 2005 : A year to celebrate |  2005 : A year to celebrate
It’s been a landmark year, with a record number of people taking part in our programmes, more organisations and sectors being represented than ever before, and a host of new relationships arising out of some exceptional Trust events.
We would like to share some of the highlights from our anniversary year:
Our Programmes
We ran an additional Initial Windsor Meeting in June, bringing the total to five, which, along with two Consultations for Newly Appointed Strategic Leaders, made this our fullest programme year to date.
We were delighted with the prestigious list of speakers for this year, representing all sectors associated with the Trust. Just some of the names are: - Jackie Ballard, Director General, RSPCA
- David Bell, HM Chief Inspector of Schools
- Sir David Brown, Chairman, Motorola
- Air Chief Marshal Sir Brian Burridge, Commander-in-Chief, Headquarters Strike Command
- Sir John Collins, Chairman, DSG International (formerly known as Dixons)
- Mary Jo Jacobi-Jephson, Former Vice President Group External Affairs, Royal Dutch Shell
- The Right Reverend David James, Bishop of Bradford
- Pastor Nims Obunge, Chairman, Peace Alliance
- Susan Rice, Chief Executive, Lloyds TSB Scotland
- Chief Constable John Vine, Tayside Police
Feedback from the programmes has been very positive, and we have included some extracts from the feedback forms at the end of this update.
Responding to feedback, we took the decision that we would now run all of our programmes out of St George’s House, Windsor Castle. The last regional programme ran in Scotland in May. It was a very successful event. However participants wanted to enjoy the unique, reflective environment offered by St George’s House. The second part of all the programmes will now run in Windsor too. We will develop more tailored activities within Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the future, as well as in other parts of England.
The Annual Lecture
Sir Ian Blair, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police delivered our Annual Lecture, in October, to a packed audience of over 400 people, nearly half of whom were new to the Trust. The lecture generated considerable debate, and very positive feedback about Sir Ian's honest views on leadership.
Annniversary Celebrations – the Dinner
Around 350 guests helped us celebrate our 10th Anniversary at a dinner at the Banqueting House Whitehall in September. Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal was our guest of honour. She spoke about the importance of trust and responsibility in leadership, and the value of the Windsor Leadership Trust programmes in inspiring confidence in leaders across all sectors of society. She also urged those present to continue their support, and looked forward to an even bigger celebration in 10 years time.
Many new organisations were introduced to the Trust that evening, resulting, we hope, in new partnerships that will underpin our work for the future. Next year we will regularly update our website with details of our new partnerships.
Annniversary Celebrations – the first programme
In October, we brought together participants from the first programme that took place in 1995. We are still in touch with 18 of the original 23 people who took part, most of whom have pledged their support for the future, as speakers, nominators and ambassadors within their organisations.
Looking back over the past 10 years, they reflected on their own personal experiences of leadership, and whether their view of the issues that would affect society in 2005 had changed.
They concluded that the impact of devolution, communication technology, economic improvement and retirement age had been under-estimated, whilst terrorism and climate change had not figured in their previous discussions. They wanted to spend more time considering practical solutions to the issues facing today’s leaders, and continue their engagement with the Trust into the future.
The Trust plans to bring together Alumni from the 1996 programmes in the second half of 2006.
New relationships
The Trust is pleased to welcome Alfred McAlpine as a new sponsor. HSBC, Marks and Spencer, Microsoft, Motorola, Tate and Lyle and the World Bank are some of the other new organisations to send participants on our programmes during 2005.
Website
In July, the Trust launched a new-look, dynamic, more easily accessible, website. It is now being regularly updated and includes full programme information. In the coming year, new elements will be added including on-line nomination forms, and targeted Alumni information. We saw an increase of over 75% of traffic to the site, between April and October.
Feedback from Windsor Leadership Trust programmes in 2005
" The best course I’ve ever attended in respect of relating to, but being challenged by, other delegates" - Civil Service
" The opportunity to interact with your own peer group from other walks of life, and compare and contrast attitudes and motivations, was absolutely fascinating" - Royal Navy
"Developing networks with people I would not normally come into contact with has deepened, widened and broadened my perspective" - Business – Finance
" A very good opportunity to examine my leadership style, to think about the challenges I face in my job, and to reflect on the things I might do to improve my performance" - World Bank
" I valued learning from the experiences of others, and about how similar and different leaders are across the private, voluntary and public sectors" - Police
"The unique benefit has been an opportunity to grow and realise that I have the potential to lead an organisation" - Charity
" I have more confidence and wisdom to carry on with my vision" - Church of England
" I very much hope my company adopts the Trust as part of its development programme" - Business – Communications
|
