Leadership Development Programme – Modules

This module teaches emotional intelligence (EQ) and allows leaders to use their EQ to lead, engage and succeed as quickly and as powerfully as possible. It addresses self-awareness, emotional regulation, adaptability and persuasive communication.

Philip Gimmick

Philip Gimmick is a leader in emotional intelligence development. With over 20 years coaching and facilitation and key-note experience, he specialises in identifying and developing the leadership skills people and their teams need most.

He established EQworks in the UK in 2012 to conduct research into how EQ builds performance. Philip’s experience as a management consultant for the likes of Oracle, KPMG, Cap Gemini and Accenture helped him develop a deep understanding and appreciation of how organisations manage change. In particular he used technology to build efficiencies in getting people, their functions and processes to work better together.

This module equips leaders with an understanding of the processes that underpin the development and realisation of vision and strategy in professional services firms. It provides the tools to assess competitive context, develop compelling visions and actionable strategies.  It will also explore the role of leaders and ways in which they can effect change and deliver sustainable competitive advantage for their firms.

Andrew Hedley

An architect originally, Andrew Hedley is a prominent adviser to the legal, accounting and property sectors.  Andrew is a respected contributor to specialist strategy and management publications, a regular keynote speaker and author of Developing Strategic Client Relationships, Client Strategy in a Changing Legal Market and The Law Firm Merger: A Leader’s Guide to Strategy & Realisation.

He sits on the Advisory Board of the Managing Partners’ Forum and is the Chair of Judges for its Awards for Management Excellence.  He has also judged The Lawyer Management Awards and the Legal Marketing Awards.

He spent almost a decade as the Business Development Director of two international law firms and is approaching 20 years with his consulting firm. Both his MA and MBA focused on strategy creation within professional service organisations.  He is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors and member of the Strategic Planning Society, the Chartered Management Institute, the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Cambridge Marketing College and the Royal Society of Art.

This module equips leaders with an understanding of the processes that underpin the development and realisation of vision and strategy in professional services firms. It provides the tools to assess competitive context, develop compelling visions and actionable strategies.  It will also explore the role of leaders and ways in which they can effect change and deliver sustainable competitive advantage for their firms.

Vlatka Hlupic

Vlatka Hlupic has been voted one of the Most Influential HR Thinkers in the world 2015-2021 by HR Magazine, Most Influential CEO in 2022 by CEO Today and Top 20 Most Successful Women Leaders 2022 by The Corporate Magazine. She is author of a ground-breaking book ‘The Management Shift – How to Harness the Power of People and Transform Your Organization for Sustainable Success’ (2014), which was listed by Forbes as one of the top eight business books in 2014.

She received a PhD in Information Systems at the London School of Economics, as well as a BSc (Hon) in Economics and an MSc in Information Systems from the University of Zagreb. She is a Professor of Leadership and Management at Hult International Business School (Ashridge). Her latest book ‘Humane Capital – How to Create a Management Shift to Transform Performance and Profit’ (2018) was chosen as one of the top 5 business books by HR Magazine.

Vlatka is also a management consultant and Board adviser. She has advised major international organisations including the House of Commons, GlaxoSmithKline, BP, The National Health Service, Learndirect, Brand Velocity USA, the Drucker Institute USA, the Croatian Government, and the Hungarian National Bank.

The effective leadership of successful organisations rests on strong relationships – whether with peers, colleagues, more junior staff or other stakeholders.  With a focus on internal relationships and building collaboration, the session will explore why and how to build, nurture and leverage internal networks. This includes practical advice on how to deepen professional relationships and obtain help and support; and understanding how to proceed based on personality type, responses and role. It also considers the value of cognitive diversity, key influencers and messaging. A culture of connection leads to fewer silos, increased collaboration and reduced conflict.

Andy Lopata

A specialist in professional relationships and networking for over 20 years, Andy Lopata was called ‘one of Europe’s leading business networking strategists’ by the Financial Times and ‘a true master of networking’ by the Independent and Forbes.com.  

An experienced international speaker and podcast host, Andy is the author of five books, has been quoted in other business books and is regularly quoted in the international press. He also writes a regular blog on Connected Leadership for Psychology Today. He is currently co-authoring The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring, for publication in 2024. 

Andy is former President of the Fellows Community and a two-time Board Member of the Professional Speaking Association UK & Ireland (PSA) and a Fellow of the Learning and Performance Institute as well as a Master of the Institute for Sales Management. He is also one of just 28 recipients of the PSA’s top honour, the ‘Award of Excellence’.

Optional Modules

 An innovative, experiential Board simulation workshop providing insight and practice in Board director knowledge, skills and mindset. Effectively a practical taster for the IoD’s Certificate in Company Direction tailored to the needs of firm-wide leaders in professional services. The sessions will allow leaders to: 

• Understand the director’s role: Finance, Strategy, Leadership, Risk, Governance
• Assess director competencies (knowledge, skills, mindset)
• Assimilate large volumes of data in a professional service firm case study
• Participate in a realistic Board simulation and observe group dynamics
• Experience Board chairing, discussion and presenting 
• Formulate and justify strategic, growth, risk and crisis recommendations
• Develop skills in influence, persuasion and conflict management

Paul Munden

Paul Munden is an experienced commercial law barrister and Chartered Director. He spent 10 years as general counsel of the Business Link operation in London. He advised on a wide range of complex and politically sensitive commercial law issues, working with senior leaders in government and the civil service. He served as Non-Executive Chairman of a Bafta award winning educational software house, on the Legal Services Board (Consumer Panel), as Chairman of the National Youth Music Theatre, on the Board of Mid Essex Primary Care Trust and has acted as special adviser to the board of the General Teaching Council for England.

He is Governance course leader at the Institute of Directors and contributed to the development of courses in its Chartered Director programme and led courses within the UK, throughout the Middle East and other jurisdictions. In his role at the Institute of Directors, Paul has worked with the boards of some of the UK’s leading companies, among others, Royal Dutch Shell, FedEx UK, BMT Group and John Laing.

This module provides a practical guide to Digital Transformation and helps you understand the role of leadership and how to take a structured approach to achieving a successful transformation. Explore what is driving the need for transformation, how technology is a transformation catalyst and what digital transformation really means in practice. Explore the different factors that can drive digital transformation success and failure and understand the ongoing nature of digital transformation. Attendees will leave with the ability to audit their organisations across 14 areas of capability, to build digital transformation plans and to identify the key areas of opportunity and risk that will impact their ability to transform.

Daniel Rowles

Daniel Rowles is CEO of TargetIngternet.com and Programme Director at Imperial College Business School, heading up its Digital Transformation Strategy programme. He is the author of “Building Digital Culture: a Hands-on Guide to Successful Digital Transformation”, CMI Book of the Year, and has worked with hundreds of professional services organisations helping them to build their digital transformation strategies.

He is also the voice of the Digital Marketing Podcast, a worldwide top-ten business podcast, and an award-winning author for publisher Kogan Page (Mobile Marketing, Digital Branding, Building Digital Culture, Podcast Marketing Strategy) and his books have been translated into 12 languages.

Daniel has helped organisations of all types to use digital effectively, working with a wide range of businesses, from start-ups through to global clients like the BBC, Accenture, Grant Thornton, Sony, Google, Tesco, Vodafone, Mercedes, Barclays and many more.