UU In Campaign for Better Business Leaders

The University of Ulster’s Faculty of Business and Management - Northern Ireland’s Business School – is playing a major role in a month-long campaign to highlight the need for greater investment in building leadership and management capabilities in Northern Ireland companies.

A variety of corporate events, development breakfasts and workshops are scheduled throughout February, which has been designated as Management Month. The advisory body, The Management and Leadership Network, is using the month to demonstrate the bottom line benefits to businesses of investing in developing managerial talent.

The Faculty of Business and Management, Northern Ireland’s Business School, will be sponsoring a major conference at the Culloden Estate and Spa on February 28, under the theme “For leaders who aim higher”.

The Dean of the Faculty, Professor Robert Hutchinson, said: “The recent UK Government report into skills, headed by Lord Leitch, concludes that UK skills levels are fundamentally weak, holding back productivity and growth.  Management Month will play a critical role for businesses in Northern Ireland by addressing these weaknesses, developing management capabilities, and thus increasing both productivity and growth in the local economy.”

Mark Ennis, chairman of the MLN, said: “Businesses here, regardless of size, compete in an increasingly competitive marketplace, which means that we need to increase our engagement, involvement and investment in the development of critical management skills.”

MLN will be joined by the Department for Employment and Learning, The Skills for Business Network, and Invest NI, as well as UU, for the four week campaign which will see over 50 events, focused on management and leadership development, taking place throughout Northern Ireland.

Professor Marie McHugh heads up the division within the Faculty of Business and Management that focuses on the main themes of the events. This is reflected in the recent management development and leadership initiatives developed for BT and Translink, as well as through other highly acclaimed programmes such as the MBA and the MSc in Business Improvement, which has fostered many crucial links within local business.

Norman Crawford, Course Director for the MSc in Business Improvement programme, is a key figure within the Business Organisation and Management division, as is Dr. Robert Kerr, who has recently published research work on Emotional Intelligence and Leadership, based on companies with the province.  Robert’s findings are published in the Leadership and Organization Development Journal, of which Professor McHugh is the Editor. 

One of the Journal’s  Associate Editors is Professor Andrew Kakabadse, Cranfield School of Management, Patron of the Management and Leadership Network and Visiting Professor at the University of Ulster.