In boardrooms and offices around the world, conversations about leadership often revolve around profit margins, targets, and strategies for growth. Yet a quieter revolution is taking place; one that asks leaders to focus less on numbers and more on people. At the heart of this shift is the belief that organizations can flourish when leaders embrace compassion, presence, and mindfulness. Sharon Hadley, Chief Executive Officer of the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation, is one of the most influential figures guiding this movement. Her work demonstrates how mindfulness can enrich not only individual lives but also entire workplace cultures.
Finding a Path Through Unexpected Beginnings
Sharon’s professional story is not one of traditional academic excellence or a straight climb up the corporate ladder. She left school at sixteen without excelling in formal studies. At the time, her dream was to become a social worker, and she entered a youth training program to pursue that ambition. What might have seemed like a detour turned out to be a pivotal moment, as the program introduced her to organizational functions and sparked a passion for operational work. She began to understand that strong systems and thoughtful management could transform lives just as much as direct social work.
Years later, this early awareness intersected with another life-changing discovery: mindfulness. In 2010, while working at Bangor University’s Centre for Mindfulness, Sharon was introduced to the practice. She immediately recognized its profound value, not only for individuals struggling with mental health but also for organizations seeking healthier cultures. The combination of her operational expertise and her growing commitment to mindfulness set her on a course that would shape her entire career.
From Participant to Pioneer
After nearly a decade at Bangor, Sharon branched out on her own, organizing events in the mindfulness field and exploring new ways of bringing evidence-based practices to wider audiences. Her entrepreneurial mindset and ability to connect business operations with personal growth did not go unnoticed. Soon, the Oxford Mindfulness team invited her to lend her leadership skills. What began as collaborative support eventually evolved into a central leadership role, and today she heads the organization as CEO.
The Oxford Mindfulness Foundation is internationally respected for its programs in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, which combine psychological research with mindfulness practices to support mental well-being. Under Sharon’s stewardship, the foundation has expanded its reach, diversified its offerings, and reinforced its global mission: to make mindfulness accessible to people across every walk of life.
Education as a Catalyst for Leadership
While Sharon’s journey is defined by experience and adaptability, she has also invested heavily in her education. She holds an MBA and a PhD in Health Economics, qualifications that together strengthen her ability to bridge the academic, clinical, and operational aspects of her work.
Her Executive MBA, completed after years of hands-on leadership, was especially transformative. It exposed her to peers from different industries and highlighted the reality that technical skills, while essential, are insufficient on their own. The most effective leaders, she discovered, were those who could demonstrate empathy, integrity, and clear communication. These so-called “soft skills” often carry more weight in real-world leadership than technical expertise, a lesson she has carried into her current role.
Her doctoral studies deepened her perspective further. By examining how mindfulness influences workplace dynamics, she explored the link between mindful behavior, leadership style, and business outcomes. This research not only enriched her own leadership but also gave her a foundation to design workplace programs tailored to support employee well-being in practical ways.
Building a Global Movement for Mindfulness
Sharon is not content with mindfulness being confined to therapy rooms or wellness retreats. Her vision for the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation is unapologetically global. The organization is actively designing programs that account for cultural differences and economic barriers. Bursaries and mentoring opportunities are increasing to ensure access for underrepresented groups, and sponsorships are helping extend programs into communities that might otherwise be excluded.
Another strategy is the cultivation of international ambassadors. These respected individuals, drawn from a wide range of sectors, provide insights into how mindfulness can be embedded in diverse professional and cultural contexts. In 2024, Princess Noor bint Asem of Jordan joined the ambassador program, signaling the foundation’s growing global relevance. Plans for 2025 include the establishment of a worldwide network dedicated to promoting the social and environmental benefits of mindfulness, highlighting how individual well-being can ripple outward to improve communities and even the planet.
Mindfulness in Modern Workplaces
With most adults spending the majority of their waking hours at work, Sharon sees the workplace as a natural and powerful environment for mindfulness. She acknowledges that organizations face budgetary limits and cultural differences, but she believes that scaling mindfulness across workplaces could dramatically improve employee well-being and organizational health.
One of her proudest innovations has been the development of the Oxford Mindfulness app. Unlike many commercial wellness apps, this platform is carefully curated, with content created only by trained mindfulness teachers. It includes a self-paced course adaptable to workplace needs, making it a practical tool for businesses seeking to introduce mindfulness to their teams. The app was made possible through partnerships, including sponsorship from The Visual Snow Initiative and philanthropic support from Sir John Ritblat, both of which allowed the foundation to increase access and modernize its digital presence.
Creating Cultures of Respect and Openness
Sharon believes that healthy organizational cultures are built on honesty, respect, and inclusion. She works hard to ensure that her teams feel their voices matter and that mistakes can be acknowledged without fear. By fostering an environment of transparency, she enables people to feel supported even during challenges.
Her philosophy of leadership is that most people genuinely want to do meaningful and effective work, and that workplace conflicts often stem from unaddressed personal or professional dissatisfaction. Rather than ignoring these underlying issues, she encourages leaders to listen, support, and provide space for resolution. In her experience, when individuals feel heard and understood, teams become more cohesive and productive.
Challenging Misconceptions
Despite its growing popularity, mindfulness is sometimes misunderstood. Sharon is quick to challenge the idea that qualities like patience, acceptance, or non-judging equate to weakness or passivity. On the contrary, she argues, these qualities build resilience, improve clarity in decision-making, and encourage more thoughtful responses in complex situations. By reframing these traits, she helps organizations see mindfulness not as a retreat from ambition but as a foundation for sustainable success.
From Personal Practice to Collective Change
For Sharon, mindfulness is not limited to meditation sessions or formal programs. It is a way of living that influences daily choices, leadership styles, and professional interactions. She encourages individuals to begin with their own practice and then share the benefits with colleagues and supervisors. When leaders model mindfulness in their behavior, it often creates a ripple effect, inspiring others to adopt similar practices.
The Oxford Mindfulness Foundation is careful, however, to adapt programs to the context. Sharon emphasizes that simply transferring a course designed for one population into another setting rarely works. Each workplace or community has unique needs, and programs must be adjusted to ensure both safety and cultural relevance.
Looking Forward
Sharon Hadley’s vision is ambitious yet grounded: to normalize mindfulness in organizations and communities worldwide. She sees mindfulness not as a quick fix but as a lifelong practice that nurtures resilience, compassion, and connection. Under her leadership, the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation is demonstrating that mindful approaches can transform how people work together, how leaders guide, and how organizations contribute to society.
In Sharon’s words, mindfulness is not just another program—it is a way of being. By embedding it into workplace cultures and personal lives, she believes we can create a future where organizations are not only successful but also humane, supportive, and genuinely thriving.
