CEO and deputy CEO-level development

We offer a selection of events, courses and programmes to the top two tiers of all public sector and civil service organisations (CEO(CEO and deputy CEO equivalents). More information about eligibility can be found at the bottom of this page.

These are designed to help leaders:

• enhance their practical, evidence-based knowledge and expertise around facing complex systems challenges
• build strong networks between peers and break down silos between the Civil Service and wider public sector
• inspire and encourage measurable improvements in public service delivery.

2024 Calendar

26 April 2024 14:00-15:30

How to get the best from your Board - webinar for those working with or on boards.

17 May 2024 14:00-15:30

Insights from moving into CEO roles - for Deputy-CEODeputy-CEO leaders aspiring to become CEOs.CEOs.

3 July 2024 14:30 - this event has been cancelled

Leading Together: Summer Event - keynote and panel followed by a reception.

18 September 2024 14:30- 17:00

Working across the public sector - an event for anyone interested in finding out what it feels like to change sectors and how to do it at a senior level. You will hear from and have the chance to speak with senior leaders who have switched sectors, leadership/recruitment teams in public sector organisations, a public sector focused executive search firm and the government secondmentsgovernment secondments team.

3018th SeptemberOctober 2024 14:00 - 15:30 

How to 2get Octoberthe 2024,best 27from your board - webinar for those working with or on boards

1 Nov 2024

Working with Whitehall, Parliament(s) and Government(s) - a one day event which aims to demystify the political and governmental processes that influence public sector delivery.

28 Novemberto 202430 January 2025 (Edinburgh) and 24 to 25 March 2025 (Nottingham)

Leading Collaborative Organisations

712 OctoberMarch and2025

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Working with Whitehall, ParliamentsParliament(s) and Governments - Government(s)

The theme of this one day event is to demystifyto demystify the political and governmental processes that influence public sector delivery. It aims to deepen your understanding of how decisions get made and how processes work. Withwork. With a new government now in place, we’ll share our insights into what we know so far and we’ll explore what’s different and what has changed. 

The event includes engaging sessions on:

• Policy making and routes to influence: what influence can you make? How would you influence policy?
• Public funding: understanding government finance and spending reviews
• Engaging with Select Committees in the House of Commons and House of Lords

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Register for the Leading Collaborative Organisations courseprogramme

National Leadership Forum

Our annual CEO conference brings together the most senior levels of the public sector. Following the success of our 2024 conference, our 2025 event promises to bring brilliant inspiration and challenge, and the invaluable opportunity to build your community of public sector leaders, with inspirational speakers to be announced.

Register for the National Leadership Forum 20242025.

Coffee Connect

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Register for Coffee Connect

Connections schemes

Our Connections schemes are relationship building and job shadowing schemes. They allow participants to grow their peer network, learn about other parts of the public sector, and develop collaborative leadership skills.

Participants are matched with a small group of peers from different areas of the public sector and meet regularly over an eight-month period to work to solve problems and job shadow one another.

CEO Connections is aimed at CEO-levelCEO-level leaders and Civil Service equivalents. Leadership Connections is aimed at deputy CEO-levelCEO-level leadership and Civil Service equivalents. The scheme will return in 2024. You can find out more and register for these schemes using the following link:

Register interest for the Connections schemes

Coffee Connect

This programme focuses on building your personal network. Once a month, we pair participants with a leader from a large public sector organisation or Civil Service department. Participants get in touch with each other to arrange a convenient time to meet either over the phone or by video-conferencing platform. Each month, participants are offered the opportunity to opt out if they aren’t available.

Register for Coffee Connect

Eligibility requirements for our courses

The Leadership College for Government (LCG) works with representative bodies from across the public sector to agree and review the criteria we use to determine eligibility for our programmes.

The two most senior levels of leaders of the largest public sector and civil service organisations in the UK are eligible to participate in our programmes. This typically includes CEOs (and equivalent level roles) and the second-highest level authority within the organisation, which is usually (though not always) the CEO’sCEO’s deputy*.

The following is a list of the CEO and deputy CEO level roles which would typically be eligible for our public sector leadership development programmes.

• CEOs and deputy CEOs in the National Health Service, including NHS Trusts, Ambulance Trusts, and Integrated Care Systems
• vice-chancellors, and deputy vice-chancellors of universities with over 10,000 students, or 5,000 students where higher education isn’t represented in that region
• headsprincipals and deputy headsprincipals or CEOs and deputy CEOs of large further education colleges (turnover of £30m+)
• CEOs and deputy CEOs of academy chains (25 or more linked schools or 10,000 or more students)
• local authority CEOs and deputy CEOs
• chief constables and deputy chief constables of police services
• chief and deputy chief fire officers of fire and rescue services
• Civil Service Permanent Secretaries, Directors General and Directors (SCS 2, 3 and 4)
• three and two star military officers
• CEOs and deputy CEOs of the largest Arms Length Bodies and Regional Transport Authorities (SCS 2, 3 and 4 equivalent level roles)

All applications are non-selective but the LCG reserves the right to ensure that there is a reasonable distribution of different sectors across the organisations attending. Where courses are extremely popular, the LCG will look to repeat them as soon as possible.

*For organisations without a deputy CEO (or equivalent), then we would determine the organisation’s second-in-command role through reviewing the organisation chart, and/or by contacting post holders directly to request further information.