Executive Development

Our Corporate Client Solutions (CCS) team are specialists at working in partnership with businesses to develop leaders who can tackle pressing business challenges. We have proven expertise in executive, leadership and management development

The experience of our clients is vital to our work in CCS and we pride ourselves on delivering programmes with high levels of client satisfaction. Find out what our recent clients have to say.

Jens Höhnel, CEO / President, IAC Group GmbH

"Our team seem to be really motivated – they were willing to learn, showed a lot of serious interest, and last but not least, had a lot of fun also. They are already coming to me with proposals of how to input to specific corporate projects, based on their new knowledge and ideas. Everybody I have spoken to agrees it was a great success – challenging, but also very motivating. Exactly what we hoped to achieve."

Andy Hunter, VocaLink HR Director

"In searching for a training partner, we sought a business school capable of teaching business principles from an entrepreneurial perspective. Aston demonstrated outstanding capability in this area and has been instrumental in achieving a step change in managerial thinking."

Sally Fern, Divisional Director, Jacobs Engineering

"Jacobs is always impressed with the quality and speed of Aston’s responses to our requests, and the innovative approaches that they take to meeting our requirements, particularly in the current climate. I enjoy working with the Aston team and appreciate that my key contacts have been retained by the Centre, allowing us to build and benefit from long standing relationships. I look forward to working with Aston again."

Wayne Close - Managing Director, Bupa International.

"These things are about investing in our people.  They are about developing you.  Getting more value out of you and pushing that back into the business."

Our clients

Our team works in close partnership with all of our clients, from manufacturing to retail, health to financial services, across the public and private sector. We focus on creating tangible benefits, real value and measurable return on investment.

Find out more about the different businesses we have recently partnered with.
 

Jaguar Land Rover Ltd

Communicating Knowledge

Aim: to upskill technical specialists in communicating attributes and business benefits to a non-specialist audience.

Cohort: UK based technical specialists and non-technical managers.

Timescale: two months’ duration per cohort.

Delivery: one credit-bearing module at master’s level, delivered in an initial three-day block session followed a few weeks later by a two-day session.  We ran four modules per year, each delivered as residential sessions at Conference Aston.

UTC Aerospace Systems

UTC Aerospace Systems GOLD Programme

Aim: to provide development and enable career progression to leadership roles in the organisation.

Cohort: UK and internationally-based middle management individual contributors at the same management level.

Timescale: Twelve months’ duration.

Delivery: Three credit-bearing MBA modules – each taught in four-day blocks.  Delivered as residential sessions at Conference Aston with blended online elements.

Hochtief (UK) Construction Ltd

Hochtief Leadership Development Programme

Aim: to provide a balanced understanding of leadership and self-awareness in leading others.

Cohort: UK-based senior and middle management.

Timescale: eight months’ duration.

Delivery: three non-accredited, bespoke workshops taught over seven days. Delivered as residential sessions at Conference Aston with blended online elements.

Ecclesiastical Insurance Group

Ecclesiastical Leadership Development Programme (ELDP)

Aim: to help nominated, highly talented individuals to become future technical and / or people leaders.

Cohort: UK and internationally-based middle managers.

Timescale: twelve months’ duration.

Delivery: two bespoke, non-accredited five day modules. Delivered as residential sessions at Conference Aston with blended online elements.

Civil Service Learning

MSc in Human Resource Management

Aim: a course of study leading to an MSc in Human Resource Management accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Cohort: high potential Fast Stream graduate development programme members, and HR managers.

Timescale: two years’ duration.

Delivery: eight Masters level modules, each delivered as two block-release two-day sessions (four days in total per module), plus dissertation.  Delivered in-house in London with blended online elements.

Kier Group

MSc in Human Resource Management

Aim: a course of study leading to an MSc in Human Resource Management accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Cohort: recent graduate intake and HR managers.

Timescale: two years’ duration.

Delivery: eight Masters level modules, each delivered as two block-release two-day sessions (four days in total per module), plus dissertation.  Delivered as residential sessions at Conference Aston with blended online elements.

Business Master Class Programme

Aim: to develop the business-critical thinking and skills of high performing talent pool managers, aligned to business strategy.

Cohort: early career civil engineers and HR professionals.

Timescale: one year’s duration.

Delivery: four non-accredited one-day practitioner skills and thought leadership master classes delivered as residential sessions at Conference Aston.

Daido Metal UK

Managing Large Projects

Aim: to develop project managers’ capability to run large projects.

Cohort: UK-based project managers.

Timescale: one day’s duration.

