Centrica – Senior Leader Development Programme

Senior Leader Development

Elective Modules

Editor’s Letter

In 2021-2024 we aligned the business on the need for a single approach to senior leader development with the design and launch of the Senior Leader Development Programme. Working in business units and functions, and highlighting the need to change mindset in how we look at performance and change, we have driven the focus on connecting the SLT to work as a team across the business, removing inefficiency and enabling growth. Going forward, and in service of delivering our Purpose and Strategy, we will target leadership strengths and scaled application of the learning, thus enabling leaders and teams to perform and excel. The Elective Modules will help to: • Define personal needs or gaps in knowledge and skills. • Identify and target learning that is aligned to our strategic capability risks. • Describe what good leadership looks like at Centrica, now and in the future. • Create an environment where we actively respect and value difference in our people. • Develop the conditions for team effectiveness. • Assess the change that our teams are facing and deliver meaningful interventions. • Apply an integrated approach to coaching and organisational needs. Summary • Team Effectiveness – a range of resources aligned to our TEAM diagnostic and model; focussing on trust, enabling, accountable and meaning. • Co aching programmes – apply for short form or executive coaching programmes. • Ho gan Leadership Assessments – 360 and self-assessments that measure how others see us (reputation) versus how we see ourselves (identity). • Systems and Design Thinking – 2-day workshop to experience the behaviours and mindsets required for complex problem solving. Coached team sprint (over 8-12 weeks) to accelerate impact on a specific business challenge. • Half day modules – 16 standalone skills-based workshops that are practical and focussed. We recognise the range of leadership development experience - some of you might be refreshing your skills, or undertaking development on the different themes for the first time. Once we have enough expressions of interest for the workshops we’ll start scheduling the sessions. We can also schedule sessions for intact groups, delivered at a venue of your choice. Thanks, Stuart Leadership Development Manager

“Targeting leadership strengths and scaled application of the learning.”

Register your interest:

For other enquiries, please contact: centrica@cranfield.ac.uk

Stuart Haden Leadership Development Manager

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Elective Modules

Elective Module Portfolio

The practical bits: • The elective modules will be delivered as half day sessions, between 11.00-16.00, enabling travel before and after.

• They will be delivered centrally at our offices. • Please expense travel through your cost centre. • Use the QR code or email to register your interest.

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Team & Personal Effectiveness

Team Effectiveness Get in touch with stuart.haden@centrica.com to hear more about the core offer, aligned to our TEAM diagnostic and model. Focussing on trust, enabling, accountable and meaning. Our resources can provide you with the tools to deliver your own team effectiveness sessions, a self-serve approach. But we can help you to design sessions, and if needs be we can support the delivery. 1 - Context (Why?) – the resources focus on team context, framing the needs for the sessions both within a team and organisational setting. This might include; purpose, strategy, culture, values and behaviours. A light touch needs analysis can help to shape the design of the sessions. For example, identifying: knowledge / skills / behaviours, desired states, objectives / outcomes and simple evaluation methods. 2 - Conditions (How?) – akin to a health check that can further build on the team context established so far. Based on the research from Drs. Ruth Wageman and Richard Hackman known as the 6 Team Conditions. Essentials include: real team, compelling purpose and right team. Enablers include: sound structure, supportive organisational context and expert team coaching. 3 - Change (Who?) – the resources are set up so that you can both design and deliver team effectiveness sessions. In doing so you’ll be able to assess the readiness of your team for this type of activity. Before, during or after this activity it might become apparent that further support is required which we can help you with. 4 - Choices (What?) – so far you will have focused on the design of team effectiveness sessions. Here you can focus on some but not necessarily all of the delivery options. The TEAM framework provides an overall structure. This also allows you to put your own stamp on the sessions, choosing what you think will work best for the team. Coaching Programmes Get in touch with stuart.haden@centrica.com to apply for coaching. We will need to assess your readiness for coaching, objective setting/alignment, development completed/planned and the other 1:1 connections you might consider instead of/as well as coaching. This will help to consider wider development options, increase self-awareness and challenge existing mindsets. We offer a range of different options resourced internally or externally. Short form sprint coaching can be booked 3 sessions at a time, whereas more traditional executive coaching programmes generally agree 9 sesstions from the outset.

