BBC director calls for impactful leadership
The Human Resource Director of BBC News, Irene Asare, has called on leadership on the continent to inspire and create impact on their teams.
She said leadership is about vision, motivation, innovation and inspiration that creates a far-reaching impact on team members.
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“I think leadership is far-reaching because it’s about the impact it has on people, that is how great leaders are remembered, the impact they have on people,”,she said in a Zoom interview with the Daily Graphic.
Ms Asare, who is set to deliver the keynote address at the African Leadership Academy’s conference in Accra today, on: “An African vision of the future of work”, further said leadership was not only about setting directions and being clear about it, but the ability to listen to team members.
“So it’s about being open-minded and able to listen and implement decisions from a different perspective,” she added.
Presentation
Ms Asare’s presentation today is expected to focus on the importance of soft skills development for the future of work in Africa and the opportunities that exist for the continent.
She would also share some nuggets of leadership skills with other participants in the conference and gain some knowledge from others.
“I will share the successes, the failures, the trials and tribulations, but then, I am also hoping that we talk about the opportunities that lie in front of us,” Ms Asare added.
The director, who has been at the BBC for nine months, is leading a programme of change and transformation underpinned by strategic human resources management practices.
Touching on the changing behaviour of media consumption, Ms Asare, who is responsible for all human resource development and management activities and decisions across the News department of the BBC, said the strategy was to focus on digital evolution to ensure that news and information got to the target audience.
“We have a strategy around digital value and digital first which are key focus areas for us to get our information on the various platforms on which our audiences consume news.
“So here at the BBC the scale of transformation and change is high because we know our audiences are evolving and changing and the way we consume news in particular is different, and so there is a great opportunity for that transformation and I am looking at the human-centred kind of strategy to achieve that goal,” the director added.
Profile
Ms Asare has overseen the transformation of many organisations across Europe and Africa.
She is the executive coach, founder and CEO of CarvinClay People Development, an HR and people development consultancy with an international client base across sectors.
Ms Asare has over 20 years of experience working with big corporations such as Vodafone, Vodacom, Stanbic Bank Group and Tullow Oil. Her work and contributions to these institutions have cemented her as one of the best in her field globally for which she has won awards and recognitions.
The African Leadership Academy seeks to transform Africa by identifying, developing and connecting a new generation of young leaders who will lead the continent towards lasting peace and shared prosperity for all.
Since its inception in 2008, it has worked to lay the foundations for identifying and developing a group of exceptional young leaders who will work together to shape Africa’s future.
