Kate Lee

Type of Fellowship: General
Year of Fellowship: 2010

Update August 2010

I finished at the Red Cross at the end of April and have had the most amazing opportunities come up since! In May, I attended a Said Business School Leadership event, with 60 top CEOs from all sectors, to celebrate the anniversary of Winston Churchill becoming Prime Minister. The event was incredibly stimulating; working in small debating groups which included the CEOs of the NHS and the English Ballet, a Chief Constable and Chairman of a major bank, we covered a range of leadership challenges including my research topic on public transparency.  

I have also completed part of my secondment, a short piece of work for the Institute of Fundraising, and have confirmed an eight week slot with Deloitte starting in September.

My personal learning continues to be a rollercoaster. I have realised how much I operate by ‘sense’ or ‘peak communication’ and therefore feel more confident in environments where I know people or they know of me. It has been great spending more time where this is not the case, and my reputation does not precede me. This has helped me think more carefully about my immediate personal impact, and sharpen my expertise on my core subjects to ensure I can influence through ‘technical skill’ not only ‘hierarchy’ or ‘loyalty’. My coaching sessions have been particularly valuable in helping me work through my emotions about leaving the Red Cross and undertake the transition into this learning period and hopefully on to a new role.

Twitter: @skiddy30

Current principal role: CEO
Current principal organisation: Myton Hospice
Other leadership role 1: Trustee
Other organisation 1: CoppaFeel
Other leadership role 2: Governor
Other organisation 2: Secondary school

Research: Transparency - Open all hours
Research topics: Governance; Leadership;
Secondment host: Frontline sms