Welcome to The Strategic Organisational Leadership Experience (SOLE)

Conversations to share insights about the organisations of today for tomorrow

We are delighted to extend a warm welcome to leaders working in higher education, the NHS, social housing, and the third sector. We invite you to embark on a learning journey, tailored for leaders addressing the most pressing challenges in organisational leadership today.

Our program is not just an event; it’s a dynamic platform designed for co-creation, knowledge exchange, and impactful dialogue. Our conversations are curated to share profound insights and foster continuous learning about the leadership for tomorrow.

We look forward to you joining the conversation,

Claire Lauder, Partner at Anderson Quigley
Siobhan O’Reilly, Director of People Solutions Ltd
Dr Tom Kennie, Founding Director of Ranmore

Welcome to SOLE, the Strategic Organisational Leadership Experience, tailored specifically for you and each cohort.

Our mission is to create a dynamic community of accomplished senior leaders from diverse sectors, backgrounds, and experiences.

Over an enriching 4-month journey, this collaborative platform will tackle the pressing challenges of strategic organisational leadership, both for today and the future.

Engage with peers, share insights, and grow together through this unique learning and development experience.

Our objectives

Our objectives are to empower senior leaders by sharing insights and reflecting on both practical and strategic leadership responses used by various organisations to maintain momentum in a challenging external context.

We aim to create a reflective space for contemplating long-term scenarios, the future workplace, career dynamics, and collaboration with other leaders. This environment fosters innovation, culture shaping, and opportunity creation.

Each cohort will also aim to:

• Stand back and consider the capabilities required for your own development in your current roles, how to transition successfully as a leader as your role evolves, and into more senior executive and non-executive positions. This will be facilitated in part through work by Dr Tom Kennie and Leadership Transitions at the Top.
• Build an extended network of senior strategic leaders, who wish to share insights and have a common interest in building greater understanding of strategic organisational leadership, as well as the value of tertiary education in its many and varied forms.
• Gain further insights into the world of Non-Executive Director (NED) roles, understanding the necessary skills to be effective in these positions, and the opportunities these roles can offer. This will be facilitated in part through Anderson Quigley and the NED Exchange.

Our increasingly complex world requires leaders who can operate across many different jurisdictions and contexts, anticipate possible futures, deliver sustainable strategic change as well as engage externally with stakeholders and policy-makers. Our programme aims to provide each participant with an opportunity to share insights and gain a practical learning experience which enhances them as a leader.

To learn more about the program, please watch our video:

Delivery Framework

The experience is delivered over a four-month period and is designed to combine online and face-to-face engagement sessions.

Following final confirmation of the participants, a series of 3 online sessions will be arranged to enable participants an opportunity to meet with some of the cohort and to discuss the experience and themes which would be of most value. Based on these conversations, a final outline agenda for the in-person sessions will be agreed upon, as well as the membership of the 4-6 person online ‘SOLE Experience’ sessions.

• Building a change ready culture – fostering a culture that embraces change and innovation. What strategies have been successful in creating a culture that is open to change?
• Organisations – how are you responding to the turbulence of today and preparing for and evolving to respond to different futures?
• Strategic leadership – experience of transitioning into more strategic roles – how do you rise to the opportunities whilst also being aware of the challenges and developing the necessary resilience and survival skills?
• People and talent – identifying, selecting, retaining and developing your talent for today and tomorrow – what’s changed and what might continue to change when recruiting into senior roles?
• Building a flexible workforce – how is and will the interim world continue to evolve?
• Delivering sustainable change and fostering innovation – how do you focus on the few big ideas whilst also encouraging local experimentation and fast failure?
• Building organisational capacity for tomorrow – is succession planning still relevant, and if not, what else is required?
• Culture – understanding and shaping organisational cultures, what helps and what hinders the process of culture change?

Embark on a transformative journey with The Strategic Organisational Leadership Experience (SOLE) where we delve into the most critical strategic leadership questions and themes of our time.

