This critical question lies at the heart of the work of Sharon Johnson, Executive Director of Bellwethers Group, an organisation reimagining what it means to lead in a time of ecological and systemic transition. With close to three decades of experience in media, business, policy, and civil society, Johnson has consistently bridged sectors to foster collaboration, clarity, and long-term impact.
Born and raised under apartheid in South Africa, Johnson’s understanding of power is both deeply personal and politically grounded. “I come from a country where creativity and protest were inseparable,” she reflects. “Where leadership wasn’t always loud, but it was deeply felt.” This lived experience of resistance, nuance, and systemic complexity has profoundly shaped her worldview and her work.
Over the course of her career, Johnson has advised global leaders, built large-scale communications campaigns, and worked across Africa, Asia, and Europe. Her perspective is inherently intersectional, informed by the dualities of exclusion and potential she has experienced as a South African woman navigating global spaces.
That clarity of purpose culminated in the creation of Bellwethers Group, a strategic initiative dedicated to fostering leadership aligned with nature and climate resilience. Bellwethers does not aim to manufacture a new leadership class. Instead, it seeks to recognise and equip existing leaders—across communities, disciplines, and industries—who are already confronting complex challenges. The goal is not amplification of singular voices, but the cultivation of collaborative ecosystems.
“We realised early on: we don’t lack talented leaders. We lack the support structures that allow them to work together across fragmentation,” Johnson explains.
Her critique focuses not on individual failings but on institutional and cultural systems that shape which leadership is made visible, resourced, and legitimised. “Transitions are hard to live through,” she notes. “We need to stop expecting leadership to always look the same.”
In June 2025, Bellwethers launched Nature & Climate House, a convening and strategy hub which premiered at SXSW London. This gathering drew over 180 participants—including AI ethicists, oil regulators, grassroots organisers, and musicians—intentionally inviting pluralism over uniformity. The space was designed to embody distributed leadership, allowing for co-creation rather than top-down direction.
“We’re not here to hand out the mic,” Johnson asserts. “We’re here to create the room.”
This philosophy influenced the event’s structure—from intimate caucus-style sessions to expansive public dialogues. The emphasis was not on consensus, but on coherence: the ability to hold complexity and disagreement while maintaining shared purpose.
Johnson is a proponent of navigating what she describes as “multiple truths.” The world remains structurally dependent on fossil fuels even as the transition to renewable energy accelerates. Artificial intelligence represents both a critical tool and a sustainability risk. These are not contradictions to be resolved, but realities to be lived with—and through.
Rather than relying on fear-based narratives or idealistic promises, her approach is pragmatic and human-centred. “People are tired of being scared into action or sold a fairytale,” she notes. “We need space to talk honestly about how hard this is, and what support we need to keep going.”
This principle anchors Bellwethers’ strategy. Rather than building leadership from scratch, the group focuses on identifying and connecting those already engaged in complex environments. Through storytelling, convening, and long-term strategic support, they transform isolated efforts into interdependent networks of action.
Central to Johnson’s strategy is the role of culture. “Stories reach people before policy does. Music shifts sentiment before manifestos can,” she explains. “If we want real systems change, we have to build the cultural conditions that make it possible.”
Looking ahead, Bellwethers intends to expand Nature & Climate House to additional cities, deepen its digital infrastructure, and provide support in domains such as food systems, digital equity, and education access. Yet Johnson emphasises that this work is not driven by headlines. It is shaped by relationship-building, sustained engagement, and long-term vision.
“We don’t need louder voices,” she concludes. “We need more spaces where real leadership can rise—especially from those who’ve been excluded from the conversation for too long.”
Through Bellwethers Group, she is cultivating those spaces—quietly, deliberately, and with purpose. This is not a movement rooted in spectacle, but one designed to endure. One leader, one room, one connection at a time.
By Korrine Sky | Editor-at-Large, The Southern African Times
