Barbara is a versatile senior advisor and programme director who works across the higher education sector in the UK and worldwide.
She holds a broad remit of responsibility and a diverse portfolio of projects, working with senior and aspiring university leaders on a wide range of national and bespoke programmes, driving strategic development, effective team collaborations and culture change.
She cares deeply about people and revolutionises leadership and team working by using holistic approaches and fuelling creativity and innovation.
She builds creative cultures, based on accountability, innovation, effective conversations, and true equality embedded in social justice.
She is passionate about delivering global change that affects wider society. Her recent work for the United Nations’ UK Women’s delegation resulted in setting policies and global standards related to the acceleration of gender equality and the empowerment of women by addressing poverty and strengthening financing with a gender perspective.
She acted as a Member of Independent Advisory Group for South Yorkshire Police and aided the development of engagement, communication and service delivery of strategy relating to sex trafficking and modern slavery legislation.
She currently directs several national women’s leadership programmes which attract thousands of participants each year and drive positive change to achieve equality for women’s participation in higher education leadership at all levels, and equality of remuneration for women.
She is an active member of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council which promotes change and innovation in coaching approaches to mobilise and realise human potential.
She champions fundamental culture change within higher education, encouraging all organisational levels to embrace and welcome transformation, to empower others, to develop collaborative ways of working and to align personal and business goals towards a common purpose. This led to a collaboration with a diverse team of the sector’s thought leaders and researchers to write ‘Perspectives on Leadership in Higher Education’, published in 2022 by Emerald Publishing.
She contributes to organisational resilience, working with talent pools to set clear intention and direction, drawing on the right resources and expertise to drive positive outcomes. She promotes mental and emotional wellbeing at work. She uses her own model of holistic development to readdress existing imbalances.
She has deep knowledge and understanding of individual and organisational needs, enabling tailored approaches to deliver outcomes. Having worked across various sectors internationally (education, finance, IT, FMCG, aviation etc), she brings versatile perspectives and cross-cultural expertise, which often challenges traditional approaches.
She makes a difference, especially if it enriches people’s lives, acting as a board member, mentor and advisor to various organisations to set the future direction.
She is a calming influence, creating the space for interesting, deep conversations which often lead to personal and organisational transformation, improve resilience and propel leadership to their next evolutionary stage.
Barbara is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE and an accredited Fierce Conversations and 360 feedback facilitator. She holds a master’s degree in business from The University of Gdansk (Poland), an MSc in Organisational Development (Coaching and Mentoring) from Sheffield Business School, and postgraduate diplomas in Social Communication and Human Resource Management.
Her specialties include:
✹ Global Leadership Development ✹ Women’s Leadership ✹ Innovative Team Working ✹Effective Communication ✹ Stakeholder Engagement ✹ Transformation and Inclusion ✹Organisational Wellbeing and Resilience ✹ Programme Direction ✹ Executive Coaching ✹ Talent Development ✹ Strategic Development ✹ Innovation ✹ Culture Change
Blogs from Barbara Bassa
Everyday Ways of Working - Episode three
