Deborah Rowland

Deborah Rowland brings a unique combination of experience, insight and research to the leadership of change. She has personally led change in major global organisations including Shell, Gucci Group, BBC Worldwide and PepsiCo holding both Group HR and VP of Organizational & Management Development roles.

Deborah also founded and grew a consulting firm that pioneered research in the field, and act as change coach to the executive boards of major corporations such as the German energy giant RWE. Other clients have included De Beers, Dell Computers, Diageo, GlaxoSmithKline, Kraft Foods, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Prudential, Rolls-Royce Holdings, Royal Dutch Shell and Unilever.

Her research into the leadership of change has been widely published in academic journals and was accepted as a paper at the 2016 Academy of Management conference. She enjoys speaking at conferences on the subject of change and its leadership.

Deborah Rowland’s Background

Deborah has a double first in archaeology and anthropology from Cambridge University – which continues to inform her work – and she is the co-author of Sustaining Change: Leadership That Works (Wiley, 2008).

Deborah’s career and life journey has led her to live in several places around the world – including the UK but also New York, Switzerland, and France. Her latest book, Still Moving: How To Lead Mindful Change is based on her 2015 groundbreaking research into the realities of leading change and will be published in February 2017.

Highlights

• Recognised for her groundbreaking research into the successful leadership of change which unites academic rigour with real-world relevance
• Unique track record that combines top executive industry experience, extensive consulting engagement, and academic research
• Provocative teacher on executive leadership programmes and inspiring speaker at leadership conferences around the world
• Gifted writer on the leadership of change with one book already published and still in the Amazon top-selling change books list, Sustaining Change: Leadership That Works (Wiley 2008), and a further book now in writing
• A curious lifelong anthropologist with credibility working across multiple sectors, nationalities and cultures
• Appointed to the Archbishop’s Review Group in the Church of England overseeing leadership development for the church’s Renewal and Reform programme
• Southampton Business School – Faculty Board of Advisors
• Henley Management College and Bath Management School – lecturer in leadership & change management on Executive MBA

Current / Past Roles & Positions

• Member of the Archbishop’s Review Group into leadership development in the Church of England
• Change Coach to the RWE Executive Board (May 2013-)
• People Director, BBC Worldwide (September 2011-April 2013)
• Global VP Human Resources, Gucci Group (January-May 2011)
• Transcend Consultancy (formerly Rowland Fisher Lexon Consulting) – (1998-2010) Managing Partner (from 2004)
• Shell International Petroleum Company: Senior Organisational Effectiveness Consultant (1997-1998)
• PepsiCo: Vice President Organisational & Management Development (1992-1997)
• Towers Perrin: Senior Consultant (1990-1992)

Awards, accolades, achievements, honours

• BA (Double First) Archaeology & Anthropology; Cambridge University (1980-1983).
• Tavistock Institute Leicester Group Relations conference (August 2015)
• COLPI qualified – Systemic Constellations training with Judith Hemming (2010)
• NTL (National Training Laboratory) Organisational Development certificate (2008)