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Team & Personal Effectiveness

Hogan Leadership Assessments Hogan Leadership Assessments are considered to be the most valid and reliable assessment inventories of personality and leadership. They are used to help leaders reach their potential by increasing self-awareness on what someone may want to maximise as a strength and/or manage as a potential derailer. The assessments are well known for measuring how others see us (reputation) versus how we see ourselves (identity) which will help us develop greater self awareness on the impact we have on others as leaders. There are 2 types of assessments: Self-Assessment (3 reports) - The Hogan Personality Inventory (Bright side) describes how we relate to others when we are at our very best. The Hogan Development Inventory (Dark side) describes what elements of our personality emerges in times of increased strain and can disrupt relationships, damage reputations, and derail people’s chances of success as a leader. The Hogan Motives, Values, and Preferences Inventory (The inside) describes elements of our personality that refer to our personal goals, values, drivers, and interests that determine what we desire and strive to achieve. 360° report - summarises feedback from your line manager, peers, and direct reports on your leadership style/traits/practices using Hogan’s leadership framework. This will give you a deeper understanding on how you lead yourself, work with others, lead the business and lead strategically across the organisation.

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ELECTIVE MODULE Systems and Design Thinking

2-day workshop Combining the tools of Design and Systems Thinking to help you experience the behaviours and mindsets required for complex problem solving. The market challenges that we face need new perspectives and a growth mindset. As we shift from expertise to curiosity, we can better navigate complexity, change and growth. Questioning whether the system is right and establishing uncertainty or complexity tend to be common starting points. Characterised by an iterative and explorative approach that seeks effectiveness and desirability as an outcome. Differing from traditional and business as usual thinking, this session focusses on: intuition, looking to the future, exploring multiple possibilities, embracing ambiguity, understanding interdependencies, considering the long-term impact and asking what if questions. Key leadership behaviours include: • Actively observing problems from multiple perspectives. • Consistently considering the needs, emotions, and context of customers or stakeholders. • Learn to get comfortable with ambiguity. • Target your interventions where they shift the whole system, not just one or two elements. • Leading with questions, not answers. • Creating a safe space and not expecting ideas to be perfect. • Asking for simple mock ups of ideas, discouraging endless polishing. • Proactively identifying risks, surfacing blind spots, and using foresight to shape stronger plans. • Testing and learning through experimentation to iterate ideas and build confidence.

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ELECTIVE MODULE Systems and Design Thinking

Agenda Day 1: Immersive Empathy and Systems Mapping Introduction to systems and design thinking – relationships, interconnections and influences. • Set u p the challenge – asking how might we questions. • Gallery data scan - taking multiple perspectives. • Building empathy - customer interviews, observations and insights formation. • Synthesis and reflection on empathy - translating insights and identifying potential new elements. • Systems dynamics mapping – exploring the boundaries of the problem, identifying leverage points, refining and expanding the map. Day 2: From Ideation to Systems Alignment • Problem definition and hypothesis framing – starting with great questions and taking a human centred approach. • Creative ideation and rapid prototyping – bringing potential solutions to life, ideation, brainstorming and storyboarding. • Systems thinking for risks and scenarios – easy experimentation, visualising solutions and rapid learning. • Testing, pre-mortem and designing experiments – unintended consequences and testing risks. • Share back, reflect and BU planning – personal leadership commitment and team planning. Post-workshop Problem Solving Sprint As well as the 2-day workshop external facilitators can take your team through a coached sprint to accelerate impact on a specific business challenge. Typically sprints run for 8-12 weeks with 5-7 people and include 4 x 2h virtual workshops. Asynchronous support is provided by our partners’ Sprintbase© platform.

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ELECTIVE MODULE Managing Self

Personal Impact and Influence Aim In the visibility of leadership, it matters how you are seen and heard – in the room or online. This elective aims to expand your choices for positive impact and influence to create maximum engagement and commitment with a range of stakeholders and environments. Learning objectives 1. ‘Being yourself’ with increased skill in owning your authority, expertise, role at the table. 2. Unlock your hidden talent, build your presence and gravitas. 3. Increase your confidence and command with a range of influencing tactics for different intentions and results. Practice • An opportunity to practice gaining commitment using different influencing styles and getting feedback in a highly supportive and safe environment. • Experience a range of preparation tools for self and content in range of scenarios. • Reading the room, knowing your audience, aligning intention with your communication. • Practice speaking on message with clarity, confidence, and purpose and get feedback. • Experience techniques for physical presence, a voice of influence, and projection of energy, belief, passion. Being audience and performer. Getting feedback in a safe and supportive environment. Action plan • Create personal preparation checklist for impact and influence for key scenarios. • Practice distilling complex content and messages to be clear and confident. • Try exercising a different approach or tactic outside your ‘default’ style for your next key conversation / challenge.

