The Centre for Director Education (CDE) was established in 1991 to provide high quality training and development programmes for company directors in the Yorkshire and Humberside region. Since its initial inception the CDE has expanded to provide an extended portfolio of specialist services for company directors and their organisations beyond its growing education and training activities.

The Centre offers the prestigious Institute of Directors (IoD) Company Direction Programme in addition to a wide range of other specialist and postgraduate courses.

The Centre is also deeply involved in an extensive research programme aimed at furthering knowledge and understanding of a range of issues directly affecting company directors, their Boards and their organisations. The CDE is also able to draw upon the specialist knowledge of experts within the Leeds Business School to offer practical solutions to many of the problems faced by company directors and their Boards in the modern business environment.

The overall aim of the CDE is to produce high quality training and development, research, and business solutions for company directors and their organisations.