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Oxford Leadership Academy (OLA) is an international leadership consultancy based in Oxford, United Kingdom. The firm specialises in values-driven leadership development , strategy execution and culture change in complex global organizations. The company has an openly expressed agenda to improve the social responsibility and ethical commitments of government and enterprise leaders, and has operations in twenty countries around the world.

Philosophy and Values

The company is a leader and supporter of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement, a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model Corporate social responsibility. The company’s consulting processes and approach to leadership development are strongly influenced by the work of Willis Harman, Ken Wilber, Peter Senge , Joseph Jaworski and Margaret Wheatley. The company is recognised as having a commitment to developing leaders and enterprises that are driven by a purpose beyond products and profit.

Programs and Services

The core activities of the company are consulting in strategy execution, leadership development and culture change, as well as support of Non-Profit organisations.

Origins and history

The company had its origins in Australia in 1983 when Brian Bacon formed the management consulting arm of global advertising agency DDB Needham. The company supported the implementation of global marketing strategies for the Ford Motor Company, McDonald’s, P&G and Glaxo from 1983 to 1989. In 1990, the company separated from DDB Needham, and became International Pacific Consulting (IPC).
From 1990 -2000 the company worked with the micro-economic reform agenda of the Australian Federal Government, mainly on organisational reform in federal government, the national power industry and telecom sector as well as for global clients such as Volvo, Ericsson, Scandia, Pharmacia and Levi’s; and international agencies including the ILO and the United Nations in Geneva and New York.
The CEO, Brian Bacon was strongly influenced by World Business Academy co-founder Willis Harman and served on the WBA Board as Regional Vice-Chair for Europe from 1988-1996. The thought leadership of Willis Harman is strongly present in the work of OLA. In 1996, IPC Worldwide was engaged by Karen Jespersen, then the Danish Minister of Social Affairs, to engage prominent business executives to contribute to the debate on the social responsibility of enterprises and to encourage businesses to take initiatives which are designed to increase the social well-being both of their own staff and the local community in which they are located. More than 250 delegates from international companies and organisations, along with ministers and representatives of 17 governments were invited to discuss new partnerships for social cohesion at a conference on 16-18 October 1997 [www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/1997/10/inbrief/dk9710135n.htm]. This initiative, known as ‘New Partnerships for Social Cohesion’ involved representatives of international business in a "think-tank’ in conjunction with members of the European Commission, the International Institute for Labour Studies (ILO), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) , the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) , the Japan Institute of Labour and representatives of Danish labour market organisations. This effort resulted in the formation of The Copenhagen Centre, which later became the Danish Centre for CSR in the Danish Commerce and Companies Agency.
Seeking to continue this work further, in 1999 IPC Worldwide joined with Oxford Research in Denmark (representative of Oxford Analytica in the Nordic countries ) to form Oxford IPC Worldwide, a strategic management consultancy firm. In 2000 the company entered into a new phase of growth with major strategy execution consulting assignments for McDonald’s (2002- present) and for the Mexican Government. Brian Bacon was a special advisor to Mexico President Vicente Fox from 2000- 2006. On behalf of the Mexican Government Office of Innovation and Quality he led the leadership development and strategic focusing of several Government Ministries and the Cabinet of the President. During this time, the company also supported the EU with the Balkans Stability Pact in conjunction with Swedish Government Agency, International IDEA International_Institute_for_Democracy_and_Electoral_Assistance, working closely with Foreign Minister Anna Lind.
The company relocated its headquarters to Oxford in 2003 and became the Oxford Leadership Academy. The founding directors of OLA were Dr Kim Moller, Dr Ron Nahser, Alan Johnson and CEO, Brian Bacon.

The Founders

Dr Kim Moller is presently Managing Director of Oxford Leadership in Denmark and Chairman of the Oxford Group. He is a strategist and researcher, formerly with Copenhagen Business School. He is best known for his research on corporate social responsibility and, in conjunction with Harvard Professor, Dr Michael Porter, whose main academic objectives focus on how a firm or a region can build a competitive advantage and develop competitive strategy, Michael_Porter, research related to the competitive advantage of nations.
Brian Bacon is Chairman and President of Oxford Leadership Academy. He was previously a Founding Trustee and President of World Business Academy and is best known for his corporate turnaround work with leading multinationals and as a special advisor to government leaders in organisational reform. He was a mentor and strategy advisor to McDonald’s CEO Charlie Bell from 2002 until his untimely death from colon cancer in 2005. Brian Bacon was special advisor to Mexican President Vicente Fox and the Office of Government Innovation from 2002-2006. He was a special advisor to the Swedish Government in the modernization of the Foreign Ministry from 2004-6. He is a former visiting scholar at the International Institute of Labour Studies (ILO) in Geneva and has been an advisor in innovation and organizational reform to the Governments of Australia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Thailand and Sweden. He is resident in Oxford, UK.

Awards

In 1997, Brian Bacon was awarded the Willis Harman Award by the World Business Academy. This award was inspired by the work of Willis Harman, PhD (1919-1997) a visionary thinker, futurist and social scientist who continuously articulated the possibility for humankind to transcend the limits of out-moded thinking. Harman was Co-founder of the World Business Academy and author of many books, including Global Mind Change and Creative Work: the Constructive Role of Business in Transforming Society

In 2006, Brian Bacon received the INNOVA Award from the Mexican President Vicente Fox. This was one of only 10 commendations given by President Fox to individuals and institutions who made a special contribution to the Republic of Mexico during the Presidential term of Vicente Fox. Other recipients of the INNOVA included the United Nations (UN), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the British Council, the Canadian Embassy in Mexico, Buzan Centres Worldwide Buzan's iMindMap, BID, USAID, the Swedish Embassy in Mexico and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation.