Management in Action 2023

‘The acquisition of real-world wisdom is attained through lived experiences in the real world… it is not necessarily found in the pages of books.’

Victoria Humphries is a polar adventurer, three times Guinness World Record holder, mountain climber, marathon runner, author, Bath based businesswoman and a ‘normal’ person. She prides herself on being just your average woman who happens to believe that Anything is Possible if you put your mind to it. Life is full of challenges and we always have a choice – step forward or run away, be overcome by the enormity of it or be brave and step into it. What’s the worst that can happen? Just give it a go!

In 1997 a group of twenty women set out to become the world’s first all-female expedition to the North Pole. Victoria and her Mum Sue were surprised to find themselves amongst them. En route to the most isolated and forbidding regions of the globe and facing the bitterest hardships, both were seeking a new beginning. For Sue these were the first steps following treatment for breast cancer. For Victoria, abandoning the security of her career was a good way to test her self-belief. Along the way they experienced temperatures of -40oC, constantly shifting ice and at one point both of them fell into the Arctic Ocean finding themselves in a life or death situation. The expedition tested their resilience, their ability to cope with a constantly changing environment and most of all, their determination to keep on heading North no matter what. Their adventure was turned into a book “Frigid Women”.

@vicriches

Our keynote speakers, David Hall, the Managing Director of our company, and Steve Walker, the Head of Local Government Services, will be discussing how Decisions software can help councils work smarter, and engage more effectively with their communities. They will also be sharing insights into how councils can use Microsoft 365 to enhance their performance and optimize their workflows.

One of the exciting features of this event is the opportunity to try out our Digital Experience Room. You can get hands-on experience with councillor devices aimed to enhance meeting engagement, broadcasting equipment and meeting management software that has been improving the way councils run their meetings. With this technology, councillors can easily manage agendas, share documents, and distribute minutes.

Don’t miss out on this chance to learn about the future of council meetings and how technology can help you streamline your operations. To book a demo in our Digital Experience Room or to learn more, click on the link provided.

Click here for more information or to book a demo in our Digital Experience Room.

Josie has 20 years’ experience in the FMCG, pharmaceuticals and medical devices industry where as a board director of Beiersdorf UK she was responsible for maximising revenue and profitability. Her expertise and passion lie in the area of people and organisational development. With a philosophy that an organisation can only reach its full potential through developing and motivating its people.

Josie currently leads a national executive coaching and mentoring group for CEO’s and managing directors called Artemis and Apollo for both women and men who aspire to be the best
business leaders in their field. She has coached and facilitated executive, director and middle management teams to manage the introduction of major new cultural change programmes as well as the implementation of Values into realistic behaviours that organisations rigorously adopt into every aspect of business life.

Josie will lead a session on ‘Emotional Intelligence and Assertive Behaviour’.

@BPAJosiePayne

Ian is Chief Officer and Town Clerk at Peterlee Town Council, one of the larger Town Councils in glorious County Durham. Ian joined the Local Council sector in July 2016 having spent his early career working for a number of large principal authorities before spending almost 5 years with a multi-national software company and then setting up his own Consultancy business. Ian is proud to be a Fellow of SLCC, and is currently Vice Chair of the County Durham & Cleveland SLCC Branch. Ian is a keen fell and ultra runner and occasional vets rugby player, an enthusiastic and not very talented musician, and is currently studying for a Masters in Public Leadership & Management at De Montford University. He considers himself blessed to have a wife, son and daughter who tolerate his wide range of interests!

Ian will present a session on ‘Turning Snakes into Ladders: How to Improve your Council’s Mindset for Better Collaboration in your Local Area’.

@PtrleeTC

Morgen Witzel is a fellow of the Exeter Leadership Centre at the University of Exeter Business School. He is the author of more than thirty books on leadership and management, including The Ethical Leader, Managing for Success, Leadership Paradoxes (with Richard Bolden and Nigel Linacre), Tata: The Evolution of a Corporate Brand, Doing Business in China and A History of Management Thought. He has also published many articles in newspapers and journals including the Financial Times, South China Morning Post, Los Angeles Times, Toronto Globe & Mail, The Smart Manager, Corporate Finance Review, EFMD Global Quarterly and many others. His latest book, the edited collection Post-Pandemic Leadership, was published by Routledge in 2022.

Morgen lectures on the MBA Programme at the University of Exeter Business School, and also at business schools in Edinburgh, Nantes and Ljubljana.

@MorgenWitzel