Ashley Williams, Darden Executive Education and Lifelong Learning CEO and chief learning officer
Preparing Leaders and Their Organizations for the Future of Work
D
arden Executive Education and Lifelong Learning CEO and Chief Learning Officer Ashley Williams came to Darden in early 2019 from McKinsey & Co., where the graduate of the UVA McIntire School of Commerce worked for two decades, eventually rising to the position of global chief learning officer for the consulting firm’s McKinsey Academy. At McKinsey, Williams helped organizations and leaders figure out how to harness the trends influencing the workplace to accelerate transformations. At Darden, Williams’ charge is similar: to position Darden Executive Education and Lifelong Learning as the provider of choice for organizations and individuals navigating the workplace in an age in which sophisticated digital skills are prized, yet a host of traditional managerial competencies and core skills remain critical. Williams recently spoke about the future of work, what it means to continuously upskill as a lifelong learner and the impact of the new Sands Institute for Lifelong Learning at Darden, which will fuel innovation for teaching lifelong learners in degree and non-degree programs.
How is Darden Executive Education thinking about preparing business leaders for the future? One question we have to ask is: Do we really understand what the future of work looks like? What are the skills required for it, what will be different and what will be the same? And what does that mean for our portfolio of 34
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