You will explore:

• Building a change ready culture: In an era of constant change, developing a culture that is ready to adapt and thrive is essential. Discover strategies to foster resilience, embrace innovation, and lead your organisation through transformation with confidence and agility. Learn how to create an environment where change is not only accepted but leveraged for continuous growth and success.
• Building high-performing organisations: In today’s rapidly changing environment, understanding how to foster and sustain a high-performing organisation is crucial. Learn strategies to enhance organisational performance and drive success.
• Leading through instability and uncertainty: What skills and expertise are necessary to navigate and lead during periods of instability and uncertainty? Gain insights into adaptive leadership techniques that ensure resilience and steady progress.
• Impact on leaders and teams: Explore the consequences of leadership decisions on yourself and your colleagues. Discover ways to create a sense of hope and ‘bounded optimism,’ fostering a positive and motivated organisational culture.
• Preparing for the future: How do you lead your organisation today while preparing for and creating a workplace that is ‘fit for the future’? Develop forward-thinking strategies that ensure your organisation’s longevity and relevance.

SOLE is suitable for Executive level colleagues, who are looking to enhance and broaden their leadership practice and networks as they establish themselves as part of an Executive team.

It is also beneficial for rising academic, clinical or professional service colleagues stepping into their first senior or executive level role and anyone looking to broaden their leadership perspective as part of their own CPD plan.

Each cohort is built with leaders from different sectors to enable a rich conversation, giving different learning perspectives from different landscapes. The experience provides a dynamic exchange of knowledge and experiences that will broaden participants’ view of leadership.

To maximise the level of engagement and ensure a highly interactive experience, we limit each cohort to no more than 18 participants. This intimate setting allows for deeper connections, personalised feedback, and a richer learning environment.

Joining SOLE means becoming part of an exclusive community of leaders dedicated to driving organisational excellence. It’s an opportunity to not only enhance your own leadership capabilities but also to contribute to the collective wisdom and innovation within your sector and beyond. Be part of the conversation, engage in meaningful dialogue, and equip yourself with the tools to lead your organisation into the future. Together we will shape the future of organisational leadership.

The core team, providing continuity throughout the program, comprises of three highly experienced individuals, each bringing a unique perspective on strategic organisational leadership. These perspectives include:

• Search, selection, and strategic interim management: Leveraging vast expertise in identifying and placing top-tier talent to drive organisational success.
• Strategic development: Extensive experience in individual, team, and organisational development, ensuring holistic growth and performance enhancement.
• Human resource and people management: Deep strategic engagement in organisational HR and people management, fostering an environment of excellence and sustainable leadership.

Together, they form a robust support system that ensures a comprehensive and enriching learning experience. During each program, we will have guest speakers sharing wisdom in different areas.

Claire Lauder is a Partner at Anderson Quigley. She has supported the public sector for over 20 years, providing interim and consultancy solutions to universities, housing associations, local authorities and the NHS. Her speciality is connecting her clients with flexible talent that can help deliver sustainable change, shaping organisations for the future and improving financial and operational outcomes. Claire’s network stretches across academic and professional services, and she has built up an impressive track record of supporting public sector leaders with identifying the right talent in time critical situations. As a business, Anderson Quigley are specialists in search, interim & advisory services. Supporting people and organisations to build a better society.

Dr Tom Kennie is a founding director of Ranmore, where he specialises in senior level individual and team coaching, organisational consultancy connected to major change projects as well as support with the development of organisational strategy and its delivery. He has particular expertise in the field of leadership transitions at a personal, team and organisational level. Tom works across the higher and tertiary education sectors as well as in the health and third sectors. He was a co-founding director of the Advance HE Top Management Programme (TMP), which he co-directed for 13 years. In his earlier career, he worked for 8 years at a senior level in the professional service sector.  He has held a number of full time academic posts and now holds several non-executive roles in higher education.

Siobhan O’Reilly (People Solutions Ltd) has recently started her own business leading organisational HR/OD projects from start through to successful outcomes. She specialises in areas such as organisational change projects (people, culture, process), people process improvement, strategy development with senior leadership teams and Boards &  Leadership development and coaching. With over 20 years experience in HR, half of which at a senior executive level, Siobhan has the ability to operate a strategic overview whilst really understanding the operational implementational challenges. She has an exceptional background in organisational level change within the University, Charity and private sectors. She has a passion for personal and leadership development, which helps her to understand and support people and organisations through change.

To maximise the participation from across a diverse range of organisations, we have been keen to ensure the cost is not a factor to limit an individual’s ability to attend. The participation cost is £2250.00 (exc. VAT). The full fee is payable upon registration.