Events

• Seizing Success 2010: Annual Leadership Conference
  • Speakers
  • Conference videos
  • Presentations

Seizing Success 2010: Annual Leadership Conference speakers

Professor Kurt April

Kurt April is a Sainsbury fellow and professor of Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion in the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town, an associate fellow of Said Business School (University of Oxford), research fellow of Ashridge, faculty member of Duke Corporate Education (Duke University, USA) and visiting professor at Rotterdam School of Management (Erasmus University, Netherlands).

Outside of academia, Kurt is managing partner of LICM Consulting (South Africa), owner-director of Helderview BMW (South Africa), non-executive director of Achievement Awards Group (South Africa), member of the International Advisory Council to Novartis International (Switzerland), member of the Special Agenda Council on Talent and Diversity of the World Economic Forum (Switzerland), and head of an international advisory faculty of the National Health Service.

In addition to being a sought after international speaker and consultant for major organisations around the globe, he has published over 90 academic articles, and written seven books, with three more appearing in 2010.

Dr Maggie Atkinson

Maggie Atkinson became children’s commissioner for England in March, a statutory role in which she champions the interests of children in England and across the UK for issues relating to asylum and immigration. Maggie was previously director of children’s services for Gateshead. She is past president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services and has chaired a number of national bodies relating to children’s services.

Sir Michael Barber

Michael Barber joined McKinsey in September 2005 as the expert partner in its Global Public Sector Practice and head of its emerging Global Education Practice. He has been working on major challenges of performance, organisation and reform in government and the public services, especially education, in the USA, UK and other countries.

Prior to joining McKinsey, Michael was, from 2001, chief adviser on delivery to the British Prime Minister Tony Blair. As head of the prime minister’s Delivery Unit, he was responsible for the oversight of  implementation of the prime minister’s priority programmes in health, education, transport, policing, the criminal justice system and asylum/immigration.

Between 1997 and 2001, Michael was chief adviser to the secretary of state for education on school standards. Prior to joining government, he was a professor at the Institute of Education, University of London. His advice on public policy, especially education, has been sought by governments in over 20 countries including Australia, the USA, Russia, Estonia, Chile and Hong Kong, and by major international organisations including the OECD, The World Bank and the IMF.

David Bell

David Bell is Permanent Secretary at the Department for Education (DfE). He was appointed permanent secretary at the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in January 2006. Previously David was her majesty's chief inspector of schools (2002-06) and the chief executive of Bedfordshire County Council (2000-02). David spent 10 years prior to this at Newcastle City Council, including as director of Education and Libraries, and held deputy and headteacher posts in Essex.

David Bell was born in Glasgow in March 1959. He holds two degrees from the University of Glasgow, a PGCE from Jordanhill College of Education and honorary degrees from the University of Strathclyde and De Montfort University. He has also been a Harkness Fellow at Georgia State University, Atlanta. David is married with two daughters. He is an avid reader and supporter of Rushden and Diamonds football club.

Tim Gill

Tim Gill has been called one of the UK’s leading thinkers on childhood, and is an effective advocate for change. His work focuses on children’s play and free time. Tim’s book No Fear: Growing up in a risk-averse society was published in 2007 and, in recognition of its impact, in 2009 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Edge Hill University. He appears regularly on radio and television, and writes for the mainstream and specialist press.

Tim has advised political parties and think tanks across the political spectrum, and has carried out consultancies for major NGOs and public bodies, including the mayor of London, the National Trust and the Forestry Commission.  In 2002, while director of the Children’s Play Council (now Play England), Tim led the first ever government-sponsored review of children’s play. Tim’s website is www.rethinkingchildhood.com.

Susan Greenfield CBE

Susan Greenfield is a scientist, writer, broadcaster and member of the House of Lords. She is professor of Pharmacology at Lincoln College, Oxford University. With a well-earned reputation as one of the most influential women in the world, she is an outstanding keynote speaker on change and tomorrow's people, and she has deeply insightful perspectives on the effects of scientific and technological advancements on the human race, as well as business management and leadership.

Susan was named one of the 50 most powerful women in Britain by The Guardian, and one of the most inspirational women in the world by Harpers and Queen. As a celebrated populariser of science, she has also made a wide range of broadcasts on television and radio – particularly for the BBC’s Tomorrow's World and Innovations. In addition, she writes a column for The Independent and regularly contributes to a number of national newspapers including The Times and The Telegraph.

Professor Andy Hargreaves

Andy Hargreaves is the Thomas More Brennan Chair in Education in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. The College's mission is to promote social justice and connect theory and practice in education. Andy has written numerous books on culture, change and leadership in education that are available in many languages.

