Linda Keirby-Smith is the Centre for Applied Leadership Research Co-ordinator. To contact Linda click here.

Dr Paul Aitken joined The Leadership Trust in February 2010.  He was formerly Programme Director for the National School of Government, where he was responsible for the Leaders Across the UK and the Civil Service Top 100 Performance Challenge programmes.  He was also Programme Director for the Leadership and Change curriculum at Henley Management College and for the New Zealand Public Sector Top 200 Leadership Pipeline. 

Paul is Visiting Fellow at Henley Business School, the University of Southampton and the New Zealand Leadership Development Centre, and delivers master classes to both private and public sector senior executive audiences.

Paul's background is in public and private sector HR/Professional Services management, specialising in leadership consulting, development, coaching and selection.  His particular research interests are: how leaders sustain 'elite' performance for themselves and their organisations, worldly leadership values, and creating leaderful organisations.

Paul’s recently published book for practising managers wanting to learn which leadership practices work best is Developing Change Leaders (BH-Elsevier).   In this book Paul and his co-author, Malcolm Higgs, urge leaders and managers to look at their personal values and how this impacts their organisation.  They also urge leaders to adopt a ‘collaborative, collective, capacity building leadership style’ in order to make positive gains in people performance under difficult circumstances and over time.   

Paul is a dual national 'brit-kiwi' residing in Exmoor National Park.   His interests include most sports, natural history, wildlife photography and gardening.