Leeds Met's Professor Paul Iles has delivered his inaugural lecture 'Leadership Development & Talent Management: Fashion statement or fruitful direction?' at The Rose Bowl.

Running Stream Professor Paul states that 'Like any walk of life, management education is littered with concepts that have been passing fashions. The trick is to decide which ideas have staying power.' His lecture examined these ideas and explored concepts of leadership and talent management.

Paul asked, for both leadership and talent management - who are the trendsetters and who are the trendfollowers? He drew on his work on the leadership development of CEOs in the UK and on talent management in China, the planet's fastest growing economy. During his lecture he also explored whether in the rush to develop leaders, there is a danger of overlooking the development of processes and structures to ensure winning teams and organisations.

Professor Paul Iles is a Running Stream Professor of Human Resource Development and Course Leader of the Doctorate in Business Administration at Leeds Business School, where he provides academic leadership in HRD, leadership, talent, and change management. He was formerly Professor of Strategic HRM and Head of the Centre for Leadership and Organisational Change and MBA Programme Leader at Teesside University, Teesside Business School. He is a chartered psychologist, Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, and Chartered Fellow of the CIPD.