Vietnamese delegates say farewell after a successful Higher Education Leadership Development Programme delivered by Cardiff Business School

The Executive Education team at Cardiff Business School were delighted to welcome a delegation of distinguished senior leaders from five of the top universities in Vietnam as part of a Universities Wales and British Council Vietnam sponsored Higher Education Leadership and Governance programme.

The delegates came from:

Hanoi University of Science and Technology

Danang University of Science and Technology

University of Social Sciences and Humanities Vietnam National University - HCMC 

Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City (IUH)

University of Engineering and Technology VNU Hanoi

The programme started on Monday 9 December and got off to a flying start with an official welcome to Cardiff University and Cardiff Business School by Professor Ken Hamilton, Dean (International) for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and Professor Rachel Ashworth, Dean and Head of Cardiff Business School. The delegation then enjoyed a session on Strategic Leadership in a Higher Education Context with Dr Sarah Hurlow, Reader in Leadership, Cardiff Business School. In the evening, the group enjoyed a networking reception and evening meal with Education Minister Kirsty Williams AM, along with other senior leaders from across the Welsh Higher Education Sector.

The delegation then enjoyed a day exploring strategy and developing KPIs with Professor Robert Morgan from Cardiff Business School on Tuesday, and a day looking at Careers, Workloads, and Supporting High Performance with Professor Aoife McDermott at Cardiff Business School.

On Thursday and Friday of the programme, the group took part in a range of Cardiff University insight sessions led by members of professional services staff from across the University, including:

Thursday:

• Cardiff’s future strategic vision: The Way Forward with Deborah Collins, Chief Operating Officer
• Cardiff’s future strategic vision: The Way Forward with Hayley Beckett, Head of Leadership and Staff Development, Human Resources, Cardiff University and Helen Mullens, HR Business Partner, Cardiff University
• Planning and Governance at Cardiff University with Jemma Trivett, Head of Performance and Risk, Strategic Planning and Governance, Cardiff University.

Friday:

• Overview of International Activity and Strategy at Cardiff University with Professor Ken Hamilton,Dean (International) for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• An exploration of the Unicamp international strategic partnership with Professor Omer Rana, College Dean of International and Professor of Performance Engineering School of Computer Science and Informatics, Cardiff University
• An overview of the structure and activities of the International Office with Ruth Page from Cardiff University's International Office
• An overview of quality and programme approval  with Professor Helen Williams, Associate Dean for Learning & Teaching, Cardiff Business School and Lindsey Jones, College Education Manager, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

The programme concluded with a certificate presentation led by Professor Calvin Jones, Deputy Dean for Public Value and External Relations, Cardiff Business School.

Sarah Lethbridge said:

“We were delighted to be part of this exciting programme and exchange of experiences and knowledge with this prestigious delegation of visitors just one year after the Welsh Government signed a MOU with Vietnam. We really enjoyed hosting the group and feel some excellent new relationships have been developed as part of this programme.”

The one-week programme delivered in Cardiff was the first of two parts, and in February, two Cardiff Business School academics, Dr Sarah Hurlow and Rachel Williams, will be travelling to Ho Chi Minh City to deliver the second part of the programme. The second group will consist of heads of department and department managers from the five participating institutions and will look at how to translate strategy through operational leadership and implementing KPIs and measuring output through performance management, as part of an ‘improvement project’ that links the two parts of the programme.

Contact us

If you would like to speak to us about how we could design and deliver a similar programme in collaboration with your organisation, please contact our friendly team for an initial informal discussion: