Ashridge Public Leadership Centre (APLC)

Purpose and services

The APLC’s mission is to provide an innovative centre for leadership development and executive education in the public and voluntary sectors. It is a major investment by Ashridge (launched in 2006) to take the learning experience for our clients in this sector to the next level.


The Centre supports clients in key areas of personal, professional and organisational development, and provides access to public sector-specific research, networks and events.


We invest significantly in the active research of the live issues that public-sector clients are facing in their various roles. Our aim is to add value by creating insights and practical solutions to the challenges being faced everyday, and to use our research to impact our programme designs, session content and overall service we delivery to clients.


Public sector research

In our work with clients we integrate a range of education, consultancy, research, coaching, conferences and virtual learning services, combined to meet the sector's increasingly complex needs.


Ashridge has some 20 public and voluntary sector clients including UK and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), central government, local government, non-departmental public bodies and governmental agencies and international government.


Public sector experience

Whitehall endorsement

Photo: Sir Gus O'Donnell
Sir Gus O'Donnell

The launch of the Ashridge Public Leadership Centre was celebrated at a reception in the House of Lords in March 2006. Ashridge’s talent for developing leaders in the public and voluntary sectors was acknowledged by the host of the event Ashridge Governor Lord Jordan, Ashridge CEO Kai Peters and by guest speakers Sir Gus O’Donnell, Cabinet Secretary, and Sir Richard Mottram, the Prime Minister’s Security and Intelligence Coordinator.


Lord Jordan, Sir Richard and Sir Gus gave a clear account of why Ashridge is playing such a central role in the development of leaders in the public sector. Ashridge teaching focuses on “doing”, directed by good leadership. As Sir Gus commented “Policy is not God, so Ashridge emphasises that success is not having the perfect strategy: it’s the ability to implement strategy, through people, that makes a real difference.”


Sir Gus O’Donnell summarised his blueprint for good leadership into 4 Ps:

  • Passion
  • Pace
  • Pride
  • Professionalism.