Lord Ashcroft leads on new lecture series for ARU

  • 17 November, 2010
  • Philanthropy

Anglia Ruskin University’s Chancellor and Chairman of Trustees of the Ashcroft Technology Academy Lord Ashcroft KCMG has launched a new lecture series to mark the tenth anniversary of the formation of the Ashcroft International Business School.

He presented a lively and polished lecture entitled ‘Aspects of Leadership’ to an invited audience in which Lord Ashcroft outlined the dozen key qualities he considers are vital for strong leadership.

The inaugural lecture took place on 16 November in the Michael A Ashcroft Building at Anglia Ruskin University’s Chelmsford campus.

Lord Ashcroft – who has donated £10m to establish two dedicated buildings for the Ashcroft International Business School – is one of Anglia Ruskin’s University’s most distinguished and successful alumni and has been Chancellor since 2001. He studied at Anglia Ruskin University’s predecessor institution Mid-Essex Technical College in Chelmsford before embarking on his highly successful business career.  Lord Ashcroft has written six books – his latest, George Cross Heroes is the third he has written on the subject of bravery. Earlier this year he published Minority Verdict which gives his view of the Conservative Party’s 2010 election campaign. His first book, published in 2005, was Dirty Politics, Dirty Times about his battles with New Labour and The Times newspaper.

Lord Ashcroft supports a wide range of charities, most notably covering crime prevention and education. He is the Founder and Chairman of Crimestoppers, and the Chairman of Trustees of the Ashcroft Technology Academy in South London.

After attending the lecture, Anglia Ruskin University’s Vice Chancellor Professor Michael Thorne said: ‘Lord Ashcroft’s lead on this annual lecture gives an indication of the calibre of speaker we will have each year. This dynamic event will further raise the growing worldwide reputation of the Ashcroft International Business School which is now marking its ten-year anniversary.’

‘The Ashcroft International Business School is approaching business and management education in a different way from the majority of UK business schools. We are constantly engaging with businesses and organisations through the delivery of our degree programmes and as we help to nurture and develop the business leaders of the future.’

The Ashcroft International Business School is collaborating with a growing number of highprofile employers including Harrods, Barclays Bank, UPS, Vision Express and Specsavers.

Ashcroft International Business School, at Anglia Ruskin University, is one of the largest business schools in the East of England with over 80 full-time teaching staff, over 4,000 students in the UK and overseas and a global network of businesses and academic partnerships. It offers a range of awards suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate students who wish to follow their studies either full-time or part-time.

It is located at the two main campus sites in Cambridge and Chelmsford.

Click here to read the full press release regarding the new lecture series to mark the tenth anniversary of the formation of the Ashcroft International Business School.

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