The Institute of Management, the result of a merger between NEBS Management and the ISM, has officially launched. The merger was announced in February, and now the Institute is up and running.

Gary Ince, previously managing director of the Chadwick House Group, has been appointed as the first Chief Executive. He said: "The Institute has nailed its colours firmly to its mast by including the word ‘leadership’ in its title. Our pledge to our current and future members, stakeholders and partners is that the ILM will uphold the highest standards of integrity and service in providing those skills on which the UK’s social and economic well-being depends."

The ILM aims to build leadership capability, unlocking the potential within people to be leaders in the public, private and voluntary sectors. It is a membership body, offering opportunities, qualifications and advice.

Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry said: "I strongly welcome today’s timely launch of the Institute of Leadership & Management. The best British managers and business leaders are amongst the best in the world – but we do not have enough of them. Raising managers’ skills is crucial to the future success of businesses and public services alike. The Government has recently published a paper that sets out our long-term strategy to achieve this. We look forward to working with ILM and others in engaging employees and their employers to drive the development of better management and leadership across all levels of the workplace."