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ELECTIVE MODULE Managing Self

Communicating as a Leader Aim As a leader it’s your job to be communication fit. Making a positive impact on business growth means investing in your words with belief and energy. Connect to your audience with humanity and relatability being authentic, fresh, and real. This elective module aims to elevate your communication skills from good to great in presentations, pitches, meetings, and speaking events. Learning objectives 1. Understand how to align your body, voice, energy, and words so people listen. 2. Explore how to revitalize your messages and hook your audience for dynamic engagement. 3. Understand how to prepare / rehearse quickly and effectively for high performance communication. Practice • You will experience speaking to your audience and getting feedback in a range of dynamic exercises in a safe and supportive coaching environment. • You will practice how to get grounded, think on your feet, and confidently say what you want to say, and how you want to say it, without a script or slide deck. • You will practice using personal sources of inspiration to unlock your creativity and imagination to bring your ideas to life. Action plan • Implement new skill in framing, beginnings, and endings in critical communication moments such as leading a key meeting or presenting. • Dare to make one creative change in your next presentation or delivery that brings your content to life for your audience. • Commit to micro warm-ups and personal rehearsal strategies.

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ELECTIVE MODULE Managing Self

Leading with Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Aim

Explore how your self-awareness and empathy positively impact the behaviours, attitudes and self-regard of the team and how managing an emotional intelligence ‘bank balance’ can enable you to manage yourself and lead others to enhance

relationship dynamics at work. Learning objectives

1. Understand your own and others’ emotions and their impact on performance. 2. Improve interpersonal skills to achieve better relationships with colleagues. 3. Develop your emotional ‘bank balance’ through empathetic communication and increased rapport with colleagues. Practice • Through discussion and self-reflection you will explore PSI’s framework for emotional intelligence and the components that make up EQ. • Group discussion and individual reflection will explore • Reflections on self-awareness and examples of instances of low EQ and high EQ in relationship management. • Explore how you can build stronger relationships with colleagues, recognise different behavioural styles and be more accommodating, empathetic and constructive. • Share experiences of conflict and ‘difficult’ behaviour and discuss practical ways to manage this effectively. Action plan • You will be able to build on your personal development plan using the tools from the session. • You will leave with a toolkit of practical and personal techniques that you can use in the workplace to help you develop your EQ skills and improve relationships.

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ELECTIVE MODULE Managing Self

Mindfulness in Leadership Aim

Your mind is all you have. How you perceive the world, different events and people changes your choices, actions and relationships. In this elective module you will use a simple, but radical, mindfulness model developed with British Association of Mindful based approach (BAMBA) in simulated work situations to explore how mindfulness can benefit strategy, decision making, team building, delegating, innovation, collaboration and conflict resolution. Learning objectives 1. Understand the myth of mindfulness as simply a relaxation and resilience tool. Move to another broader and more useful understanding of mindfulness which logically connects to the practical application of mindfulness in the organisational context. 2. Use mindfulness in a learning setting, where it is safe to explore and experiment, to find out what tools will be most impactful when back in the work environment. 3. Apply the practice of mindfulness to different situations, make different choices and see how outcomes change. Practice • Explore your mind to whatever depth feels appropriate to you – you might feel uncomfortable but also exhilarated. • Meditation and exploration of why you might think you can’t. • Mindful writing using a part of your brain that is not accessed through talking. • Mindful walking by engaging the somatic system. • Mindful talking noticing how trust builds and diminishes in relationships. • Mindful group work and observing how our interactions effect each other. Action plan • Make a commitment to embedding personal mindfulness practices in everyday activity. • Develop a personal set of mindfulness practices that can be used in work. • Practice self-correcting mechanisms to ensure you apply what you’ve learnt. • Be able to demonstrate to others how mindfulness has the potential to change outcomes.