Delivery: a one-day standalone, bespoke, non-accredited workshop delivered at Conference Aston.

HSBC Bank Plc

MSc in Financial Regulation and Compliance

Aim: to help secure talented young bankers for the business and as a retention tool for early career, high potential staff.

Cohort: newly recruited talent and early career, high potential staff.

Timescale: two years’ duration on a part-time basis, including dissertation.

Delivery: a fully customised in-company MSc, delivered by block release, and comprising 120 credits of taught modules and a 60 credit dissertation.

RPC Group Plc

Future Leaders Programme

Aim: talent development of future leaders.

Cohort: twenty junior high potential managers, with at least five years’ business experience.

Timescale: six months plus project.

Delivery: four modules, each delivered near an RPC location in Europe, plus a work-based project. 

National Express Group Plc

National Express Management Diploma

Aim: to development candidates for career progression to leadership roles in the organisation.

Cohort: middle management individuals, both early career and experienced professionals.

Timescale: 18 months.

Delivery: six credit-bearing MBA modules.  Delivered as residential sessions at Conference Aston with blended online elements.

Who we are

Aston’s Corporate Client Solutions team develops bespoke in-company programmes for managers, leaders and specialists through Executive and Management Development. These programmes include both short workshops and full postgraduate degree programmes.

The team has extensive experience in developing management talent, having furthered the development of over 1,000 managers over the past ten years. We have supported clients including Jaguar Land Rover, HSBC Bank, National Express and more. 

Our clients have access to an enviable portfolio of proven expertise and thought leadership in executive, leadership and management development. We exploit research judged to be ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ by the UK’s official Research Excellence Framework (REF). We work in partnership with our clients with programmes that inspire managers to develop measurable impact.

Like everyone else, we had to adapt swiftly to the challenges of Covid-19 and still continue to maintain a first-class service to our clients. Find out more about how we embraced change with our resilient response to online programme delivery.

Programmes we offer

Why work with us?

Because your organisation is more complex and sensitive to global issues than ever, we recognise that you need your leaders and managers to think differently and act resiliently.

Bespoke consultancy relationship

We establish a bespoke consultancy relationship with you, based on a commitment to quality, trust and dialogue that helps you interpret and articulate the challenges you face.

Investment impact

We work in partnership with you to help identify and shape your priorities to assure maximum impact from your investment with us.

Then we focus on helping your leaders and managers align with these priorities, to deliver value through productivity and innovation.

We believe that our impact-focused partnership approach is what makes our executive, leadership and management development offerings unique.

Our track record

Our proven track record confirms that our approach helps leaders and managers think more clearly and creatively, inspiring them to lift their organisations to achieve even higher levels of success.

Our areas of expertise

Our clients benefit from Aston's research expertise in the following key areas:

High performance

  • Factors that contribute towards high performing, creative and innovative teams.
  • Team leadership – value-driven leadership.
  • HR systems that underpin high performance working environments.
  • Brand management – how to make promises a reality.

Strategy

  • Strategic alliances as a critical success factor for multinationals’ development.
  • The practice of strategy in dynamic contexts.

Change management

  • Structuring of major change initiatives – particularly in highly ambiguous environments.
  • Human reactions and how to manage those in the context of change.

Project management

  • Eight project management competencies: individual and team profiling.
  • The practice of structured projects and communication plans.

Finance

  • Foreign Investment, a cornerstone of internationalisation: 'who', 'what', 'where' and 'why'.

Decision making

  • Frameworks for decision-making in highly complex, ambiguous situations.

Meet our team

Terry Hodgetts, Director, Corporate Client Solutions

Terry

Terry’s a former participant in and purchaser of executive development programmes. He’s therefore well placed to understand clients’ needs when programmes are being conceived and designed.

Terry’s experience ensures that when consulting with clients and liaising with faculty members and the CCS team, every programme delivers the maximum benefit and impact.

His interests lie in bridging the gap between strategy and people, helping organisations find ways to engage their workforce to achieve strategic goals.

While his background is as a practitioner, Terry underpins his practical experience with extensive qualifications and knowledge in business, strategy, and organisational and social psychology.

As such, he’s able to bring both an academically rigorous and a practical ‘real world’ perspective to his design, teaching and consulting work. 

Email: t.hodgetts@aston.ac.uk Telephone: +44 (0) 121 204 3729

Sarah Worton, Account Director

sarah

Sarah has over 20 years experience in work-based learning, as a development manager in public and private sector organisations, and in account management roles in the higher education sector. 

