UQ Business School training Australia's top scientists

University of Queensland Business School (UQBS) is partnering with Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, to provide leadership training to key scientists within the organisation. The elite professional development program, which includes four tailored courses, will provide training over the next two years for up to 90 CSIRO scientists. UQBS and CSIRO collaborated closely to develop the practical and highly contextualised program, derived from the School's highly successful Graduate Certificate in Executive Leadership. Incorporating live CSIRO case studies have contributed to the personalised nature of the program, according to UQBS Director of Corporate Education, Dr Jim Nyland. "Each course in the program will be delivered via intensive, five-day residential programs, with case studies and extensive class interaction allowing participants to apply leadership and strategy lessons," said Dr Nyland. "CSIRO has been very clear in their desire to train leaders within the organisation who can both develop and execute innovative strategies for achieving operational goals in the short and long term," he said. CSIRO is one of the largest and most diverse research agencies in the world, with more than 6500 researchers involved in excess of 740 research activities and works. With the organisation's future growth firmly in mind, CSIRO Executive Director, Development, Dr James Bradfield Moody, instigated the partnership with UQBS. "Strategic and innovative leadership is essential for structuring CSIRO's development pipeline and ensuring we deliver tangible outcomes for the Australian public and the international community," said Dr Moody. "UQ Business School has responded to our needs with a leading edge program, which I believe will transform the way our leading scientists think, and lead to an immediate transformation within the organisation. We're about to embark on a very exciting journey," he said. CSIRO is one of only 12 strategic regional, national and international partners for whom UQBS provides professional development programs, including Laing O'Rourke, Thiess, NZ Telecom and the Queensland Government. "As one of the premier Business Schools in the Asia Pacific, UQ Business School is highly selective of its partner organisations," said Dr Nyland. "We saw CSIRO as a very significant and logical partner given their international standing and our expertise in innovation." UQBS offers its training program in open format as the Graduate Certificate in Executive Leadership. The CSIRO program begins on July 12 [2010] with the course, Strategy: From Analysis to Successful Outcomes. The course will be delivered over five days by leading practitioner, Dr Kevin Hendry, and UQBS innovation expert, Dr John Steen.