Professor Alma Harris

Alma Harris is pro-director (leadership) at the Institute of Education, London and director of London Centre for Leadership in Learning. Her research work focuses on organisational change and development. She is internationally known for her work on school improvement, focusing particularly on improving schools in challenging circumstances.

Her most recent work has focused on leadership and organisational change and her latest book is 'Distributed School Leadership: Developing Tomorrow’s Leaders’ published by Routledge/Falmer Press in 2008.

Ronald Heifetz

Ronald is renowned worldwide for his seminal work on the practice and teaching of leadership. His research at Harvard University focuses on how to build adaptive capacity in societies, businesses, and non-profit organisations. His courses on leadership and authority are among the most popular in the university, and his widely acclaimed book, Leadership without easy answers, has been translated into many languages and is currently in its 13th printing.

Ronald also co-authored the best-selling book Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leading with Marty Linsky. He is a principal in Cambridge Leadership Associates and speaks and consults extensively with leaders in business, government and non-profit organisations. A graduate of Columbia University, Harvard Medical School and the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Heifetz is both a physician and a cellist, having studied with the Russian virtuoso, Gregor Piatigorsky.

David Hemery CBE

David Hemery is best known for his days in sport, both as Olympic champion and world record holder in the 400 metre hurdles. An extraordinary athlete and British sporting icon, in 2008 David was one of the first seven athletes inducted into the England Athletics Hall of Fame in honour of his performance, success and outstanding contribution to the sport of athletics, and as an inspiration to the next generation of athletes.

A highly regarded and motivational speaker on coaching for performance and developing potential, David is currently working closely with Lords Sebastian Coe and Colin Moynihan as vice-chairman of the British Olympic Association to capture the spirit of the Olympics.

David is an experienced executive coach, facilitator and performance consultant – passionate about the development of leaders and future leaders in the fields of business, government, education and sport.

YB Dato' Sri Idris Jala

YB Dato Sri' Idris Jala was appointed minister in the office of the Malaysian prime minister and chief executive officer of the Performance Delivery and Management Unit (PEMANDU) in September 2009. PEMANDU's objective is to oversee the implementation of the government transformation programme, which aims to transform Malaysia into an advanced, united, safe and just society with a high quality of life for all.

Idris was appointed managing director and chief executive officer of Malaysia Airlines in December 2005, in the aftermath of the company’s biggest financial loss in its corporate history. He succeeded in turning the company around in less than two years, with the airline achieving a record profit of US$ 260 million in 2007.

Prior to joining Malaysia Airlines, Idris spent 23 years at Shell and between 2002 and 2005 was managing director of Shell MDS (Malaysia) and vice president of Shell Malaysia Gas and Power (Malaysia).

Idris also sits on the board of Tourism Malaysia, which is responsible for the strategic planning and development of the local tourism industry. In 2006, he was appointed a member of the IATA board of governors, which oversees the strategic issues and developments impacting the global aviation industry.

He has received a number of national awards and titles in recognition of his contribution towards nation-building.

Tony Mackay (conference facilitator)

Tony Mackay is executive director of the Melbourne-based Centre for Strategic Education, Australia, which focuses on leading educational thinking and practice at state, national and international level. He is also an honorary fellow in the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne. He specialises in the areas of school and system leadership, improvement and innovation.

Tony is a founding member of the governing council of the National College and is co-chair of the board of directors of the Innovation Unit Ltd. He is an OECD senior consultant, a DEMOS international associate, and president of the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement. Tony is deputy chair of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. He is president of the Australian Curriculum Studies Association and a board member of the Australian Council for Educational Research, the Asia Education Foundation, the Australian Government Financial Literacy Board, Teach for Australia, Foundation for Young Australians, and a governing body member of a preparatory to Year 12 Melbourne school.

Ian McMillan

A poet, broadcaster and comedian, Ian McMillan is poet-in-residence for The Academy of Urbanism and Barnsley FC. He is UK Trade & Investment’s poet, Yorkshire TV’s investigative poet and Humberside Police’s beat poet. Ian is Visiting Professor at Bolton University and an honorary doctor of Sheffield Hallam University, North Staffs Polytechnic and, most recently, University Centre Barnsley, Huddersfield University. Ian also presents The Verb, Radio 3’s cabaret of the word, featuring the best poetry, new writing and performances.

Steve Munby

As chief executive of the National College, Steve’s role is to set the College’s strategic direction. He was formerly director of education and lifelong learning at Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council, where his work was widely commended.

