ABOUT ELAINE RUMBOLL
Elaine Rumboll is a globally recognised leader in creative executive education and the founder of The Creative Leadership Consultancy, a learning agency dedicated to unlocking energy and agility in organisations through embodied, play-based approaches.
She made her mark in the corporate world as Director of Executive Education at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, where she grew revenues by 4.5 times and positioned the unit in the Financial Times’ top 50 globally for customised executive programmes—the first ever for Africa—and in the Economist’s global top 5. She also chaired the UCT GSB Women in Leadership Advisory Board and was honoured with the Business Women's Association Regional Business Achievement Award for her contributions to professional development.
Her international work spans clients such as Johnson & Johnson, SC Johnson, PwC, The Coca-Cola Company, Toyota, the United Nations, Mr Price, VW, Woolworths, and Nestlé, where she has helped shape more resilient, curious, and artful leaders through a blend of coaching, strategy, and creative facilitation. She has taught across Africa, Europe, Australia, and the U.S., leading programmes in South Africa, Kenya, Zambia, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, England, Denmark, Italy, the U.S., and Australia.
Elaine also served as Professor and Leader in Residence for Sustainable Leadership at Curtin Graduate School of Business in Perth and Adjunct Professor in Engagement and Governance at Victoria University in Melbourne. Her MBA research at Wits focused on Executive Coaching as a Leadership Development Tool, and she holds an MA (cum laude) in Comparative Literature. Elaine is an internationally accredited Master Lego Serious Play™ practitioner and holds the Professorship in Play and the Chair in Creative Leadership at the Western Orthodox University.
Earlier in her career, Elaine spent three years running transdisciplinary creative workshops in South Africa’s maximum-security prisons, work that earned her a Woman of the Year nomination by Femina. This formative experience continues to inform her embodied, values-driven approach to leadership.
Elaine explores new creative tools to support individual and organisational transformation—centering art thinking, resilience, curiosity, and playfulness as core capabilities for next-generation leadership. Through bespoke programmes and coaching using LEGO Serious Play™ and other creative methodologies, she helps leaders step into their power and embodied leadership potential.