education can give
opportunities and create better
leaders.”
! Alumnus from Peru
“My goal and dream is to build a big
global company by the age of 29,
which makes a positive impact on
society on a big scale (millions of
people), innovates and operates in
different countries.”
! Alumnus from Russia
16
These insights suggest that AIESEC’s alumni tend to have a mindset and willingness to lead
lives that are impactful to themselves, to others and to the world, which is related to the
‘Responsible to the World’ aspect of the leadership development model. The next subsection
examines what kinds of impactful activities alumni are actually involved in.

18. ImpactfulActivities
The alumni were asked to select from a list of activities that apply to them in their lives. The
following graph shows the results.
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%
Other
I have gained recognition for my social work
I am a social entrepreneur
I am a project leader/manager of a project in an NGO
I promote politics that help the development of my/other
community
I develop initiatives that solve problems in my
community
I promote peace in my nearest circle
I constantly promote information about global issues
I am encouraging/participating in Corporate Social
Responsibility activities
I am supporting NGO(s)
I volunteer for social causes
I donate for charities
I have environmentally friendly consumption habits
Percentage of Respondents (%)
Many alumni who selected options such as ‘I volunteer for social causes’ and ‘I am supporting
NGO(s)’ seemed to specifically mention supporting young people in different ways, such as
through career advice, mentoring and specific projects focused on youth issues. The following
are a few examples:!
“As a lecturer, I'm empowering youth
to have an innovative and personal
approach in life based on facts and
values.”
! Alumnus from Republic of
Macedonia
“As a mentor, the inspiration I am
driving among other youth helps them
see the way they can change
themselves, and most of them apply
some tips I am sharing during my
‘Sharing Experience’ sessions and they
work well.”
! Alumnus from Cameroon
“I started my own youth
environmental NGO (Go Green) that
educates and activates young people
to take an active role in environmental
projects.”
! Alumnus from Republic of
Macedonia
“I help organize a youth festival and
other social initiatives focused on the
problems of youth in my hometown.”
! Alumnus in Bulgaria
17

19. Although not reflected in the graph, another
common trend in the alumni’s responses relates to
creating impact through good business practice,
whether it be through ensuring business
sustainability, better management of people or
creation of wealth and jobs. A few examples are on
the right.!
!
The recurrence of these kinds of comments
suggests that perhaps ‘positive impact’ should not
necessarily only refer to achieving direct social
outcomes, but also to enhancing the way that
business is conducted in order to create indirect
social impact.!
!
For most alumni, creating impact does not seem to
necessarily mean creating change in broader
society or the world. Most alumni describe their
impact as simply creating a loving family and
spreading positive values within their inner circle.
Many comments are similar to the one on the right.!
“I help my company to deliver better
results and this means to produce food
to the world in a more sustainable
way, by giving the right guidance to
my team (developing them).”
! Alumnus from Brazil
!“As a Human Resources leader I have
the capacity to drive practices that
ensure engagement, satisfaction and
fairness. I support leaders behave
based on ethical standards.”
! Alumnus from Mexico
“I have a daughter and a family that I
care and love and I try to teach the
values that AIESEC helped me define.”
! Alumnus from Brazil
18
“From a professional perspective, we facilitate
worldwide commerce through risk mitigation - which
is absolutely essential for progress and the reason
our corporate tagline is ‘Make your world go’.!
!
However, I feel a person’s most important
contribution is in their community and in their home,
and that no success can compensate for failure in
the home. My biggest contribution to
this world happens within the
walls of my home for my wife
and children.”!
!
Michael Yeats!
XL Re Latin America Ltd.!
Bogota, Colombia

20. 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
1 (None)
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 (Extreme)
Percentage of Respondents (%)
DegreeofInfluence
TMP
TLP
GIP
GCDP
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
1 (None)
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 (Extreme)
Percentage of Respondents (%)
DegreeofInfluence
The alumni were also asked to rate the degree of AIESEC’s influence on their ability and
willingness to achieve positive impact in the world (1 being no influence, and 10 being extreme
influence). The following graphs show the results for the total respondents and for respondents
who participated in each AIESEC program.
AIESEC’sDegreeofInfluence
TotalRespondents BreakdownofProgram
Participants
The results suggest that AIESEC does have a significant influence on its members’ ability and
willingness to achieve positive impact in the world, since almost 60% of respondents selected a
rating of 8 or above.!
!
There are also different trends depending on the program of participation. A rating of 8 or above
was selected by higher proportions of GIP and GCDP participants (70% and 64%, respectively)
than participants of TMP and TLP (50% each). Also, a rating of 4 or less was selected by higher
proportions of TMP and TLP participants (19% and 18%, respectively) than participants of GIP and
GCDP (5% and 4%, respectively). !
!
This suggests that alumni who intern or volunteer
abroad through AIESEC tend to be more influenced by
their experience in terms of ability and willingness to
make positive impact in the world. This may be due to
the new perspectives gained from being in another
culture and exposed the issues of other countries, as
discussed throughout this report. One example (on the
right) comes from an Australian alumnus who
participated in an internship in Poland.!
!
Examples like this demonstrate how the influence of
AIESEC programs on participants’ perspectives can
also impact their career goals and inspire them to lead
more impactful lives.!
!
It may be worthwhile for AIESEC to explore why it is that TMP and TLP tend to have less influence
on participants in this regard, and how the programs can be enhanced to empower more of their
participants.
“I did an internship in Poland teaching
English to the long term unemployed.
Here I realised the impact of assisting
others to develop their self confidence/
esteem and wanted to have a more
social impact on society rather than a
material impact (of being an
accountant). After this I decided to
change careers into HR from
Accounting.”
! Alumnus from Australia
19!