She has worked with a range of clients, especially for large organisations in the financial services, engineering and automotive, construction and utilities, central government, and health and social care sectors, working to provide academic, vocational, and bespoke leadership development solutions.

Sarah is skilled at consulting with clients to understand their needs, managing contracts and framework agreements to ensure they include creative design, focused delivery, and evaluation of business impact.

She has built strong, friendly, and reliable relationships with many client stakeholders over the years, including project teams and learners, and enjoys working to bring cohorts of learners together with mentors, coaches, facilitators, and decision makers to achieve the best possible customer experience.

Since joining Aston in 2014, Sarah has enjoyed working with a range of key clients including 220 graduates on an accredited HRM Masters programme, 600 managers across the UK on a behavioural leadership development programme, and senior leader degree apprenticeship programmes. In her spare time, she enjoys nothing more than exploring the great outdoors.

Email: s.worton@aston.ac.uk Telephone: +44 (0) 121 204 5244

Paul Butler, Account Director

paul

Paul joined our team in 2010 after working with Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) at the University of Warwick. Since that time, Paul has continued to develop client relationships, working in partnership to design and deliver tailored management and leadership development programmes to large clients. Paul also introduced our open programme, the Professional Managers’ Award, aimed at companies of all sizes, from SMEs to large corporates.

Paul has introduced clients to Aston University from several key sectors including engineering, manufacturing, construction, aerospace, insurance, and banking. Paul works closely with all his clients to ensure academic learning is transferred back into the business to deliver measurable added value and return on investment.

Throughout his 35+ years career in engineering, manufacturing and latterly in education, Paul has always focused on developing the capability of individuals across all levels.

A proven relationship builder, Paul can see the big picture while also paying attention to the small details to deliver bottom line improvements.

Email: p.butler@aston.ac.uk Telephone: +44 (0) 121 204 3071

Richard Terry, Networked Learning Director

richard

Richard has over twenty five years' experience of designing and delivering learning programmes and e-learning solutions, both as an educator and in the field of educational software development. 

This experience has given him an understanding of the technology, and an appreciation of how it can best be used in a learning context.

Drawing on this expertise and experience, Richard brings a belief in user-centred design and an enthusiasm for developing creative and well-crafted technological solutions.

In this way, he aims to meet participants’ learning requirements in a user friendly way, appropriate for the programme context.

Email: r.s.j.terry@aston.ac.uk Telephone: +44 (0) 121 204 3204

Tanya Lomas, Client Programmes Manager

tanya

CCS client programmes managers are involved from the very first stages of programme preparation.

They work to coordinate client companies and facilitators to carefully schedule programmes, then hosting delegates at the school.

Tanya, who has been in this role for more than five years, leads the events and administration team and prides herself on the smooth running of our programmes.

She says: "We aim to take care of all the practicalities, so the delegates only have to concentrate on learning."

Email: t.lomas@aston.ac.uk Telephone: +44 (0) 121 204 3160

Gemma George, Client Programmes Manager

Gemma

Gemma has worked at Aston University for over seven years, including two years as a CCS team member.  Her event management activities range from organising on-site logistics and facilitation of programmes, to off-site administration and participant support.  

Focusing mainly on our accredited offerings, Gemma has looked after the needs of over 200 participants in the various cohorts of our MSc and Diploma programmes, which we have delivered to both public and private sector organisations.  

In the context of these programmes, Gemma has also moderated online virtual classrooms and has contributed to developing our online communities of practice.

Gemma’s day to day tasks involve handling participants’ queries and questions, solving logistical or technical problems and the management of each course module. She gets particular satisfaction from seeing participants successfully completing their programmes.

Email: g.george@aston.ac.uk Telephone: +44 (0) 121 204 3083

Edward Bates, Account & Business Development Manager

Edward is our Account & Business Development Manager, responsible for winning business for Aston and managing relationships with commercial clients from a wide range of sectors.

He has more than 15 years’ experience of working with clients and business owners and building mutually successful relationships.

Edward works across the large portfolio of services that Aston offer. This includes Degree Apprenticeships and Executive Leadership programmes.

He currently manages large client accounts including Auto Desk, CULINA Group, Glaxo Smith Kline, Hermes, Pfizer, NTT Global and Salts Healthcare.

Edward brings commercial awareness with a dedication to building successful client relationships.

Email: e.bates1@aston.ac.uk Telephone: +44 (0) 0121 204 4900 Mob: 07769926812

Get in touch

To speak to someone from our team and find out more about our Executive Development programmes get in touch via the form below. You can also call Tanya Lomas, our Client Programmes Manager on +44 (0)121 204 3160.

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