Top American business leader to give free talk at UCLan

Leading female CEO in US Fortune 1000 list, Lisa Wardell, to speak in Preston

One of the most influential female business leaders in the USA is coming to Preston to talk about her career.

Lisa Wardell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Adtalem Global Education, is at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) on Friday, 15 December, for a free public event where she will discuss her career journey into enterprise and the women who have inspired her along the way.

The business leader, who was named in the Savoy Magazine’s 2017 Most Influential Black Corporate Directors list, commented: “As the only African-American female CEO in the Fortune 1000 in the United States, I can’t underestimate the value other female leaders have brought to my career journey.  It is the responsibility of female executives – and my personal pleasure – to mentor and encourage other women who are navigating their chosen professions.”

Lisa was appointed President and CEO of Adtalem Global Education in 2016 and has been a member of Adtalem’s board of directors since 2008.  Adtalem is the parent company of the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC).  Since September, a 650-strong cohort of staff and students from AUC has been temporarily working with UCLan and East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) to continue studies after Hurricane Irma had a devastating impact on Sint Maarten, the Dutch-French island where AUC’s medical sciences campus is based.

UCLan Vice-Chancellor Professor Mike Thomas commented: “We are delighted to welcome Lisa to the University.  She beings with her a wealth of experience of working at the very top in both business and education so I’m sure business leaders from the region will be interested in what she has to say. We are in the process of building a long-term relationship with the AUC and Lisa’s visit represents another milestone in this journey.”

Prior to her current position with Adtalem, Lisa was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for The RLJ Companies, a diversified holding company with portfolio companies in the financial services, asset management, real estate, hospitality, professional sports, film production and gaming industries. As COO, Lisa was responsible for managing The RLJ Companies portfolio, including strategic partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, business strategy, operations and finance.  She is a member of The Committee of 200 (C200), an invitation-only membership organization of the world’s most successful women business leaders.

The event will run 2.00pm – 3.00pm on Friday, 15 December, in UCLan’s Greenbank Lecture Theatre.  It is a free event but people need to register via Eventbrite

Parking is available on UCLan’s Victoria Car Park and a map of the University campus can be found here