Leadership Development

Client profile:

A government sponsored development agency in South Africa whose mandate is to support transformation and people development for the banking and microfinance industry. The IEDP aims to remove the barriers to promotion for historically disadvantaged individuals and increase the talent pipeline of this group for the banking industry.

Participant profile:

High potential executives (aged 25 - 40 on average) in mid to senior management positions across banking sector with high potential to move into senior management within a period of two to three years. They are well qualified and highly representative of the South African racial demographics. There is a particular focus on gender diversity and including high potential women.

Learning objective:

To provide a unique personal development program that focuses on the individual's growth as well as their appreciation of the global banking landscape.

The Lab:

A four month, three module program which includes a six-week intensive program in Toronto, Canada selected for its excellent financial sector, world-leading thinking on diversity and the historically excellent relationships between the two countries.

After completing their first module covering personal insights, team effectiveness, the launching of a business challenge and extensive preparation for Canada, participants live and work in Toronto for six intensive weeks They are fully immersed in this multicultural and diverse community while also studying at two of the country's leading business schools and working in Banks. Their developmental program includes:

• Intensive formal learning with Toronto's leading executive training institutions,
• "Workplace placement" within relevant functional areas of the big five banks in Toronto as well as other niche banking institutions.
• Developing recommendations on a specific business challenge working in syndicates of four.

Results:

The program which was piloted in 2005 has become an annual program and is being rolled out to another financial centre, London. The major Banks in South Africa now included it in their standard offer of leadership development programs. A recent survey which tracked the progress made by the delegates showed that over 70% of the participants had experienced a significant increase in their accountabilities or had been promoted. Two of the group are on international assignments.

Testimonials:

"I definitely derived a great deal of value from participating in the programme. The Canadian exposure opened my eyes to banking in many ways..."

"I thought the Canadians put a great deal of emphasis on learning and development. I liked the fact that we could learn from high-ranking executives in the banking sector, and that made me want to know more"

"It was the best learning experience of my life"


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