She is also the founder and former chief executive officer [2] of Common Purpose, an international charity that runs leadership development programmes.
[6] In 1980, Middleton began her career at the Industrial Society, where she created Head Start, a programme providing high school dropouts with training and advice from prospective employers.
The group runs local leadership courses in cities across the world, as well as global programmes for leaders from over 100 countries across six continents.
[12] Middleton is a member of the board of trustees for Alfanar, a venture philanthropy fund,[13] the International Advisory Council for Fundação Dom Cabral,[14] and is a Goodwill Ambassador of the Aurora Forum.
[19][20] In February 2007, Middleton's book Beyond Authority: Leadership in a Changing World was published by Palgrave Macmillan, and she recorded a meet-the-author video.