21. AIESEC’sInfluenceonDifferentAlumniGenerations
There is a negative correlation of roughly -0.6 between the age of alumni respondents and their
rating of the degree of AIESEC’s influence on their ability and willingness to impact the world. This
suggests that the younger generations of alumni tend to be more influenced by AIESEC to lead
impactful lives than older generations. A possible reason for this is AIESEC’s increased focus on
leadership and global impact since the early 2000s, which may have translated into more personal
influence on members.!
HowAIESECEnablesImpact
The explanations of the alumni respondents regarding specifically how AIESEC enabled their
ability and willingness to create positive impact can be summarised to six recurring responses:
“The experience has impacted greatly my global
desire to work with all cultures to help them
improve themselves, especially with regards to the
financial sector.”
! Alumnus from Finland
“The global network made me realize that we have
the same kind of problems in this world and it is up
to us to solve these problems.”
! Alumnus from Indonesia
“AIESEC influenced my ability to make an impact
by providing me with the hard and soft skills as
well as the confidence to be successful.”
! Alumnus from Australia
“AIESEC has exposed me to a plethora of impact-
driven people from around the world, which has
highly inspired and influenced who I am today.”
! Alumnus from Greece
“AIESEC taught me the importance of sharing ideas
and mindful listening.”
! Alumnus from Canada
“Connecting with other cultures gave me a broader
understanding of the world and global problems. I
felt part of a big community, a global village.”
! Alumnus from Armenia
Developing the passion and drive
to impact the world
Helping understand the world and
what it needs
Helping develop organisational
skills and competencies
Creating a network of like-minded
people
Helping become open to different
points of view
Creating exposure to new cultures
and countries
20

22. Conclusions
21
This study aims to create an understanding of the leadership
development that AIESEC enables in its members and the subsequent
impact that they go on to create in the world. Below is a summary of conclusions,
structured according to the three key questions of this study.!
!
What is the extent of AIESEC’s influence on the leadership development of its members?!
!
• AIESEC has a substantial influence on the leadership development of its members through
its programs.!
• TMP and TLP seem to particularly influence characteristics of ‘Effective Communication’.!
• GIP seems to provide more holistic development in the three areas of ‘Effective
Communication, ‘Self Aware’ and ‘Responsibility to the World’.!
• GCDP, along with GIP, seems to be specifically influential on its participants’ cultural
awareness.!
!
What are the leadership traits that characterise AIESEC alumni?!
!
• The most common personal characteristics that AIESEC alumni seem to have developed
include broader perspective and understanding of the world, appreciation of similarities, and
personal confidence and drive.!
• The most common professional characteristics that AIESEC alumni seem to have developed
include the ability to get along with diverse employees at work and proactively bring new
ideas and projects in the workplace.!
• The vast majority of alumni surveyed obtained a job promotion within the the first two years
after leaving AIESEC.!
• The most common skills gained by alumni are public speaking and cultural sensitivity.!
• Cultural sensitivity skills are more particularly developed in GIP participants.!
• Foreign language skills are more particularly developed in participants of GIP, GCDP and
TMP.!
• Project management skills are more particularly developed in participants of TLP and GCDP.!
• The most dominant set of values that most alumni hold are related to honestly, integrity,
respect, diversity, family, friendship and relationships.!
• Values held by AIESEC alumni are generally aligned to AIESEC’s values.!
!
What impact have AIESEC alumni had in society?!
!
• Alumni generally define their life’s purpose as being to lead a life that is impactful to
themselves, to others and to the world.
• Impactful activities that alumni engage in are particularly in the areas of social/community
development (especially towards youth), creating good business practice, creating loving
families and spreading positive values.
• AIESEC has a high degree of influence on its members’ ability and willingness to impact the
world, especially through GIP and GCDP.
• The younger generations of alumni tend to be more influenced by AIESEC to lead impactful
lives than older generations.
!
While this report shows the success of AIESEC in enabling leadership development in young
people to make a positive impact on society, it also raises a number of areas in which AIESEC can
improve and innovate in its programs to deliver better leadership development experiences. It is
hoped that this study provides useful insights to assist the continued growth and development of
AIESEC in working towards its mission.

23. Written By
!
Ala Al-Mahaidi Australia
!
Contributors
!Ala Al-Mahaidi Australia
Wilfried Assoko Côte d’Ivoire
Caio Donini Brazil
Darko Gazibara Bosnia and Herzegovina
Viktor Karevski Republic of Macedonia
Agata Lowkiet Poland
Olga Tsygankova Russia