Global Forum of Public Service Leaders 2026

The Global Forum of Public Service Leaders is an invitation-only international gathering complementing the Creative Bureaucracy Festival. It addresses state leaders, ministers, senior government executives, presidents of public institutions, mayors, agency heads, and other senior leaders responsible for shaping and delivering public-sector transformation.

The Forum provides a confidential setting for candid exchange, peer learning, and international collaboration. It connects leaders facing comparable challenges across different political, administrative, and institutional contexts and creates space to discuss how governments can strengthen their capacity to act, innovate, and deliver.

Who is the Global Forum for?

The Global Forum is designed for leaders with responsibility for setting direction, enabling institutional change, and delivering results at the highest levels of government and public administration.

Participants include:

• State leaders and ministers
• Senior government executives and permanent secretaries
• Presidents, directors, and heads of public institutions and agencies
• Mayors and senior city leaders
• Leaders of international and intergovernmental organisations
• Heads of public-sector innovation and transformation units
• Selected leaders from civil society, academia, and organisations working closely with government

The Global Forum 2026

Held on 10 June 2026 in Berlin, the Global Forum brought together more than 80 leaders from over 25 countries, representing national, regional, and municipal governments, international institutions, academia, civil society, and the private sector.

Participants represented organisations including the African Union Commission, European Commission, OECD, World Health Organization, HM Treasury, Japanese Digital Agency, City of Sydney, DigitalService des Bundes, Demos Helsinki, La 27e Région, and the Open Government Partnership.

Under the theme From Deadlock to Delivery, the Forum examined the leadership required to overcome institutional barriers, create space for innovation, and translate political and administrative ambition into tangible results for citizens.

Following the Forum, Audrey Tang, former Minister of Digital Affairs of Taiwan and Cyber Ambassador-at-Large, received the Creative Bureaucracy Festival Award and delivered an inspiring address. The evening also featured a special contribution from George Papandreou, former Prime Minister of Greece and Rapporteur-General on Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

The Global Forum 2027

The Global Forum of Public Service Leaders will return to Berlin on 2 June 2027, once again bringing together international leaders committed to strengthening government and advancing public-sector transformation.

Further details about the programme, theme, and participants will be announced in due course.

Interested in taking part?

Are you a state, government, or public-institution leader interested in contributing to the Global Forum?

To express your interest in receiving an invitation, please contact info@creativebureacuracy.org. 

Please note that participation is by invitation only.