
We are delighted to be shortlisted for our entry in the category of ‘Cultural Transformation’ at the 2024 Consultancy Awards. We will find out if we have won on Thursday 13 June at an Award Ceremony in London.
Pride and passion shines through in our work with Ferring Pharmaceuticals…here is our story:

BACKGROUND:
Cultural transformation through Leadership Development has always been a priority for Ferring. However, in 2023 there was still seen to be a need to bring Ferring’s ‘leadership principles’ to life, provide a common language and consistent use of tools and behaviours in order to develop leaders across the organisation.
They approached us to partner with them to create a portfolio of leadership programs, with the mandate to craft and implement global, scalable leadership programs unlike anything provided in the past. This is right in our sweet spot – creating sustainable business environments where leaders and others thrive, using our experienced facilitators with diverse backgrounds, global reach, language capabilities, and ability to reach tangible outcomes.
The requirement for remote leadership, across time zones and cultures, is more prevalent than ever before. Hence a key driver behind the need for the programs was to provide leaders the opportunity to learn virtually and connect via an experience mirroring their day-to-day.
Ferring’s Leadership Programs have 3 levels, two of which we were responsible for designing and delivering: U-Grow (for new managers) and U-Thrive (for experienced leaders), both are highly participative, engaging and fast-moving development programs. The third level is for senior leaders.
The programs aim to:
BRINGING THE PROGRAMS TO LIFE:
We worked with Ferring to bring content to life that ensures innovation, applicability and ‘stickability’ beyond the program and is their first cohesive learning journey and not a stand-alone training.
We listened to what Ferring needed and built an open dialogue to co-create a state-of-the-art outcome. They wanted minimal disruption to day-to-day commitments, yet with time to practice and apply learning and encourage building strong cross-functional relationships.
Design focused on creating high levels of engagement through the quality of what we do, our Sladen ‘house style’ e.g. minimal use of slides, everyone on camera, make the learning enjoyable through high levels of energy. We built in peer coaching and moments to ‘let the dust settle’.
Leaders were assigned a ‘home cohort’ of 15 participants. The programs comprise of the following elements:
Cohorts came together from different functions and countries to help build a network. The high levels of trust and psychological safety created exceeded expectations. This helped break down silos and enhanced collaboration and cross-functional awareness.

The work has been delivered virtually, plus face-to-face cohorts in Copenhagen and Germany. In 2023, leaders from 35 countries and 10 different business unit/functions have embarked on the programs.
Results are measured using surveys at the start, middle and end, and through capturing testimonials at the capstones. Engagement surveys will also show the program impact on both leaders and their teams.
Participant comments highlighting beneficial effects:
Participants share their experiences which has great impact on generating demand for places. The benefit of word-of-mouth recommendation has generated excitement, creating desire for more cohorts and different languages which we are delighted to continue to deliver for Ferring through 2024 and beyond.