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ELECTIVE MODULE Leading Others

People and Inter Relational Skills Aim The aim of this elective module is for you to have an undeniable, visceral experience of what it feels like, to yourself and to others, when you make unconscious and conscious choices about how you relate with other people. Learning objectives 1. Understand how individual and collective biology influences how successful we are. 2. Understand what it feels like, physically and cognitively, when we contract and choose to ‘play not to lose’. 3. Learn what it feels like to others to have a real-world experience of you contracting and ‘playing not to lose’. 4. Explore a series of practical steps for to extend ourselves and ‘play to win’ and experience the difference in impact on others this creates in the moment. Practice • Practice moving, connecting, and interacting with others to see, hear and feel the difference that use of self makes in the process of relating with others. • Be able to blend and redirect the energy of others using different language patterns. • Have a simulated experience of contracting and ‘playing not to lose.’ • Learn how to extend ourselves when we ‘play to win’ and the impact this creates. Action plan • Find a mentor or select one of your current mentors to help you. • Devise one simple, active experiment to test how you relate with someone in the workplace who you need to connect more with in your current role. • Rehearse your experiment with a peer from the group. • Run the experiment and ask for feedback. • Review the outcomes of your experiment with your peer from the group (what went well?)

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ELECTIVE MODULE Leading Others

Delegation Skills Aim The aim of this elective module is to enhance your delegation skills and learn how to motivate others to take on new tasks and challenges. Learning objectives 1. Evaluate the communication and motivation skills needed to delegate effectively. 2. Assess the skills and willingness of the person being delegated to and matching your actions to increase their motivation to take on the task. 3. Understand reasons for resistance and failure of delegated tasks and managing the process constructively. Practice • Building on personal experience through a series of high energy exercises learners will share their experiences of delegation; when it worked and when it didn’t. • Use Max Landsberg’s Skill/Will model to examine how to make delegation more effective. • In groups and in pairs practice delegating, exploring the reasons behind success and failure. Action plan • Understand and apply to the principles of Situational Leadership. • Apply the Skill/Will model to delegation enabling you to assess the person you are delegating to more effectively. • Create a personal action plan to develop your communication skills and techniques to motivate people to accept new challenges and succeed more often.

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ELECTIVE MODULE Leading Others

SMART Goal Setting and Feedback Skills Aim

The aim of this elective module is to support the practical application of SMART goals for yourself and others and to enhance your feedback skills on progress and achievement using appropriate styles and an effective framework. Learning objectives 1. Explore potential pitfalls in setting SMART goals in line with business objectives. 2. Practice preparing for crucial conversations with individuals demonstrating poor performance. 3. Enable colleagues to understand how they can achieve their individual objectives. Practice • Understand what SMART goals, accountability and feedback are and how the limitations of each hinder high performance. • Practice conversations that help others set SMART goals. • Practice preparing for a performance related, crucial conversation with others using a Crucial Conversations framework. • Practice holding a performance related crucial conversation to gain commitment to an action plan to improve performance. Action plan • Work with team members to review objectives in line with the objectives of the business. • Rehearse your preparation for having a performance related conversation with a peer mentor from the group. • Have the performance related conversation. • Review the outcome of the performance related conversation with their people manager or peer mentor from the group.

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ELECTIVE MODULE Leading Others

Coaching for Performance Aim Coaching as a leader is often aimed at how to bring out the best in others. To coach for performance requires skill in a range of conversations and this module will focus on the coaching conversation. Learning objectives 1. Apply the GROW model as a helpful coaching framework to coach others in the workplace. 2. Experience successful coaching techniques and identify the difference between coaching, giving advice and helping to drive individual performance. 3. Apply Michael Bungay Stanier’s framework to support asking coaching questions rather than giving advice. Practice • Use the GROW model to guide a coaching conversation. • Practice coaching others for performance. • Encourage and feed forward working in coaching triads with colleagues. • Hold space for others, actively listen and work comfortably with silence. • Gaining colleague commitment to setting actions and committing to completing them. Action plan • Watch the TED Talk Why Everyone Needs a Coach. • Watch the TEDx Talk Tame Your Advice Monster. • Have a coaching conversation with one person in your team in the next 20 days.

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ELECTIVE MODULE Managing the Business

Performance Management Aim This workshop will focus on how to measure, manage and improve performance. In doing so, we will differentiate between negative and positive effects of performance management. We will consider different ways to design and implement performance management tools such as key performance indicators (KPIs), targets, appraisals and various ways to utilise data and information. Learning objectives 1. Critically assess the design, implementation, use and review of performance management systems. 2. Understand the roles that the performance measurement process plays in and across organisations. 3. Link performance management practices at inter-organisational, organisational and individual levels. Practice • We will start by discussing the various roles of performance measurement systems, for example: monitoring and controlling current activities and processes; enabling benchmarking; providing information to internal and external stakeholders; stimulating learning and improvement; and, most importantly, influencing behaviours. • Using several examples and case studies we will apply several tools, including: • Key performance indicators (KPIs), • Performance targets, • Appraisals and recognition systems. Action plan • Review performance management processes and implementation in your department. • Consider how to best use performance management tools considering the behavioural consequences. • Explicitly link performance measurement, management, and improvement.

