Blog

Christina Bates, CFO at Allstate NI, Trustee of CDP, and advisory board member of the Fellowship Programme.
Leadership is changing, and we must too evolve the ways we nurture it. In Northern Ireland, where collaboration and dialogue remain the cornerstones of progress, the Centre for Democracy and Peace Fellowship Programme shines as a model for how business, politics, and civic society can come together to shape a better future.
An influential group of business leaders from across Northern Ireland have come together to launch the fifth year of the acclaimed Centre for Democracy and Peace Fellowship Programme.
The Centre for Democracy and Peace has opened applications for its Fellowship Programme 2025-26 to address real-world challenges and equip Fellows with practical skills in complex decision-making, design thinking, and collaboration, which are essential for navigating today’s economic, political, and social landscape.
Leaders from across Northern Irish society are being shaped with the support of six corporate partners, who are inspiring and challenging them to make a greater impact on Northern Ireland society and contribute to building a brighter tomorrow.
Centre For Democracy and Peace chief executive Eva Grosman with Fellowship Programme partner representatives (from left) Stephen McKeown (Allstate), Gordon Parkes (NIE Networks), David Clements (Fujitsu NI), Darragh McCarthy (FinTrU), Nick Coburn (Ulster Carpets) and Peter Cunningham (Camlin Group) (Kelvin Boyes)