Keele leadership programme set to reach century of local businesses supported
Businesses across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire can boost their potential in 2022, as Keele University announces the dates for the next cohorts of its transformative Innovation Leadership* programme.
The programme, which is fully-funded and offered to local businesses at zero cost, has already supported more than 80 entrepreneurs to develop new business plans that focus on innovation-led growth – and this number is expected to exceed 100 within the coming year.
Taking place over six two-day sessions, participants get bespoke content tailored to their own business, delivered alongside coaching, advice, and guidance from leading academics, widely recognised industry experts and successful business leaders. Participants will also be able to meet and network with a diverse group of fellow senior business leaders.
The programme has been praised by those who have taken part in previous cohorts. David Mills, Managing Director at Stafford-based Haughton Design, said: "The programme gave me a lot of new ideas and opportunities to refine our strategy. I had spoken to other participating businesses who praised the programme highly and I knew I wanted to be part of it."
“Before starting the programme, our growth was pretty much stagnant. However, since we’ve integrated the learnings from the programme into the business, we’ve seen increased annual growth of 35% followed by a further 20%.”
Amie Lloyd, Administration Manager at Trentham-based Central Contracts, added: “Completing the Innovation Leadership programme has been just what the business and I wanted, providing new ideas and real-world application examples, all while supported by academic research and strategy.”
Dr Nick Gostick, Director of Keele University’s Smart Innovation Hub, said: “We are delighted that even more local business leaders can now develop their organisations by using the latest thinking, skills and approaches to transformative business growth. By embedding innovation into the heart of Staffordshire’s business community, we’re equipping entrepreneurs and business owners to lead the region’s recovery.”
There will be two programme cohorts starting in 2022: April to September, and October to March (2023). Exclusively available for SMEs in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire across a wide-range of sectors, applications are now being taken for both cohorts.
For more information on how businesses can take part in the programme and become part of a unique and ever-growing innovation network, visit keele.ac.uk/business.
Programme funding
The Keele University Innovation Leadership programme (also referred to as the Mercia Centre for Innovation Leadership programme) is delivered through the Keele University Science & Innovation Park Smart Innovation Hub (Ref: 32R17P01691). This programme is part-funded through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the England Structural and Investments Funds (ESIF) Growth Programme.
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