Leadership training and development hold the key to managing businesses in the face of modern work challenges, William Hanna, outgoing EU ambassador, said.

The remarks, also shared by other experts, came at a leadership and management training retreat at Grand Sultan Tea Resort and Golf in Srimangal recently.

Hanna emphasised good governance and transparency in leadership for international competitiveness. He later met with tea sector leaders to discuss the issues facing tea estate workers: basic pay, education and living conditions.

The retreat was part of a capacity building initiative of International Labour Organisation-managed Bangladesh Skills for Employment and Productivity Project funded by the Canadian government and assisted by the Directorate of Technical Education, according to a statement.

The project aims to build a pool of better trained and qualified workers in key indus-

tries. ILO Senior Specialist for Industry Skills Development Francis De Silva conducted the training.

Transparent and people-friendly man-

agement and leadership practices is necessary for businesses, with Bangladesh moving toward a developing country, said Srinivas B Reddy, country director of ILO

in Bangladesh.

An ILO team conducted one-day training in customer-focused service quality, at Dusai Resort and Spa.