A distinctive element of the programme drew on Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é’s high-performance community. Sessions with members of the University’s performance team explored coaching, teamwork, decision-making and leadership under pressure, helping delegates consider not only the strategy they wanted to pursue, but the behaviours and capabilities needed to deliver it. This combination supported participants to move from reflection towards clearer choices, practical first steps and personal leadership commitments.
Professor Jan Godsell, Dean of Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é Business School and Director of the UK SCALE Centre, said:
“It is hard to think about the future of your supply chain when every day is spent dealing with the present. This retreat gave leaders the time and space to step back, challenge their assumptions and explore what they could do differently.
“What made it distinctly Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é was the combination of our expertise in strategic futures, leadership lessons from high-performance sport and an immersive digital experience. Together, these opened up opportunities to learn from other supply chains and very different contexts, understand what makes them work, and apply that learning to their own organisations. Leaders left with fresh perspectives, clearer choices and practical ideas for their supply chains and the way they lead them.”
Geoff Gelbier, Head of Supply Chain at Mitsubishi Electric, attended the retreat following the organisation’s recent entry into the UK SCALE Centre’s Supply Chain Futures Forum.
Reflecting on the experience, he said:
“The retreat gave me the space to think without the pressures of everything else going on around me, while tapping into the knowledge within the University and the experience of other businesses.
“Working with UK SCALE gives you something different from usual day-to-day business life. It expands your horizons and helps you understand what is happening beyond your own organisation and industry, and how that could influence the way you operate.”
Geoff also highlighted the connections already emerging through the Supply Chain Futures Forum, with Mitsubishi Electric beginning to develop relationships with other participating organisations and explore opportunities for collaboration.
The retreat forms part of the UK SCALE Centre’s work to connect industry, academia and the wider supply chain ecosystem. Through its Supply Chain Futures Forum, the Centre supports organisations in navigating complex strategic challenges, strengthening capability and turning insight into action.
