STUDENTS at the University of Chester’s Business School heard first-hand about one of the most challenging areas of leadership from the chief executive of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

Gary Doherty gave the students studying for an MSc in Management an invaluable insight into what it is like to provide NHS services to 664,000 people in North Wales. The students prepared their questions in advance of the lecture, asking about everything from waiting times and fighting off privatisation to leadership styles. Mr Doherty inspired the students with his career journey and how he reached his current role as chief executive officer of a University Health Board with 115 GP practices and over 17,700 staff.

Senior lecturer Karen Cregan has built in a series of talks from very senior leaders for her students into their studies.

She said: “Hearing directly from leaders about the challenges they face in a range of different industries is paramount to our students’ success at this level. A big thank you to Gary for his talk and to Renne Evans, a former Master’s student, who helped to organise this event. We see our students progressing into management careers straight after the course, which is just one year of study.”

Renne Evans, who graduated from the course in October, helped to organise this event. She studied the course part-time over two years alongside working as the head of corporate office in the chief executive office of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. She said: “As a student, having key speakers join sessions is a really helpful way to gain an understanding of what it is like out in the ‘real’ world and gives insight into the practical nature of being a leader/manager rather than just the academic side. Taking part in the course alongside my job wasn’t easy but it was achievable and meant I could implement what I was learning on the course in work straight away.”

Gary Doherty said: “I was delighted to meet with the Management MSc students at Chester and to answer a number of tough questions that they raised on what it is like to be a senior leader in the NHS. I think it is important to share experiences and to encourage and inspire students, as they are the future innovators and leaders of our country. I hope other senior leaders take up the opportunity to provide what can be valuable insights for the students, who are looking to obtain management careers once they have completed the course.”

Chester Business School is holding a taster day for all its MSc courses on Wednesday, January 22. You can apply to start the course in either February or October and as well as the MSc in Management there are programmes on offer in International Business, International Finance and Marketing Management. Find out more and book a place via: chester.ac.uk/managementtaster