HR National Leadership Programme
DEVELOPING HR LEADERS FOR THE FUTURE BY BUILDING ON GUILD TRADITIONS
Professional Development through Masterclasses, Mentoring and Fellowship
Introduction
The National HR Leadership Programme was established by the Company in 2018 as an executive education programme for HR Professionals. Its purpose is to develop HR leadership skills in areas such as critical thinking, professional confidence, and the ability to establish an informed and commercial point of view on organisational challenges and opportunities. It is rooted in individual learning and reflection and led by experienced HR professionals.
How Does the Programme Work?
Now in its fifth year, the HR National Leadership Programme is a one-year immersive, personalised experience that equips senior HR professionals to deliver greater personal and professional impact. It looks at and challenges how you think and interact with other business leaders, and how to be a confident, proactive contributor. This is achieved through a mix of masterclasses, mentoring, and self-directed personal development planning supported by high profile successful HR leaders who bring their experiences and capabilities to help you succeed.
What you can expect…
- Associate membership of the Company of HR Professionals with access to Company events and fellowship
- Self-assessment, a personal development plan, and exercises in reflective learning
- A series of experienced practitioner-led masterclasses exploring significant current professional themes
- On-line mentoring provided by a senior HR professional and Company member
- A peer coaching/mentoring approach using action learning sets to support mutual learning and application
- A patchwork assessment methodology to measure learning and certify completion of the programme
...and where it leads
- The opportunity to develop a deep network with other HR professionals
- Connection and fellowship with the wider membership of the Company
- An understanding of how Liveries and Guilds operate and the chance to participate in Company activities
- Two-year associate membership of the HR Company with the opportunity to become a member or Freeman of the Company after that period
Who Should Apply
The National Leadership Programme is particularly relevant to the following people:
- Senior HR leaders who want to round out their experience and have more impact as part of an executive team
- Up and coming HR managers/leaders looking to develop themselves for bigger roles in the future
- Successful HR Directors who want to build their professional network and connect into wider external debates and bring new perspectives about people issues into business strategy discussions
Hear from our alumni
Margot King
MD, Head of HR Business Management, MUFG
The HR Company’s Leadership programme challenged me to consider the full remit of the role of the HR Director, and helped to shape my own development with that in mind
Nikki Squelch
Head of Engagement, NHS Leadership Academy
It was a privilege to share the space to think about personal purpose all the way through to what the future of work will be. I certainly feel I am better placed to anticipate, harness and create a better workforce culture because of this programme.
Maire Sloman
VP, Global HR Ops, Colt Technology Services
If you are looking to develop your HR career to the next level and want to deepen your understanding and perspective on the key people-related issues impacting organisations today, this course is perfect for you. The masterclasses are excellent, with top quality speakers and provocations presented for debate and the quality of the mentoring received is superb. It is also a fantastic opportunity to expand your network. Be prepared to have your thinking challenged and emerge as a stronger HR Leader!
Darren Cornish
People Services Director, Aviva PLC
After a 25 year career in sales, trading and customer operations I made the switch to a senior level HR position at Aviva. I wanted to accelerate my know-how across all core aspects of HR, while developing an external network and pulling on strong mentoring. The Company NLP programme has more than met each of those. In fact it has gone further in bringing to this year’s cohort a sequence of highly thought provoking and engaging HR experts and practitioners that have challenged how HR can be better and add greater value to our businesses. The Company NLP has been a critical component of my first 18 months in HR.
Keri Garrod
Snr HR Manager, Anglo American
An engaging personal growth journey which has far exceed my expectations. I found the provocative approach in both the masterclasses and mentoring sessions provided an open-ended invitation to explore the strategic elements of HR through different lenses, encouraging critical thinking and consideration of what successful, workplace led application of initiatives looks like. As a result, I am relentlessly seeking breakthrough ideas to enhance employee experience and deliver on the business ambition.
Ben Woolston
HRBP, Munich Re
The National Leadership Programme came just as I was being promoted to a position in which I am on an Executive Committee and delivering for a positive yet demanding client group. The programme has given me a space to critically challenge my ways of thinking, acting and delivering without assigning blame or fear. I have been able to learn from senior representatives and have a greater sense of confidence in myself. The skills I have learnt have helped me settle into my new position and I am convinced will support my future progression for many years to come.
Faculty and Mentors
Stephen Sidebottom
Incoming Master
International CHRO and NED
- Stephen has held global HR leadership roles including at Standard Chartered and Nomura International, and has led on major organisation change, OD, culture and performance, and complex people solutions.
- He is Chair of the Institute of Risk Management (IRM) and Kent Savers Credit Union
- He has an MBA from London Business School, an MA from Oxford and is a Fellow of the CIPD and a Court Member of the HR Company.
Chris Woodman
Mentor Lead
Founder of Leadenhall Consulting
Paul Hucknall
Mark McLane
Past Master, HR Company
M&G Prudential
Application Notes
Applications are invited from anybody working in HR disciplines, irrespective of sector. The cost of the programme is £3,500 which includes one year’s apprentice membership of the Company and a further first year of membership with the Freedom of the Company. Applicants may be in a generalist or specialist role or in any area linked to professional HR delivery e.g. Diversity and Inclusion, Employee Engagement, HR Legal or HR Operations.
Places are strictly limited, so please apply early to ensure you are accepted.
Applications for 2023/24 should be submitted using the form below by 30th November 2023
National HR Leadership Programme Application Form
Please submit your details, answering all questions below to the best of your knowledge: