Biography
Before establishing the Global Head Office, Alan worked for Jardine Matheson & Company Limited, full-time and part-time, for over 20 years. He was Group Head of Executive Development for Jardine Matheson Limited for over seven years; the Director of Organization Development, Acting Managing Director (Indonesia) and Group HR Director for Colliers Jardine for four and-a-half years; and served eight years as an Associate Consultant with Jardine Matheson Group Human Resources. His primary focus in Jardines was to evaluate, develop and support the directors and senior executives of the Group companies; as well as contribute to the assessment, selection and development of the three JM management trainee schemes.
His expertise is in organisation and senior executive assessment and evaluation; change management, strategy facilitation, formulation and implementation; and senior executive development. He first moved to Hong Kong in 1988 and worked with several local and an internationally renowned consulting company providing organisational change and leadership development services to a number of leading organisations operating in Asia.
He has a PhD (in the sociology of change) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of New England. He was formerly a Visiting Professor with Edinburgh Napier University, UK, and currently Visiting Faculty with The Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand and Vietnam.
Publications
- Legitimation and group conversational practices: implications for managing change. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 28, 571 – 588. 2007.
- The Role of Conversation in the Social Construction of Change. (PhD Thesis) University of New England, NSW, Australia, 2009.
- The advantages of a transorganisational approach for developing senior executives. Journal of Management Development, Vol. 34 Iss 5 pp. 621 – 631, 2015.
Recent Assignments
- Facilitation of a regional “Managing Directors Strategy Workshop” using the business model concept, with a special emphasis on innovation, change, and director development.
- The design and implementation of a “Talent Management System” focusing on graduate recruitment, formal assessment processes, career planning, and leadership development.
- Conducting Mentoring Skills Development Workshops for several groups of senior executives.
- Senior executive business performance coaching sessions.
- Facilitation of a senior management team “Breakthrough Planning Workshop” using the business model concept, tools of change and innovation, and action planning.
- Advisory services on criteria and methods for overhauling a formal evaluation process used on a Global General Management Talent programme.
- Assistance sourcing a capable person for a unique senior HR position.
Biography
Prior to joining The Global Head Office, Ritchie spent 27 years with Jardines, the last 15 as Group Director of Human Resources, reporting directly to the Group’s Managing Director. Jardines is a Fortune 500, US$62b turnover multinational organisation with over 450,000 employees
Prior to this, he held several positions in Jardine Pacific, the trading arm of the Group. These included; Director of Human Resources, General Manager People Development, General Manager Compensation Services, Senior Manager Training and Development, and Manager Management Development.
Before joining Jardines he spent several years with the Royal Hong Kong Police, holding both operational and training roles. In his last posting, he served as a Detective Chief Inspector with the Organised and Serious Crimes Group. His corporate career began in Kodak Ltd (UK), where he spent 3 years in marketing.
Ritchie’s areas of expertise are leadership evaluation and development, senior executive coaching, organisation development, change management; strategic HR reviews, and implementation. He also has extensive experience working with family businesses.
He is an Adjunct Professor at Hong Kong University (SPACE), a Visiting Professor at Edinburgh Napier University Business School (UK), Honorary Teaching Fellow at the University of Leicester (UK), a Chartered FCIPD (UK), Fellow of the HKMA, former Chairman, HKMA HRD Committee. He holds Ph.D (Leicester), M.Sc, and BA (Hons) History degrees.
Publications
- The advantages of a transorganisational approach for developing senior executives. Journal of Management Development, Vol. 34 Iss 5 pp. 621 – 631, 2015.
- Developing Expatriate Managers for Southeast Asia. Williams, G and Bent, R (1996) in Handbook of Intercultural Training, Landis, D and Bhagat R.S, Cap 21, pp. 383-399. Sage Publications: London.
- Riding the Dragon: Managing Diversity in Hong Kong’s Multinationals During the 1997 Transition, Bent, R., and Bond, M.H (1997), Business and Contemporary World, Vol. 1X, No.1, pp. 149-190, John Wiley and Sons, New York.
- Anglo-Chinese Leadership: a Study of Leadership within Asian-Based Executive Teams, Bent, R (1999) PhD Thesis (Ira.le.ac.uk).
- Southeast Asia Needs a New Breed of HR Manager, Bent, R (2000), Mount Eliza Business Review, Vol. 3, No.1, pp.38-46, Winter/Spring.
Recent Assignments
- Senior executive business performance coaching sessions.
- Various projects with large Asian conglomerates.