Thursday Academic Keynote:
Failure in Leadership Development
Professor Keith Grint
Role
Professor of Public Leadership & Management
Organization
Warwick Business School, University of Warwick
Bio
I spent ten years in industry before switching to an academic career. Previously taught at Brunel University and Oxford University and held Chairs at Lancaster, and Cranfield Universities. Member of the Sunningdale Institute, National School of Government.
Professor Grint is the author of many leadership orientated publications, please see the Warwick Business School website for further details.
Thursday Practitioner Keynote:
Leading in a Political Environment
Dr Adrian E Kerr, MBE
Role
Chief Executive
Organization
Local Government Staff Commission for Northern Ireland
Bio
Dr Adrian Kerr’s career to date has included senior management positions in Education, Housing and Local Government sectors in Northern Ireland working most recently as the Chief Executive of The Local Government Staff Commission for Northern Ireland. This role has included responsibility for the development and implementation of Human Resources, Organization Development and Change Policies and Practices. Adrian has led a major regional reform project in Russia and anti-corruption projects in Poland and Romania, providing him with valuable experience and insights into leading change across differing cultures and political systems. He offers a practitioner perspective on high level centralised public sector change initiatives and the role played by shared/distributed leadership models and networks of change champions.
Friday Joint Academic Keynote:
Gender and Leadership: Challenges and Future Directions
Professor Claire Leitch 
Role
Professor of Entrepreneurial Leadership
Organization
Department of Leadership and Management at Lancaster University Management School
Bio
Professor Claire Leitch is the Head of Department of Leadership and Management. Her research interests concentrate on the development, enhancement and growth of individuals and organisations in an entrepreneurial context with a particular focus on leadership, leadership development and learning. She has co-edited a number of influential special issues and books in these areas that have shaped theoretical debate. In addition, her work has had significant industrial and policy impact.
Current work takes a critical approach and draws on ideas of gender and power to examine the interrelationships between the micro and macro level influences impacting agents. Related projects include examining the role gender plays in business owners’ networks and their networking behaviours (funded by the British Academy and exploring next generation engagement (funded by Institute for Family Business Project with V. Stead and Bradford University). She has published in a number of leading international journals including Journal of Small Business Management, Organization Research Methods, Academy of Management Learning and Education, British Journal of Management, Regional Studies, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice and Leadership. Currently she is editor of International Small Business Journal, one of the leading entrepreneurship journals, and an academic reviewer of the ESRC Peer Review College.
Friday Joint Academic Keynote:
Gender and Leadership: Challenges and Future Directions
Dr Valerie Stead
Role
Senior Lecturer
Organization
Department of Leadership and Management at Lancaster University Management School
Bio
Valerie’s research interests and publications are in leadership, learning and gender with a primary focus on women in leadership roles. Adopting critical perspectives Valerie’s research is published in books and major scholarly journals including Management Learning, Leadership and the International Small Business Journal. Current research includes exploring women’s leadership identities and learning in the entrepreneurial context, and examining the mobilisation of textual and visual representations of women’s leadership in the media. Related projects include the European Social Research Council funded seminar series ‘Gendered Mis(s)representations of Women Professionals and Leaders’ (with Roehampton and Bradford Universities), a project examining ‘Leadership Challenges of Women in Senior Positions’ funded by Barclays UK (with Engendering Balance Ltd., and Roehampton University), and an Institute for Family Business funded project of ‘Next Generation Engagement’ (with C. Leitch and Bradford University). Valerie is associate editor for the leading journal International Journal of Management Reviews. Most recently Valerie has co-edited special issues for the journals Leadership and Gender in Management, and a book ‘Gender, Media, and Organizations’ as part of the 2016 International Leadership Association ‘Women and Leadership’ book series.