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ELECTIVE MODULE Managing the Business

Understanding Financials Aim

The aim of this elective module is to understand Centrica’s financial statements and how they relate to our day-to-day operations and how they impact on strategic decision making. Learning objectives 1. Understand Centrica’s company financial statements and be able to calculate financial ratios. 2. Understand investment appraisal techniques to optimise shareholder value. 3. Understand the drivers of shareholder value and how these are affected by decisions being made in each of the business units. Practice • Calculate financial ratios. • Use investment appraisal techniques. • Discuss what drives the Centrica share price. • Understand the importance of Centrica’s financial KPIs and how they link to its financial reporting. • Understand how to calculate key financial ratios, and what they measure. Action plan • Evaluate Centrica’s financial results. • Understand how financial results relate to changes in share price and shareholder value. • Apply Centrica’s financial management terminology and interpret key financial information. • Identify where and how to access key information, and the key steps as a leader in setting, managing, and optimising finances throughout the financial year.

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ELECTIVE MODULE Managing the Business

Leading Excellence – Six Sigma Aim Having the right skills to lead operational excellence and decision making is key to meeting Centrica’s commitments to customers and colleagues. This workshop introduces leaders to the practical and theoretical aspects of Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control (DMAIC) and Continuous Improvement (CI) ensuring that businesses have the capability to consistently meet customer requirements. Learning objectives 1. Understand the principles and use of the Six Sigma DMAIC methodology. 2. Use simple but effective tools for planning and implementing process improvements. 3. Appreciate the complexity of managing the processes for the design and delivery of services and products . Practice • Apply continuous improvement in the context of real situations of organisations struggling with quality problems. • Identify, analyse and solve such problems to satisfy customers. • Role play the DMAIC framework in practice. • Team competition enabling you to apply specific tools and problem-solving methods in a team setting. • Practice questioning and clarification questions using a constructive challenge. Action plan • Apply the Six Sigma approach and have the confidence to apply DMAIC methodology in context. • Identify defects and find ways to eliminate them by leveraging data and statistical analysis. • Address current issues relating to problem solving and work through solutions Identify further continuous improvement actions.

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ELECTIVE MODULE Managing the Business

Inclusive Leadership Aim

It is the responsibility of all leaders in an organisation to create an environment where colleagues feel welcome and that they belong. Inclusive Leadership unlocks the potential of individual colleagues by creating a more collaborative and productive environment. Diverse teams of individuals who feel a sense of belonging are more innovative, creative and productive than non-diverse teams. Inclusive leadership is the key to you leading by example in building a workplace within which diverse teams can thrive. This elective will challenge your thinking and encourage you to look outside your own thoughts and hidden biases to become more empathetic and culturally intelligent leading to inclusive leadership. Learning objectives 1. Increase your self-awareness of how hidden thoughts and biases could be holding you back from being a truly inclusive leader. 2. Define the behaviours you can exhibit which contribute to a more inclusive workplace. 3. Identify when to take action and best approaches to address non-inclusive and counter inclusive culture behaviours across the organisation. Practice • Experience and take part in challenging and confronting conversations with peers. • Educating oneself on the foundations of workplace diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, the Equality Act 2010. • Engage in healthy dialogue around real life Centrica scenarios. • Gain a greater understanding of how you can remove barriers within yourself and your business which prevent a diverse and inclusive workplace. • Discuss complex issues with peers in a psychologically safe space. Action plan • You will leave the module with increased cultural intelligence and the confidence to be a curious leader, • You will increase self-awareness and gain greater insight into the stages of inclusive leadership.

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ELECTIVE MODULE Leading the Enterprise

Preparing for Board Meetings Aim The aim of this elective module is to explore how to prepare effectively for Board and Committee meetings so that you make insightful presentations and have a positive impact. Learning objectives 1. What makes for effective preparation? 2. What will the board be looking for from you? 3. Hints and tips. Practice • Understand how to prepare the ground for major presentations and papers. • Position papers and presentations beforehand at Exco and with individual NEDs. • Understand the role the Chair and Company Secretary can play in assisting with preparation. • How to deal with challenge.

