The Connexional Secretary of the Methodist Church becomes a Chartered Manager

Doug Swanney, the Connexional Secretary (COO) of the Methodist Church, has achieved the highest professional status within management after being awarded the Chartered Manager status from The Chartered Management Institute (CMI).

Doug has been part of the Connexional Team at the Methodist Church for over 15 years starting as a Children’s Development officer, and was later appointed as Head of Discipleship and Ministries. He was appointed Connexional Secretary in 2012.

Ann Francke, CEO at CMI, commented:

“CMI is delighted to award Doug the highest professional status, Chartered Manager. Raising the quality of management skills is essential to the wellbeing and productivity of the British workforce. Unqualified, accidental managers mean that four in ten of us rate our line managers as ineffective. Professionally trained managers such as Doug improve business performance and operations.”

Doug Swanney said:

“I am hugely proud to have been awarded the Chartered Manager status by such an esteemed organisation as the CMI. I am also very grateful to the Methodist Church for its support. Many people are surprised when they learn the Church has a ‘civil service’ which seeks to support the work of the local churches, they are often even more surprised when they learn that we take the art of management seriously!

As a group of staff serving the wider Church we are always looking for the most authentic way to undertake our roles that makes best use of the resources we have whilst ensuring we deliver what has been asked of us. In a changing and complex world we need skilled managers and leaders in Church as much as it is needed elsewhere. I am hugely grateful to serve an organisation that has supported my ongoing learning for the last fifteen years ensuring I can develop my skills and learn new ways of performing to the best of my ability.”