Steve began his career as a secondary school teacher in Birmingham, later moving to the north east of England where he worked as a teacher and then as a lecturer. In 1987, he became a consultant on assessment and records of achievement working for the nine north east local authorities, before taking up a post at Oldham Borough Council as an inspector within the education department. In Oldham, he went on to manage the Advisory Service before moving to Blackburn with Darwen Local Education Authority as assistant director. He was awarded a CBE for services to education in the New Year honours list.

Paul Pastorek

Paul was appointed Louisiana’s state superintendent of education in March 2007 by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE). He served on the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education from 1996-2004, including the last three years as president of the board. On his departure from the Board, Louisiana was noted as having the best rated statewide accountability program in the United States.

For the last 20 years, Paul has been working to improve public education in Louisiana. He started as a passionate volunteer in a New Orleans inner city junior high school. His experiences led him to study education issues and he began working through the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce to push for improvements. His work came to the attention of Governor Mike Foster who appointed him to BESE. After stepping down from the board in 2004, Paul formed Education’s Next Horizon, a non-profit organization that serves as a statewide think tank to connect Louisiana's leadership – education, government, business and community – as a force supporting school improvement.

In February 2002, Paul was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as general counsel to NASA. He served as both the chief legal official for the agency and as a trusted adviser to then NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe. In addition, he served on and led several senior management and leadership committees, including leading the team that developed NASA’s 2004 'transformational' reorganization plan. For his service at NASA, he received their Exceptional Achievement Medal and Distinguished Service Medal.

Vicki Phillips

Vicki Phillips, Director of Education, College Ready in the United States Program, oversees work to improve early learning in Washington state, to ensure US high school students graduate ready for success in college, career, and life, and to improve access to college.

Vicki has committed her career to increasing educational opportunities for young people. Prior to joining the foundation, she was superintendent of Portland Public Schools in Oregon. Before her move to Oregon, she was secretary of education and chief state school officer for the state of Pennsylvania, and served as superintendent of the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, school district. She has worked with the US Office of Education in Washington DC, and has been a middle and high school teacher.

Vicki earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education and a master's degree in school psychology from Western Kentucky University. She also holds a doctorate in education from the University of Lincoln in England.

Bill Strickland

For 30 years, Bill Strickland has transformed thousands of lives, restored our faith in ethical leadership and reshaped the business of social change. As president and CEO of the Manchester Bidwell Corporation – an extraordinary jobs training centre and community arts programme – he and his staff work with corporations, community leaders and schools to give disadvantaged children and adults the opportunities they need to build a better future. (Centres are already running in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and San Francisco; many more are planned.) For years now, in front of enraptured audiences, Bill has shared his unshakable message of leadership, self-worth and the intrinsic ability in all of us to achieve remarkable transformation in our lives.

Vanni Treves

As chair of the National College's governing council, Vanni Treves is instrumental in advising and guiding the College. For 30 years, he was a partner (for 12 of them senior partner) at Macfarlanes, a major City law firm, specialising in corporate law and international transactions.

He is now chairman of Korn/Ferry International, The Equitable Life Assurance Society and Intertek Group Plc, and has in the past been chairman of three other public companies and, until recently, of Channel 4 Television Corporation and of London Business School, of which he is an honorary fellow. He is a member of the Council for Industry and Higher Education, a governor of Sadler's Wells, a trustee of the J Paul Getty Charitable Trust and solicitor to The Royal Academy. He holds an MA in Jurisprudence and an LLM in International Law, and writes and lectures regularly on boardroom topics, especially corporate governance.

Professor Mick Waters

Mick has a range of career experiences that inform his work. Currently, he works with the schools in the Black Country Challenge on raising standards in the West Midlands. He works with schools in Sheffield on innovative approaches to learning and on several other initiatives to push the boundaries for making learning better. He is also president of the Curriculum Foundation, which seeks to promote a voice for the power and potential of the whole curriculum. He is chair of 360 People, a company working to encourage young people to be involved in assessing their progress in the development of skills for adult life and employment.

Previously, Mick worked at the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) as director of curriculum, taking a lead role in helping schools to rethink their approach to curriculum design and influencing national policy on aspects of the national curriculum. Before joining QCA, he was chief education officer for the City of Manchester, has worked in Birmingham Local Education Authority and is a former headteacher.

Mick believes in being close to teachers, children and schools, and is often to be found in the classroom working with children. He has written books on the curriculum, teaching and learning, and management, as well as making presentations at numerous national and international conferences. He is passionate about the role of education in improving life chances for pupils. He enjoys asking adults to look at learning through the eyes of a pupil.