• Being fully on top of your area of expertise. • Remembering what the Board is there for. Action plan • Utilise the Board more effectively. • Ensuring implementation. • Succinct and smooth model for meeting cycle.

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ELECTIVE MODULE Leading the Enterprise

Writing an Effective Board Paper Aim In this elective module you will learn how to prepare and write board papers and present to the board with impact. Learning objectives 1. What makes for an effective paper or presentation? 2. …and what doesn’t! 3. Hints and tips. Practice • Beware of the trap of “I wanted to write a short paper but only had time to write a long one!” • Less is more. • The discussion and guidance from the Board is more important than the paper or presentation. • Be clear what you are asking from the Board. • Use a clear template: Background, Introduction, Executive Summary, What the Board is being asked to do. • Using a Section 172 Companies Act 2006 Checklist. Action plan • Clear insight on how to write effective Board papers and presentations. • More effective communication between management and the Board.

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ELECTIVE MODULE Leading the Enterprise

Advanced Storytelling Aim

Information tells. Stories sell. One of the most powerful skills you need in the spotlight of leadership is the ability to inspire and motivate others through storytelling. The aim of this session is to fire up your skill, confidence, and agility in structuring, delivering, and leveraging relevant stories that bring your business messages to life and serve your audiences in different contexts and environments. Learning objectives 1. How to structure stories for clarity and impact to enliven your messages in a range of business contexts. 2. How to deliver stories so they are simple, compelling, meaningful, and accessible for your audience. 3. Understand how to harness opportunities for storytelling in your leadership role. Practice • Practice using simple templates for structuring stories for ease of delivery. • Experience safely supported improvisation for the ability to go off script, think on your feet, and deliver stories with agility and fluency. • Dial up your energy, presence, and voice to engage audiences. • Master quick and effective preparation techniques for delivering your stories. • Be more succinct, authentic, jargon-free, and invested in your content. • Value and own your stories to serve as a leader. Action plan • Start archiving relevant stories for key messages, events, contexts. • Incorporate storytelling in your next presentation, meeting, or key event (whether it’s 30 seconds or two minutes!). • Use a personal preparation ‘checklist’ to show up at your authentic best to be inspiring, relatable and succinct. • Organisational story, your part in that story, vision, purpose.

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ELECTIVE MODULE Leading the Enterprise

Strategy Execution Aim

The aim of this elective module is to explore the role of tools, such as strategy maps and performance measurement systems, focusing on the connections between strategy, performance measurement, decisions and actions. You will also discover how organisational alignment can positively affect the performance of individuals and teams, and how alignment and flexibility can be combined in periods of change. Learning objectives 1. Understand how to evaluate strategic plans and create alignment 2. Understand how to create alignment at different levels; enterprise, business unit and team. 3. Understand the role strategy vs. planning tools fulfil and how to apply them. Practice • Discuss the differences between key concepts (for example vision, mission, values, strategy, strategic planning, targets, KPIs) and the importance of creating alignment between them. • Using examples and case studies apply several tools, including: • Strategy maps, • Performance measurement systems, • Group and individual work, • Explore how strategy implementation can be improved. Action plan • Review the links between purpose, strategy, planning and action. • Identify how to create stronger alignment at different levels in the company. • Deploy a variety of tools to execute strategy and improve performance.

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Facilitators

Steve is an experienced innovator and facilitator who loves to work with leaders and teams on problems that require a different perspective. In his early career he worked in process re-engineering applying ideas from lean, six sigma and systems thinking to challenges in organisations as well as facilitating and coaching teams to develop these skills. At Treehouse Innovation, he is part of the leadership team and helps leaders build organisations that will make the world a better place: designing and making great products and services, providing rewarding careers and creating value for owners by solving the problems that societies face. Key clients have included Accenture, Lloyds Bank, Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, Salesforce, Woolworths, Janssen and KPMG. He often works with senior leadership teams to help create alignment on the challenges they face and help leaders to think differently in order to solve complex problems. Nathan is the Managing Partner at Treehouse Innovation where he helps organisations build cultures of innovation. In his past life, he set up and ran four new businesses at world-renowned design and innovation firm IDEO, including co-founding OpenIDEO.com a global platform of over 300,000 innovators. He has facilitated workshops with hundreds of participants and led organisation design programs that have helped shift the innovation strategy for traditional organisations such as Freudenberg and Generali and helped design a startup incubator for Europe called HackFWD. He has worked with clients such as SKY, HP, IKEA, T-Mobile, VISA, Astrazeneca, DFID and Oxfam to help them to innovate. He is an experienced public speaker and has delivered keynotes at TEDx, The Economist events, and the White House on topics such as the role of Design, Innovation and Collaboration.

