Rebuilding culture from the ground up

The challenge:
A company acquired another 3x their size that had been through multiple acquisitions and carried culture baggage. The acquired company expected another forced integration. Leadership wanted something radically different, a culture built together, not imposed.

How this was done:

• 12 focus group sessions across both organisations to surface hard truths and aspirations

• Weekly pulse surveys for 6 weeks creating continuous feedback loops

• Co-created Purpose and Core Beliefs with people on the ground, not just executives

• Built communication systems that gave voice to emotional baggage, not just operational integration

The impact:

• Retention improved across both legacy organisations

• Company became a source of pride, not just employment

• Culture still referenced 6 years later as "the moment we became one"

• People felt genuine ownership: "This wasn't done to us, we built this together"

• Progressive culture became competitive advantage in conservative industry

Why it worked: We designed for emotional truth, not just operational efficiency. We gave people agency in the most vulnerable moment of organisational life.

Clarity, connection and care as one experience.

The challenge: Engineering industry with underrepresented groups feeling invisible. Generic DE&I and wellbeing initiatives weren't creating real change. We wanted tangible progress, not performative programs.

How this was done:

Inclusion & Belonging:

• Blueprint with 3-level progression framework with evidence-based tasks

• Tangible actions tied to progression: translations, screen readers, diverse representation, women's PPE at sites, accessibility ramps

• 5-day global Inclusion Week annually with multiple formats (workshops, podcasts, panels, live polls)

Wellbeing Integration:

• Quarterly focus on wellbeing pillars with year-round calendar and relevant themes

• Local champions led activities that became organisational rhythm for years

• From regional steps challenges to workshops for people and managers, to Breast cancer awareness, Movember, mental health, suicide prevention campaigns

The impact:

• 81% of countries reached Level 1 (foundational changes), with others unlocking Levels 2 and 3

• From awareness campaigns → measurable behavior change

• Underrepresented groups reported feeling seen and empowered

• Accessibility became standard, not special accommodation

• Wellbeing became embedded rhythm

• Retention improvement across organisation

Why it worked: We made inclusion tangible and gamified progress. Wellbeing wasn't a separate program, it was woven into the culture calendar, led by champions, and measured quarterly. The combination created a culture where people felt both valued and cared for.

Simplifying the everyday

The challenge:
Information chaos. Email overload. Employees couldn't find what they needed. Low trust in corporate communications. Need to build collaborative infrastructure from scratch.

How this was done:

• Focus groups across all countries to understand what people actually needed

• Built from scratch with systems thinking: right info, right time, right format

• Trained champions to own their content

The impact:

• "It's on everyone's lips" - became part of daily language

• Trust built steadily as the intranet delivered on promises

• Email volume decreased as the intranet became the go-to

• Cross-functional collaboration improved

• From top-down broadcasting → collaborative content ecosystem

Why it worked: We designed the intranet as a system, not a tool. Co-creation built ownership. Accountability reporting built trust.

Scale: 13 members from 12 countries | Ages 22-30 | Selected from hundreds of applications

The challenge: Give emerging leaders a direct channel to senior leadership to address critical business issues. Create genuine dialogue between Gen Z Hub and Leadership Hub that leads to actionable change.

How this was done:

• Competitive selection process identifying pioneers committed to moving the company forward

• Deep research phase: interviews in local regions, focused group sessions, external research on how other companies solved similar challenges

• 2-day event in Dubai bringing Gen Z Hub and Leadership Hub together in person

• Workshop-style presentation to Leadership Hub using rotating boards, fishbowl activities for authentic dialogue, meditation-guided activity mapping company culture against Reinventing Organizations framework

• Culture Conversation Cards used for ice-breaking at members-only social and dinner with 2 leaders

The impact:

• Brave, honest conversations about glass ceilings, excessive approvals, and cultural barriers that typically go unspoken

• Leadership energised by the boldness and quality of insights

• Collective intelligence emerged - genuine sense of "we're all in this together" between both Hubs

• Tough conversations handled with mutual respect - when one member pushed back on leadership dismissing cultural work as "too big," leaders responded positively

• Leaders took quick action, narrowing focus to 2 priority areas from the themes

• Culture Conversation Cards (previously dismissed as novelty 3 years prior) became validated tool after Gen Z Hub & Graduate Event

Why it worked: Leaders genuinely wanted disruption and got it. Self-management created ownership. The structure balanced enough guidance (external facilitators, clear projects from leadership) with enough autonomy (weekly meetings, research approach, presentation format all determined by members). Connection between equals - mixing Leadership Hub and Gen Z Hub members in fishbowl activities created peer-to-peer dialogue. The preparation was thorough: reading the same books, doing the research, truly understanding the problems before presenting solutions. Design for connection first, content second: the 2-day event allowed team building before the high-stakes workshop, and informal moments with Culture Conversation Cards built authentic relationships.

Graduate Program

Scale: 80 graduates | 15 countries | 2-day live event

The challenge:
Nurture young talent and improve retention. Bridge the gap between emerging leaders and senior executives. Create genuine connection across a dispersed global cohort.

How this was done:

• 2 months of engagement and planning before the event

• Culture Conversation Cards for authentic ice-breaking

• Senior leaders discussing AI, sustainability, future of work

• Yoga session integrating wellbeing

• Visible Communications Workshop building confidence

• Co-creation of Conversation Cards v2 based on their insights

The impact:

• Event became legendary ("they really raved about it")

• Grads felt seen by senior leadership

• Leadership gained insight into next-gen thinking they'd never accessed before

• Global cohort built bonds that transcended geography

• Cards helped them move past surface networking into real connection

Why it worked: We designed for connection first, content second. The conversations created equality with grads and executives as peers in dialogue.