The ‘Business Leader Talks’ have been some of the core activities of the Global Leaders Programme (GLP) since its conception. They have been successfully delivered to provide members with an in-depth understanding of how global businesses work.
Professionals and experts from the banking sector to technology, transportation and merchandising manufacturers, even covering the field of space discovery, have talked about their career highlights and the insights of their respective businesses.
The business leader talks [..] have allowed me to speak one-to-one with business leaders and inspirational speakers, and find out about what they do and what it takes to be a leader in [what is] a global world now. […] Having sessions with leaders who are already successful, and learning about what they did and how they did it, has definitely been a driving force, which will propel me in the future, and hopefully get me where I want to be. [Both] here in the UK, and on the other side of the world.”
– Zain Luke Ali speaking to unCOVered.
Zain is a GLP member who is now currently on placement at Microsoft UK (see Zain’s story here). Zain added that joining GLP would give him the support to get where he wants to be:
The GLP gave me the opportunity to attend skills workshops that helped me to explore skills in such an advanced way that I hadn’t even thought of before. Communication, leadership [etc], and how to really delve into them at levels that will really help me in the future. I thought it might be difficult to integrate the GLP with my course, and do both alongside each other, but they’ve constructed the course very well and you can pick and choose what you want to attend.”
Students can seek placement opportunities through open networking sections. Many other students have given positive feedback about the Business Leader Talks and the GLP itself. It’s this distinctive programme that brings Coventry University to the first place in the mind of many prospective students.
The inspirational speakers that the GLP Team have had the pleasure of hosting include Chris Wyatt – General Manager of IBM Global Business Services, UK & Ireland; Martyn Hollingsworth – Director of Vehicle Evaluation & Verification (Jaguar Land Rover); Phillippa Snare – Chief Marketing Officer (Microsoft UK); Peter Walshe – Global Brand Director (Millward Brown); Shelly Soor – Director Team Leader (Standard Chartered Bank) and many more famous global organisations.
Last May, Coventry students welcomed Mike Foale, NASA Astronaut and International Station Commander, who is the most experienced British astronaut in the history of human space travel. Besides the valuable insights of the qualities of teamwork skills, leadership and followership, Mike demonstrated his enthusiasm and shared beautiful, inspirational stories which students could use to influence their career choices.
Once you join GLP, you can access a specialised Live Calendar for Business Leader Talks and other GLP activities, designed to ensure you won’t miss any talks from the organisation of your interest. There will be many special speakers with fantastic stories coming up in 2015. Make sure you get a place on the programme and can start taking advantage of it. Follow the GLP Facebook channel to get in touch with GLP members today!
You can watch the full talk by Mike Foale below:
