Chief Executive, Paul Ramsbottom, has been recognised as one of 50 leaders who are driving change, business growth and making a positive impact with kindness.
Announced today, on World Kindness Day, Paul is one of Kindness and Leadership 50 Leading Lights 2020, an initiative in association with Lloyds Banking Group and the Women of the Future Programme.
A judging panel made up of representatives from different industry sectors reviewed all entries and agreed the final list of 50 stories. The diverse list recognises CEOs of the top FTSE 100 companies but also rising stars and unsung heroes, including teachers and NHS healthcare champions – all of whom embody a leadership style that holds kindness at its core and that delivers results.
In today’s divided and turbulent world, leaders are under immense pressure to show strength and do what is needed, and there has been a resurgence of debate over what it takes to deliver effective leadership in a fragile environment.
The award shines a spotlight on the incredible value that kindness can bring – not just trust, confidence-building and loyalty, but often a permanent cultural change that will help businesses and individuals to recover and thrive.
The list gives invaluable insight into leaders who are using kindness to change lives, to inspire adaptability and resilience, to foster true collaboration and, ultimately, enable people and organisations to succeed. It recognises that a leader’s kindness is defined not just by what they say and do, but by how what they say and do affects those around them.
Pinky Lilani CBE DL, Founder & Chairman of the Women of the Future Programme said, “The pandemic has wreaked havoc on the economy, business and our own personal lives. But it has also placed leadership under the microscope, accelerating our understanding of the leadership qualities required to navigate a way through a crisis.
We can learn so much from the leaders honoured in the 2020 Kindness & Leadership, 50 Leading Lights List – most of all that it is kindness that we can hold on to in this storm; it is the quality that enables open and honest communication, keeps teams engaged, motivated and inspired and that lights up the road ahead, even in dark and desolate moments.”
Janet Pope, Chief of Staff and Group Director, Sustainable Business, Lloyds Banking Group added, “Demonstrating kindness in leadership is arguably the most important attribute for all leaders to exhibit in these challenging times.
I was honoured to join the judging panel for this year’s 2020 Kindness & Leadership, 50 Leading Lights List. The 2020 listees demonstrate incredible kindness in so many different ways. We can all learn from their example. They are all extremely effective leaders and all show that kindness and humanity are at the heart of successful modern leadership.”