Steve Baker Systems & Design Thinking

Nathan Waterhouse Systems & Design Thinking

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Facilitators

Dr. Diana Theodores is an international performance coach, speaker and author specialising in authentic voice and presence for leaders. As an Associate at The Praxis Centre for Leadership Development, Cranfield School of Management she is Joint Director of the Impact and Influence open programme and is also a Visiting Faculty in Leadership Development at Cranfield Executive Development. As Director of Theatre 4 Business, Diana applies her years of experience in professional theatre and to the principles of ‘great performance’ on the world stage for business leaders, teams and individuals. Her dynamic approach to coaching offers an irresistible invitation for business leaders worldwide to connect with their unique force and capacity to step into a ‘bigger self’ and put their leadership learning into action. Gill is a Performance Coach and Facilitator. With a background in acting and directing, she draws from techniques acquired in both these areas. Gill has worked with organisations in both the public and private sectors, including most City banks, the top four accountancy and law firms, leading oil and gas companies, top pharmaceutical organisations and management consultancy firms. As an actor and director, Gill has worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company, The National Theatre and many regional theatres. The work has been diverse; from directing opera and the classics to running drama workshops in prisons, she has also directed in Moscow and New York. Gill has worked as a corporate trainer since the mid nineties. Her work has covered presentation skills, personal impact and influence, team building, diversity, appraisal training, performance management, feedback and leadership training. Her work takes her across the UK and Europe, and she has been a guest speaker on leadership for several global organisations.

Diana Theodores Personal Impact and Influence

Gill King Communicating as a Leader

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Facilitators

Didi Hopkins is a Theatre Director, Executive Coach and Associate of Theatre4Business. She trained as an actor and director and has been bringing theatre to leaders and executives in business schools, and companies worldwide working on energy, presence, voice and all aspects of communication. Didi is an Associate Faculty at the Cranfield School of Management. She currently runs a coaching clinic at the McKinsey London office. An acclaimed expert on the tradition of ‘La commedia dell’Arte’, in theatre, Didi has worked for the National Theatre on the West End/Broadway Hit ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’, with the Royal Shakespeare Company and before lockdown, directed a show in London’s West End, ‘The Life I Lead’, and she is about to embark on a show going to the Albert Hall. Jenny Robinson is a serial entrepreneur, leadership scholar and communications expert. She started her first business at just 18 years old, it is still running, and making a profit. Previously, a partner in a global consulting firm, called TowersPerrin now merged to form Wills Towers Watson. For the last fifteen years she has worked on leadership development and as a mindfulness coach to senior executives and a social enterprise for those struggling with mental and emotional difficulties. Her scholarship for research and practice draws on Organizational Psychology, Leadership and Mindfulness. Jenny brings new awareness to self, to others, and to situations. Helping leaders see things from a new perspective and open-up a range of different decisions and actions. New thinking and new behaviour arise from her approach to being more mindful and, in this way, change can be instant and painless.

Didi Hopkins Advanced Storytelling

Jenny Robinson Mindfulness in Leadership

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Facilitators

Paul brings a new perspective to the leadership and teams conversation through his study of neuroscience, music and Aikido. He has a gift for deep listening and upbeat facilitation, and has an ability to draw out the things that need to be said. Clients feel reassured in his presence and safe in speaking their truth. Paul is an accredited, professional coach specialising in team coaching, leader development and culture transformation. He has been a management consultant, educator, facilitator and trainer for over 20 years working across the world for PWC, Capgemini and IBM and with other private, public and voluntary sector organisations. Abdelkader started his career as a civil engineer and then worked as a Consultant at RAN consulting and Researcher at IFSTTAR in France. Abdelkader holds a Civil Engineering degree from ENTP engineering school; a Master’s degree in transport from the engineering school Ecole des Ponts ParisTech and University ParisXII; a Master’s degree in Logistics and Information Systems and PhD in Management Sciences from the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. Abdelkader’s doctoral research explored and analysed the mechanisms and the various logics that build customer satisfaction and company organisation. He works collaboratively with companies to design, develop and deliver programmes for global clients focusing on the areas of Operations Strategy, Behavioural operations, Innovation and agile development. He has delivered development programmes for companies in a range of sectors including Atos, SABIC, Morgan Sindall, NEMAA and the Post Office.

