STEPHEN Green, group chief executive of HSBC Holdings plc, gave a lecture on the rise of Asia at the new £10 million Lancaster Leadership Centre at Lancaster University Management School.

His talk, outlining the changing global business environment and the effect on business, is expected to be the first of a series of lectures at the centre.

Mr Green also took time out to visit the Creative Confectionary Company in Kendal, and was given a tour of the premises by managing director Andrew Wilson.

The launch of the lecture series came at a time when Lancaster's MBA course has just been rated as third best in the country in the latest Financial Times rankings. The management school has expanded significantly over the past two years and now employs more than 110 people.

Dean of the management school, Professor Sue Cox, said: "Thanks to the financial support from the North West Development Agency and Lancaster University, the North West now has a world class centre for leadership development and support. We will continue to increase our help to businesses across the region while also expanding our work internationally with companies across the world."