Empowering management to lead organisational change
Our client
Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation whose mission is to improve health for everyone by helping great ideas to thrive. Its funding supports more than 14,000 people across over 70 countries working in science, population health, medical innovation, the humanities and social sciences, and public engagement.
The challenge
As Wellcome sought to increase its influence on global health agendas, it recognised that achieving its ambitions would require more than funding world-leading research and innovation. The organisation was evolving its role to become more proactive, collaborative, innovative and accountable in shaping change.
To support this shift, Wellcome introduced a new strategic direction that placed greater emphasis on leadership. Senior leaders would play a critical role in translating strategy into action, building alignment across the organisation and accelerating its transformation. The challenge was to help leaders develop the mindset, behaviours and confidence needed to lead through change while maintaining a strong connection between leadership development and real organisational priorities.
Our approach
The Oxford Group partnered with Wellcome to design a leadership development experience that supported the organisation’s transformation agenda.
We began with a diagnostic phase involving one-to-one conversations with senior leaders to understand their priorities, expectations and individual measures of success. This helped build a clear picture of the leadership capabilities required to support Wellcome’s strategic objectives and informed the design of a development journey tailored to its culture, context and ambitions.
The programme combined individual coaching with collective learning over 12 months, with a strong emphasis on applying learning to live organisational challenges. Rather than treating development as a standalone activity, leaders were encouraged to use new insights and approaches to address real business issues, strengthen collaboration and deliver meaningful outcomes for the organisation.
Regular reviews with Wellcome ensured the programme remained aligned to changing priorities and continued to support the organisation’s wider transformation goals.
The impact
The programme helped strengthen leadership capability at a pivotal point in Wellcome’s organisational journey.
Leaders gained greater clarity on the organisation’s strategic direction and a stronger understanding of the role they played in delivering it. There was improved alignment across the leadership community, increased collaboration and a greater willingness to challenge and support one another when tackling complex organisational issues.
The impact of the programme was reflected in participant feedback, with 88% reporting lasting development and value from coaching. Leaders also demonstrated increased confidence in problem-solving and decision-making, helping them respond more effectively to change and uncertainty.
As a result, Wellcome experienced a noticeable increase in the pace of organisational change. Leadership became a stronger enabler of strategy execution, with leaders better equipped to work collectively, navigate complexity and drive
progress against the organisation’s ambitions.
One participant described the impact on their team as “transformational.”
Key Outcomes
reported lasting development and value from coaching.
rated the coaching highly for lasting impact and organisational value