Paul Crick Coaching for Performance, People and Inter Relational Skills and SMART Goal Setting and Feedback Skills

Abdelkader Aoufi Leading Excellence – Six Sigma

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Facilitators

Melanie’s experience in Media sales and advertising working with clients like DWA, IDG and Kantar led her to launch her own venture, Sales Associates Ltd a recruitment and training company in 2002. Since then she has launched two further companies of her own as well as working on the strategic and commercial aspects of several start-up businesses in a variety of industries including media, smart building technology and natural language generation. She is an expert speaker and mentor on the government’s Help to Grow programme for SME’s as well as running her consultancy business facilitating Leadership, Innovation Management, Strategic Planning and Organisational Behaviour programmes. Pietro Micheli is a Visiting Professor at Cranfield School of Management and a Professor of Business Performance and Innovation at Warwick Business School, where he is also the Head of the Operations Management group, and formerly the director of the Executive and Global Online MBA programmes. Over the past 20 years, Pietro has worked as a consultant, mentor and facilitator with over 60 organizations, including Astra Zeneca, British Energy, BP, Emirates, Jaguar Land Rover, KLM, Poste Italiane, Shell, Vopak, Wartsila, United Arab Emirates Government, Council of Europe, UK Cabinet Office, and Department of Health. His work focuses on three main areas: strategy implementation, performance management and improvement, and innovation management, particularly in relation to design thinking, agile, and digital transformation. Pietro has lectured in over a dozen European academic institutions and has been awarded nine teaching awards over the past four years. He speaks fluent English, Italian, French and Spanish.

Melanie Roberts Emotional Intelligence and Delegation Skills

Pietro Micheli Strategy Execution and Performance Management

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Facilitators

Kathleen O’Donovan is a mentor, lecturer and presenter, drawing on extensive experience of executive and non executive responsibility on a global scale, serving on major UK and overseas boards including multi-sector businesses. She has a deep understanding of boardrooms and their dynamics, with broad-based experience of the City, financial strategy, M&A and restructuring. Kathleen is currently Chair of the Invensys Pension Scheme and Founder Partner of Bird & Co Board & Executive Mentoring Ltd. Formerly, she has held Non-Executive Director roles at ARM Holdings Plc, DS Smith plc, Prudential plc, O2 Plc, Great Portland Estates plc, EMI Group plc, and the Bank of England. Kathleen was also co-Chair of the International Rescue Committee UK, a charity supporting conflict zone refugees. Kathleen trained as a Chartered Accountant and her previous roles include CFO of BTR plc/Invensys plc and Partner at Ernst & Young. She became the FTSE 100’s first female executive director and its youngest-ever CFO. Chris has worked in equity markets for over two decades in both the UK and the US and is a chartered financial analyst. He started his career as Investor Relations Manager at BT before moving to Nomura as a Senior Equity Analyst, where he was in charge of analysis for European and North American telecommunications and technology companies, and the in-house valuation methodology. A Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) he has directed an MSc in Finance as well as facilitating sessions on financial analysis, valuation, portfolio management, investor relations, corporate finance and operational management. Chris is currently Head of Finance at a start-up, consults with a range of companies, including a hedge fund.

Kathleen O’Donovan Writing an Effective Board Paper and Preparing for Board Meetings

Chris Ansell Understanding Financials

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Facilitators

Shakil is a values-driven, accomplished, and award-winning HR professional (FCIPD) with over 30 years of experience, including leading an award-winning global HR team in a multi-faith, multi-ethnic, and multi-cultural environment. As an independent consultant, Shakil adds value by engaging with organisations and individuals on HR, organisational development, and diversity and inclusion (D&I) challenges, bringing energy and insight into every engagement. Shakil has been part of various senior management teams, leading strategic direction and change management across multiple organisations, fostering human-centric, values-led, and inclusive cultures. Clients span the public, private, and voluntary sectors, including many well-known household names. As a visiting lecturer, Shakil delivers sessions to Master’s students on topics such as strategic human resources and leadership development. This role helps ensure Shakil’s thinking remains current and informed, blending practitioner expertise with academic insight. Shakil also enjoys writing and contributing to articles on HR and management and is a regular speaker at HR conferences and events.

Shakil Butt Inclusive Leadership

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Register your interest:

For other enquiries, please contact: centrica@cranfield.ac.uk

V 5. June 2025.