Sean Unwin is a Sydney based executive and managing director of FWTI, where he provides consulting services across equity and debt capital funding, mergers and acquisitions, and property development. With a career spanning senior leadership roles in Australia and the UAE, Sean Unwin has built extensive experience guiding complex investments, feasibility assessments, and large scale development initiatives. His work frequently involves coordinating with international stakeholders to structure capital solutions that support long term growth and operational stability.
Prior to FWTI, Sean Unwin served as chief executive officer and chief financial officer of the RK Group, expanding market share in regulated funds management and property acquisition. He also held executive responsibility at LDM Global, overseeing professional services in cybersecurity, digital forensics, and electronic discovery across global markets. Earlier in his career, he worked as a senior auditor at Deloitte and later as a commercial strategy manager, developing pricing models and executing large change programs. This background provides a practical foundation for examining how leadership styles are evolving as organizations prepare for 2026 and beyond.
Important Leadership Trends for 2026 and Beyond
The heads of organizations in the United States must carefully develop a defined leadership style if they want to succeed. Honing effective leadership techniques is especially important for small business leaders, as more than 20 percent of startups fail within 12 months of opening and nearly 50 percent after five years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. An executive’s leadership style determines how they plan daily operations and long-term strategies, and having a clear understanding of one’s leadership style can help a person optimize their effectiveness and leadership potential.
Numerous trends have impacted American businesses in 2025, and will continue to reshape industries in 2026 and beyond. Human-centered leadership has become extremely important in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and in the face of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Important elements of human-centered leadership include emotional intelligence, empathy, and an individualized focus on employee wellness. Prioritizing employees’ mental health has never been more important, which includes offering emotional support to facilitate employee satisfaction and productivity.
Various studies show how low engagement among dissatisfied employees leads to decreased productivity, employee turnover, and other issues. Engaged teams, meanwhile, help their companies achieve 23 percent higher profitability while producing at an 18 percent higher rate.
Organizational leaders should not overlook their own well-being when practicing human-based leadership. A Global Leadership Forecast from 2023 found that 72 percent of business leaders feel “used up” by the end of the day, marking a 12 percent increase from 2020. Successful leaders often make sacrifices and push themselves to the limit in the name of success, but pushing too hard can lead to careless mistakes, a drop in morale, and an overall decrease in productivity.
While it is important for leaders to prioritize the wellness of their employees and value the human impact of engaged workers, they cannot afford to fall behind when it comes to embracing technological advances. Any successful leadership style must include adaptability and proactive skills development, particularly regarding digital tools, automation, and the ongoing AI revolution.
According to the Korn Ferry Global Workforce 2025 Survey, over 70 percent of global chief executive officers, along with nearly 80 percent of senior executives, believe that AI will improve their company’s value by 2028. About 75 percent of leaders expressed excitement about how AI will transform business operations, especially in foreign markets. Ignoring digital transformations not only hinders a company’s ability to optimize efficiency, it also demonstrates a lack of willingness to learn and adapt, which may scare off investors and cause leaders to fall behind industry competitors.
Agile and adaptable leadership ranks as another important trend for 2026, and it is not limited to technology. A Gartner CEO Survey underscored productivity as a leading strategic business priority for 2025 and beyond. While that should hardly come as a surprise, the survey highlighted the ability to quickly transition between strategies in response to market changes as a key to productivity.
Finally, leadership styles need to account for the growing importance of ethical, transparent leadership trends in virtually all global industries. Stakeholders have prioritized ethical behavior across the board, especially when it comes to guiding teams through periods of change and uncertainty with both competency and integrity. An Edelman Trust Barometer found that 62 percent of respondents expect executive leaders to take stances on societal issues. Environmental issues rank especially high, with the vast majority of stakeholders and customers believing that business leaders need to visibly address environmental challenges in their industry, along with social and governance issues.
About Sean Unwin
Sean Unwin is a Sydney based executive and managing director of FWTI, delivering advisory services in equity and debt capital funding, mergers and acquisitions, and property development. His background includes senior leadership roles as CEO and CFO, as well as executive responsibility in professional services, regulated funds management, and international property development. With experience spanning Australia and the UAE, Sean Unwin focuses on feasibility analysis, capital structuring, and strategic execution for complex business and investment initiatives.