Strategy into Practice: Strategic decision making or the art of driving in fog

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Time: 6.00pm - 8.00pm
Venue: Room 0026, Business School building, Kingston Hill campus, Kingston Hill, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT2 7LB
Price: free
Speaker(s): Graham Copland

6.00pm - 7.00pm Lecture in room 0026
7.00pm - 8.00pm Networking event, Business School atrium

Strategy development and implementation can be like driving fast in fog. Knowing where you want to go and having a good understanding of your strengths and weaknesses are essential. Knowing where the other vehicles are is highly desirable. Having some idea of the route, some alternatives, and potential hazards are also very helpful. However, at the end of the day, successful strategies - like driving in fog - rely on skill, intuition, timing, and a bit of luck.

In this lecture, Graham Copland will reflect on his own experiences in developing and implementing business strategies, to offer up some food-for-thought for business students and others who are contemplating a career in international business and strategy development.

About the speaker

Graham Copland started his career in British Aerospace in 1986 as a Graduate Engineer after completing a degree in Engineering Science & Industrial Management at the University of Liverpool. In the early part of his career, he practised as a systems engineer and was involved in numerous R&D and engineering projects in the defence aerospace sector. After a period of time working for Psion Plc (a UK based consumer electronics company), he returned to BAE Systems Plc to follow a career in international business development; culminating in his appointment as Campaign Support Director in 2013 with responsibility for the company's industrial strategy in priority markets in Central Europe.

Graham has considerable experience in strategy, having been involved in corporate-level growth strategies, new product development, diversification, and international expansion strategies. He holds a Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Kingston Business School and is a Chartered Engineer and a member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET).

For further information about this event:

Contact: Dr Kent Springdal
Email: K.Springdal@kingston.ac.uk