2. 1
Introduction
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; Knowmy 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.
3. 2
DataOverview
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:
Region Age
107 countries in total
Central & Eastern Europe
North America
Western Europe
South America
Asia Pacific
Africa
Middle East & North Africa
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 73
Age (Years)
CurrentOrganisation AcademicBackground
Multinational company
Small or Medium Company
Entrepreneur
Government or Government
Institution
Not-for-Profit Sector
Other
Business Administration
Economics
Management
Other
Finance and Accounting
Engineering
Marketing
Computer Sciences
Political Science
Social Sciences
Law
Science
Media & Communications
Psychology
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%
Percentage of Respondents (%)
11%
7%
37%
7%
20%
18%
2%
5%
9%
27%
16%
18%
23%
NumberofRespondents
4. 3
Responsible to the World
Effective Communication
Self Aware
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 program 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.
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Percentage of Respondents (%)
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Percentage of Respondents (%)
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.
I am aware of my strengths and weaknesses
Responsible to
the World I enjoy taking responsibility
I am aware of my responsibility for the world
(country, city) and feel ownership towards it
I am accepting diversity
I developed new insights about other cultures
Effective
Communication
I understand and attend to needs of others
I communicate effectively with other people and
engage them with my vision
I developed new insights about Leadership
I consider continuous learning as part of my
everyday life
I set and accomplish goals for my own
development
I know my values and live according to it
Self Aware
I know my purpose in life and live according to it
5. 4
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.
I am aware of my responsibility for the world
(country, city) and feel ownership towards it
I consider continuous learning as part of my
everyday life
I set and accomplish goals for my own
development
I know my values and live according to it
I know my purpose in life and live according to it
Traineeship VoluntaryProgram
I am aware of my strengths and weaknesses
I am accepting diversity
I developed new insights about other cultures
I understand and attend to needs of others
I communicate effectively with other people and
engage them with my vision
I enjoy taking responsibility
I developed new insights about Leadership
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Percentage of respondents (%)
6. 5
Traineeship
For participants of traineeship, 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 interns than
participants of voluntary program, indicating that this program is particularly valuable for
enhancing cultural awareness.
Characteristics related to being self-aware also seemed to be more influenced by traineeship. 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‟.
Voluntary Program
It is difficult to draw conclusions from the data of volunteers, since the sample size is particularly
low. However, one important observation is that, similar to interns on the other program, for „I
developed new insights about other cultures‟, a substantially large proportion of respondents
selected „Without AIESEC, wouldn't have it‟. This suggests that traineeship and voluntary
program seem to allow for greater opportunity to develop cultural awareness, and this is
consistent with data presented later in this report which suggests that participants of these
programs develop cultural sensitivity skills.
7. Summary
In summary, it appears that AIESEC does have a substantial influence on the leadership
development of its talents. Traineeship seems to provide more holistic development. However, the
programs seem 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.
“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
6
8. 7
LeadershipTraits
ofAlumni
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.
Personal Development
The alumni were asked to indicate which personal characteristics most apply to them. The
following graph shows the results.
Personal Characteristics
I am open minded and accept diversity
I think globally
I am adapting fast to new/challenging
environment
I believe in myself
I learn proactively
I am persistent and result-oriented
I am emotionally intelligent
I have risk-taking attitude
I am consistent with my words and actions
I am creative and innovative
Other
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Percentage of Respondents (%)
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.
“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
9. 8
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.
Degree of AIESEC’s Influence
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.
10 (Extreme)
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1 (None)
0% 10% 20% 30%
Percentage of respondents (%)
“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
DegreeofInfluence
10. 9
Professional Development
The alumni were also asked to indicate which professional characteristics most apply to them.
The following graph shows the results.
Professional Characteristics
I set career goals for myself
I effectively set goals and timeline for my
duties
I work effectively without much supervision
I get along well and easy with diverse
employees at my work
I am proactively bringing new ideas at my
work
I work abroad or with multicultural teams
I lead a team(s) at my work
I am coach or mentor
I develop or implement new projects in an
organization
I am regularly getting rewarded for the
quality of my work
I develop innovations at my work
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Percentage of Respondents (%)
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
11. 10
Job Promotions
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.
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
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
Timing of First Promotion
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.
“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
PercentageofRespondents(%)
12. 11
Skills Development
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:
Public speaking
Cultural sensitivity
Ability to see the big picture
Relationship building
Project management
Co-creating and brainstorming
Collaboration
Strategic thinking
Networking skills
Problem solving
Dealing with complexity
Foreign language skills
Planning
Oral and written communication skills
Time management
Ability to work virtually
Sales skills
Negotiation skills
Personal effectiveness
Coaching
Teamwork
Innovation
Other
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%
Percentage of Respondents (%)
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. 12
The tables below show the top 10 skills developed by participants in each program.
Traineeship VoluntaryProgram
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%
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%
14. 13
There are a few interesting observations from this data.
‘Cultural sensitivity’ is substantially higher for
participants of Traineeship (76%) than another
program. This may be due to the intense cultural
immersion for an extended period of time that is
usually experienced in traineeship, 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 interns and volunteers (fifth and eighth,
respectively). Again, this may be due to the exposure
to a different country and culture.
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
15. Personal Values
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.
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. “Until death, we are too
young to have preconceived
notions.”
Pratyush Sureka
Alex Astral Power Private Limited
Kolkata, India
15
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
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.
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
“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
17. 16
How AIESEC Enables Impact
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:
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
“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
18. 21
Conclusions
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.
• Traineeship seems to provide more holistic development in the three areas of „Effective
Communication, „Self Aware‟ and „Responsibility to theWorld‟.
• Voluntary program, along with traineeship, 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 traineeship and
Voluntary program
• 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.
19. 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
