The Fellowship is an independent and non-partisan executive programme for mid-career political and civic leaders working in Northern Ireland. 2021 was the first year of the programme which was created with the aim to support, develop, and build the capacity of Northern Ireland current and future leaders. Through a series of curated sessions, participants had the chance to also develop their understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the business community, hosted by the programme’s advisory board and sponsors, including Fujitsu.

As well as business focused seminars, fellows attended sessions at the international renowned Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford and University College Dublin Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, exploring how to re-imagine leadership in Northern Ireland.

Throughout the programme, Fujitsu closely collaborated with other stakeholders and facilitators from the business and academic sectors including Allstate NI, Devenish, FinTrU, Ulster Carpets, The Irish American Partnership and The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Each organisation brought something different to the table, helping participants develop a well-rounded view of not just business leadership, but also societal issues.

David Clements, Managing Director at Fujitsu NI, said: “For Fujitsu, our focus was on promoting partnerships with government leaders and how collaboration is crucial to foster innovation and with it, growth. Cultivating collaboration – with our customers, partners, and team members – is the bedrock of our business and is something I personally feel is becoming increasingly important for leaders today.

“As we overcome the pandemic, the implications of Brexit and embrace the benefits of digital transformation, collaboration between organisations, leaders, and key political figures to embrace change and process as part of one network, has never been more critical.

“We applaud the Fellows, the CDPB and all advisory board members for delivering such an innovative programme. It provided the opportunity for businesses from different sectors to engage and discuss the opportunities faced within their industries and presented interesting and dynamic discussions on leadership.

“One of the key findings from my own point of view and hopefully that of the 2021 graduates, is that we all need to work together, beyond business, in society itself. Fujitsu is committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) strategy, working to make the world more sustainable through innovation. Locally we support the Northern Ireland Executive Social Considerations strategy to help improve the future for all or our citizens. We are grateful to take part in the Fellowship and look forward to seeing what this year’s graduates do next.”

Read more about the CDPB programme at: www.democracyandpeace.org/fellowship

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