Stonewall encourages gay leadership

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Stonewall is holding its second leadership programme, providing personal development for lesbian and gay professionals who have the capacity to be senior decision-makers within five years.

The two-day programme, held from 26 -27 October and hosted by Henley Management College, is designed in collaboration with the Cambridge Leadership programme at Harvard University.

It provides rising gay staff with the necessary skills to meet leadership challenges and fulfil their personal potential.

The programme was over-subscribed shortly after being advertised and will be repeated annually to give others the opportunity to learn from highly experienced colleagues alongside their peers.

Ben Summerskill, Stonewall chief executive, said the programme will help develop future business leaders, “Increasingly, gay people aren’t just expecting progressive employers to recruit and retain them. They want help in passing the ‘pink plateau’ which still makes them almost invisible in Britain’s boardrooms and corridors of power.

“We’re proud to be able to support next generation lesbian and gay leaders in fulfilling their ambitions. We had hugely positive feedback from those who took part in the programme last year. We’re delighted to be offering this opportunity once again for lesbian and gay people to gain new skills and become the leaders of the future”.

This year’s Leadership Programme has been kindly sponsored by Goldman Sachs and is led by Professor Marty Linsky, Principal at Cambridge Leadership Associates. The 36 participants come from a range of private, public and third sector backgrounds.