Printer Friendly
Email a Friend
European Industry Urged to Stop Wasting Potential Young Leadership Talent
01 Jul 2005
The former CEO of ICI Polyurethanes and president of Huntsman Performance Chemicals, has told European industry it is wasting valuable talent. In a speech to the European Institute for Industrial Leadership (EIIL), Patrick Thomas, called on corporations and institutions throughout Europe to examine the potential of engineers, scientists and technologists in their organizations and develop the most talented to create the industrial leaders of tomorrow.
"There is no doubt in my mind that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of young, talented and extremely capable graduate engineers, scientists and technologists across Europe, who would add enormous value to European Industry if they were only given the chance to fulfil their potential in industrial leadership, " he told guests of the Institute gathered to mark the end of the first Master of Industrial Leadership programme in Brussels.
"Within Europe we are suffering from more than 30% of underutilisation of our total capability. I also know the vast majority of the individuals concerned are engineers, scientists and technologists.
"If we continue to ignore some of our most gifted individuals by leaving them as glorified managers rather that accessing their real potential and developing the leaders that industry is crying out for, we will not only be unable to compete within the global market, we will continue to fall further behind the USA and China in the global market. Our institutions and corporations must open their eyes to the bigger picture.
"The EIIL is not a place of rhetoric - this is a place of action where industrialists, academics and consultants have given of their time to coach and assist our delegates. They give generously of their time for they know that if they don't, European industry will continue to waste our resource: our people, " he said.
www.eiil.net
