The International Health Leadership Development Programme (IHLDP), devised by the Lancaster University Management School, has been commissioned by the Kenya Red Cross and the International HIV/AIDS alliance to strengthen the leadership skills of managers working on a range of healthcare and relief projects.

The programme is specifically tailored to sharing expertise and experience across the health care sector. The programme’s first cohort consists of 22 managers in roles that range from community health operations in one of the world’s largest refugee camps, to MD strategic roles in an organisation delivering AIDS-related services.

“The competence they have in terms of their chosen skill area is probably world-leading but almost all of our participants say they have never had any formal management or leadership development,” said Neil Ralph, of the Lancaster Leadership Centre. “This is the first time they have been able to take stock of what they are doing, how they are doing it, and whether there are more effective ways to do it.”

Shaun Mellors, Associate Director: Africa at the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, said: “The Alliance wanted to provide an innovative and relevant leadership programme to support the management and leadership practice of senior managers within our linking organisations.

“The IHLDP provides the platform for this to happen, and by understanding the realities in which managers are working it enables managers to become more reflective and aware of their own management practice, and how this can be improved.”

More information about the Lancaster Leadership Centre can be found by visiting http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lums/lancaster-leadership-centre/