Joanna Petrie Rout

Director

Good leaders never stop learning. That’s why head of leadership development at Sellafield, Joanna Petrie-Rout, is so excited about what can be achieved by the Centre for Leadership Performance.

“I think the work of the Centre for Leadership Performance is critical, because no matter where you are in your career you can always be a better leader, we can always improve and develop our thinking and our skills,” said Joanna. “You see the positive impact that great leadership has. And as a leader there is always something more that you can do. Everyone remembers the leaders that have inspired them and helped them be their best,” she said.

As a board member of the Centre for Leadership Performance, one area of focus for Joanna is the impact that offering leadership learning can have on young people leaving secondary school, or coming out of university.

“If we can support people in Cumbria in this way, when people are at a turning point in their lives, we can ensure they are masters of their own destiny, able to have confidence, make their own decisions and improve their own outcomes.”

Leadership – whether working with school students or those in business – is one way Joanna believes Cumbria can gain that all-important competitive edge.

Joanna, originally from London, made the move to Cumbria. And she wants others to follow, drawn here by excellence. “We want Cumbria to be a place which people really want to come to because of the quality of our leadership, our people and our talent. There is incredible talent in Cumbria. The Centre for Leadership Performance is so aligned with my own personal values, it is really focused on creating the opportunity for people to fulfil their potential and I am delighted to be able to support them.”