The Centre for Democracy and Peace has appointed renowned Oxford leadership expert Professor Harvey Maylor to its Board, further strengthening its mission to develop the next generation of Northern Ireland leaders equipped to navigate complexity and build a more connected, confident society.
Professor Maylor, a Senior Fellow in Management Practice and Associate Professor at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, serves as the academic advisor to the Centre’s Fellowship Programme and has been a long-standing champion of its annual Oxford residential. His appointment brings world-class insight to support Fellows’ access to leading thinking from Oxford and beyond.
The announcement comes as the Centre celebrates the fifth year of its acclaimed Fellowship Programme, which this year comprises 28 Fellows from political, business, public, and civic society sectors.
The programme is built on the belief that the most pressing challenges facing Northern Ireland can only be addressed when leaders from different sectors work together, share expertise, and innovate collectively.
The Centre was recently awarded a Northern Ireland Office Connect Fund grant to support this year’s Fellowship residential at Worcester College, Oxford. So far, the annual residential has enabled over 125 Fellows to deepen east–west relations and collaborative exchange.
The Fellowship Programme is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, as well as leading employers including Camlin Group, FinTrU, Fujitsu NI, NIE Networks, Ulster Carpets, Allstate NI, and the Irish American Partnership.
Professor Harvey Maylor, University of Oxford, said:
I am honoured to join the Board of the Centre for Democracy and Peace. The Fellowship Programme is a rare space where leaders from across Northern Ireland come together to grapple with complexity, challenge assumptions, and build the relationships needed for meaningful progress.It is a privilege to support a programme that is cultivating the type of connected, systems-minded leadership that this place both needs and deserves.
Darragh McCarthy, Centre for Democracy and Peace Chair, added:
The impact of the Fellowship Programme continues to grow each year. We see ambitious leaders gaining the skills, confidence, and networks to lead differently and to collaborate across traditional divides.With the support of our partners, and with Harvey bringing invaluable expertise to the Board, the Fellowship Programme is exceptionally well placed to continue to help shape a more resilient and forward-looking Northern Ireland.
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