Leadership for creative businesses

Minister for Heritage, Alun Ffred Jones AM, speaking during the launch of the Leadership for Creative Businesses course.

An innovative and unique new programme of support for creative media businesses in Wales was launched by the Minister for Heritage, Alun Ffred Jones AM, at Aberystwyth University on Friday 15 October.

The Leadership for Creative Businesses course will offer 15 production company managers from leading Welsh employers in the sector the chance to discuss current and future priorities with an impressive list of the leading international mentors and motivators in business circles over 4 seminars held between this month and March 2011.

The series of four seminars, which have been developed by Aberystwyth University with the support of Skillset Academi+, who are offering the funding for the programme, and Public Services Management Wales, will enable managers at the top of their profession to develop new skills and remain creative in one of the most difficult times for the media industries.

Alun Ffred Jones said: “Broadcasting in Wales is facing a challenging period in its history. It is extremely encouraging that this course is creating a context for debate surrounding creativety and innovation. I look forward to discussing matters further with the executives attending.”

Leadership for Creative Businesses is a leadership development programme uniquely designed for senior executives in broadcasting, film and video, gaming and software to enhance leadership skills, approaches and strategies to deliver organisational success in the present technologically complex and rapidly changing economic environment.

The programme is designed to place participants in an environment of knowledge, skills, context, content and theory that can be applied to their own organisations.

 “We stand at a very critical time in the development of the creative industries in Wales. It is a time to come together, to learn together and to value and develop ambition and innovation,” said Professor Elan Closs Stephens, convenor of the seminar series.

“Much is asked of the Creative Businesses in Wales. For the Welsh Assembly Government as well as the UK Government, the companies we are engaging with are in the vanguard of building up the economy. For the public, they provide cultural insights and entertainment in a very competitive field.   

Professor Adrian Kear, Head of the Department of Film and Television, added:
“As company leaders those attending our seminar weekends will need to maintain creativity, innovation and ambition against the background of one of the worst recessions in living memory. Aberystwyth University’s Department of Theatre, Film and Television, itself world-ranking in its research, has the support of Public Services Management Wales and Skillset Academy+ to bring Wales some of the development sessions and challenges needed for these highly creative professionals and their companies.”

Focusing on personal and professional development, this leadership programme challenges individuals to critically consider their own approaches to leadership and leading others, drawing on their own and peer experiences to further develop knowledge, skills and behaviours that will enable leaders in the field of broadcasting, media and culture to be instrumental in driving the transformational changes needed to maintain and increase creativity and innovation within their work force, and to position Wales at the forefront of creativity.

The first seminar was facilitated by Philippa Davies with guests taking part in a round table discussion with the Heritage Minister, Alun Ffred Jones AM.
The second seminar, which will take place in November, will be facilitated by Emmanuel Gobillot and the Secretary of State for Wales is scheduled to attend as a dinner guest at a later seminar in 2011.

“As the Co-ordinator of Skillset Academi+, I am proud to be associated with a course of such high calibre which should make a big difference to the media sector in Wales at this difficult time,” said Sue Jeffries. 

“Skillset Academi+ was established to help the creative media industries in Wales to come out of the recession stronger and with a clearer focus on the road ahead.  This is exactly the right kind of course to achieve that goal. To my knowledge no other course in Wales has been as ambitious in its objectives and aims, and it truly deserves to succeed and become a regular feature of management and leadership training for the future.”

Philippa Davies MSc is a work and web psychologist, with exceptionally diverse experience of the creative industries, including digital technology, publishing, and broadcasting. She has advised two Prime and several cabinet ministers (UK and Welsh Assembly) on the “what and how” of campaigning and is currently coaching UK Olympics Coaches on communicating under pressure.

Her workshop, entitled 7 Spill The Beans Case Histories... (names withheld to protect the guilty) is based on her experiences as a work psychologist in NBC Universal, the BBC, Channel 4, JohnLewis.com and the Science Museum, Philippa will take us through short case histories followed by highly participative investigation of relevance to your own businesses.

Emmanuel Gobillot started his career in financial services, observing the organisations he worked for he would always come back to one stark conclusion: there must be a better way to lead and engage an organisation’s creativity, passion and drive: there must be a better way to relate to customers.

Emmanuel joined some of the world’s leading researchers and practitioners, as a consultant at Hay Group he was Head of Consumer Sector Consulting, before becoming Director of Leadership Services. Following the global success of his first book ‘The Connected Leader’ Emmanuel created Emmanuel Gobillot Limited to devote time to his writing and speaking engagements whilst continuing his research and consultancy work.

Emmanuel’s session will focus on connected leadership and how it can bridge the divide between the formal organisation, its rituals, processes, structures and goals and the real organisation which embodies the social networks and human asset base underpinning service delivery, and how developing connectivity across delivery is vital for the production of high quality services based upon the engagement of all stakeholders.

Skillset Media Academy Wales
Skillset Screen Academy Wales has recently merged to become a Skillset Media Academy, offering education and training in the fields of radio, advertising design, photography, interactive media, broadcast journalism, television and games, as well as film and animation. 

The Skillset Media Academy Wales is a partnership of the leading film and media institutions in Wales. This high-level partnership includes the University of Wales, Newport; Aberystwyth University, the University of Glamorgan, and Swansea Metropolitan University.

Skillset Academi+
This high profile project is funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) and is match-funded by the consortia partners, all of whom are developing a strategic approach to training for the creative media sector in Wales.

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