As Director of the James W. Burns Executive Education Centre, Kathy Knight brings her years of experience in not-for-profit, technology, cybersecurity, and higher education to the Asper School of Business.
Former CEO of Tech Manitoba (2005 to 2020) and Executive Director of CyberWave, the Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence at the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT, 2020 to 2023), Knight has spent over two decades leading cutting-edge institutions to success, fostering partnerships with industry leaders, creating and executing business strategy, generating funding, and developing and launching innovative programming.
Knight describes how this opportunity at the Burns Executive Education Centre immediately inspired her creativity and drive to serve the business community of Manitoba.
"One of the fundamental purposes of executive education is to ask a key question," she explains. "What areas of training and education can we offer that will provide value to our business community, particularly aspiring and existing leaders?
"At the Burns Executive Education Centre, we leverage academic excellence in developing and delivering innovative, evidence-based programs that empower existing and emerging leaders to excel in their roles as they navigate a constantly changing world."
Open enrollment and custom programs offered by the Centre span areas including leadership, marketing and business development, communication, management, business acumen, and project management. Delivered by top-ranked faculty and business professionals, Burns Executive Education Centre programming provides training, content, skills, and tools that executives and leaders can put to work in their organization immediately.
Knight notes how lifelong learning is not just common among strong leaders; it is necessary for effective leadership in a rapidly evolving business environment. As Director of the Burns Centre, she aims to stay attuned to what leaders want and need in today's market.
"The key is to really understand and identify the issues that are keeping executives up at night. Then turn our attention to assisting them in building their knowledge and skills in developing solutions," she says.
Knight, who worked in cybersecurity for years, knows how these concerns can plague leaders and aims to carry on the Burns Centre's mission of providing them with the education they need to confront issues holistically and strategically.
When leaders see a problem but have no idea where to begin, Knight believes in developing strategy that can respond to immediate concerns while creating a stronger organizational culture of security, diversity, Reconciliation, and more that is equipped to navigate future challenges and leverage opportunities.
"You have to be able to see not just the trend, but also what the future holds," she says, adding that she hopes to bring her expertise to the table by eventually developing a new cybersecurity program for non-tech leaders.
"It's about identifying gaps in the market that create opportunities for us to respond with programming that makes a difference for companies and, by extension, end up benefitting us all."
Knight knows that the immense scale of the kinds of issues that executives face and how daunting change can be for any leader. In response, she hopes that the Burns Executive Education Centre can be a place where executives are empowered to learn, a beacon of safe harbour, and a reflection of the Asper School of Business' close, integral ties to Manitoba's business community.
Learn more about the James W. Burns Executive Education Centre's innovative programming, find courses that fit your leadership needs, and see if custom programming is right for your organization.
