New Northern Role for Management Skills Expert

One of Wales' leading executive skills specialists has been appointed to a key post promoting better management and leadership performance in the north of the country.

Tina Stephens has become North and Mid Wales executive for the Wales Management Council, the employer-led body set up by the Assembly Government to help strengthen management in all sectors of the economy.

She held a number of senior posts at the North East Wales Institute (NEWI) in  Wrexham, until leaving two years ago to establish her own successful management development consultancy.

Mrs Stephens, who built her own managerial skills in the retail sector with Marks & Spencer and the Burton Group, has gone on become an acknowledged expert in the development of managers at all levels.

During a distinguished academic career, first with Wolverhampton University and later NEWI, she has worked closely with a wide range of organisations, both public and private sector, to boost the performance of their executive teams.

A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and  Development (CIPD), she is currently the body's chief examiner in three major areas of the syllabus, and has written extensively on human resource issues. In addition she is a member of the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales.

Commenting on her new role Mrs Stephens said: "One of the major challenges facing us is to get small and medium sized enterprises to see the potential benefits of management development for their businesses and to work with them to free up the time to address this issue."

She added that Wales Management Council had a key role to play in strengthening networks between managers and in finding ways for large and small organizations to share expertise and resources to boost the management capability of both.

Christopher Ward, the Council's Chief Executive said: "Tina's depth of knowledge, wide range of experience and extensive network of contacts will be a major asset to us in north and mid Wales and will do a great deal to advance the case for better management in the region."

Mrs Stephens who comes originally from the Chester area has lived and worked in North Wales over 30 years and now lives at Holywell in Flintshire. She succeeds Hywel Roberts who retired recently after nearly four years in the post.

Further information from Eoghan Mortell 029 20 488 778 or 07977 555 116