One of the speakers at the FEIF Young Leaders seminar near Stockholm will be Karen Woodrow from Iceland who has studied Masters of Project Management for the past two years were she focused her final thesis on leadership skills and asking the question: what can the project leader learn from horser trainers? She sought after the experience and knowledge of four Master horse trainers. Her main findings indicate that horse trainers develop, through their work, a skillset that is proven to be an asset affective in leadership. These skills include empathy and communication, in this case communication with an animal of different ethology or what can be compared to cross cultural communication.
Karen Woodrow has been around the Icelandic horse from a young age. Early on she started out as a helper on horse trips in the Icelandic highlands and later on operated as a tour guide. Today the Icelandic horse plays a vital role in both her professional and personal life.
Karen is a level 3 qualified riding instructor ? graduate of Hólar University. Over the years she has been a board member of the Icelandic Horse Trainers Association and she played a part in developing the educational equine program at the College of Mosfellbær, where she teaches.