Creating and Leading Business Transformation

The Executive Leadership Programme (ELP) 2024 continues with a session on Leading Change. Jointly run by FWB and the University of Edinburgh Business School (UEBS), the programme is designed to enable the next generation of leaders across multiple ownership classes or organisations with a broad range of private, public, and non-profit sectors.

This subject has become one of the most important fundamentals of leadership at senior levels of an organisation, and we were privileged to have two experienced speakers in this area. Prof. John Amis, Chair in Strategic Change Management and Organisation and Co-Director of the Centre for Strategic Leadership at The University of Edinburgh Business School, and Helen Page, NXD Bank of Ireland UK, The Artisanal Spirits Company; Chair, Label Sessions; Board Trustee, Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance and The SSPCA.

Helen held senior accountability for the largest banking rebrand in the UK for over 10 years when Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks acquired Virgin Money in 2018. She described the process and challenges of a major transformation programme.

She talked us through the key stages of Business Transformation, including assessment and analysis, strategy development, design and project management, ensuring adequate resources are budgeted for, execution and refinement, managing human risk, tracking progress and evaluating effectiveness, and finally, ensuring sustainability.

Helen discussed the various stakeholder groups which must be included throughout any transformation and their actual role in the whole process. It is important, she said, that Executive Leadership provide vision and tone from the top, leading the change and living ‘The Purpose’. Similarly, the Board requires deep engagement. Colleagues need to be the creators and leaders of ‘Purpose’ as brand leaders and innovators and other stakeholders should be involved throughout, and from the outset, include suppliers, legal, compliance and risk. It is important to ensure internal representation at all stages and regular updates to external regulators. Regular communication to investors and shareholders is also essential, as is managing relationships with the external media from day one.

She emphasised the importance of regularly engaging customers, constantly communicating with them and responding to feedback, as this video clip explains:

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Helen summarised the key criteria to any change or transformation as follows:

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The third session of ELP 2024 addresses a ‘Plan for Living and Leading with Artificial Intelligence and Increased Technology Innovation’ with Catriona Campbell MBE, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at EY UK & Ireland, and Prof. Michael Rovatsos, Professor of Artificial Intelligence, School of Informatics at The University of Edinburgh.

Jointly run by FWB and the University of Edinburgh Business School (UEBS), The Executive Leadership Programme is designed at enabling the next generation of leaders across multiple ownership classes or organisations within a broad range of private, public and non-profit sectors.

For more information on ELP 2025 please contact elp@fwbltd.com.