How employers are rethinking the future of leadership

In a recent City & Guilds Employer Community webinar, we explored how employers are rethinking leadership for the future with panellists Daniel Brooks from JD Group and Michaela Beauchamp from Sperry Marine.

From emotional intelligence and inclusive design to AI-powered coaching and global scalability, the session offered practical advice for L&D leaders navigating change and challenge.

If you’re short on time, we’ve summarised the key insights from the discussion below. You can also access the full recording and slides.

Watch the webinar recording     Download the webinar slides

The leadership landscape: What’s changing?

Leadership development is always evolving, but right now, there are some powerful changes underway. As Paula Gibson, Account Director at The Oxford Group (a part of City & Guilds) explained in her opening comments, only 36% of leadership programmes are considered ‘future-ready’. That’s not just a statistic – it’s a wake-up call.

‘Many organisations are leaning into outdated models,’ Paula said. ‘In a world where agility, innovation and human-centred leadership are critical, we need to rethink how we shape and equip leaders.’

From hybrid teams and cross-time zone collaboration to the rise of Gen Z leaders and AI disruption, the demands on today’s managers are more complex than ever. Leaders are no longer just executing established plans – they’re expected to inspire, adapt, coach and deliver results, often simultaneously.

But there’s an opportunity here. With all these changes, the challenge is to take full advantage of them to make leadership development more impactful, inclusive and future-focused – with a strong emphasis on behavioural change, emotional intelligence and real-world application.

JD Group: Building leadership from the ground upwards

For Daniel Brooks, People Development Lead at JD Group, the journey began with a challenge: a fast-growing global business with 90,000+ employees, but no consistent leadership framework.

‘People were promoted based on technical or subject matter expertise, not leadership capability,’ Daniel explained. ‘They had very little time or support for them to get to grips with their new roles. That led to issues with retention, morale and strategic alignment.’

To address this, JD Group developed a tiered leadership development roadmap, aligned with business goals and built around bespoke programmes Assured by ILM, a part of City & Guilds.

They also introduced new ‘Leadership Labs’ – monthly, experimental spaces where leaders can try new approaches, share challenges and learn from peers.

‘Leadership Labs are different every time,’ Daniel said. ‘Sometimes we bring in internal experts, sometimes external ones – even police hostage negotiators. It’s about creating a safe space to experiment and grow.’

The results speak for themselves: a 4% rise in leadership engagement scores across the global workforce – a significant shift in a business of JD’s scale.

Sperry Marine: Designing leadership programmes from a blank canvas

At Sperry Marine, Michaela Beauchamp faced a different challenge – but one just as exciting. Brought in as Head of Learning and Development, she was tasked with building the L&D strategy from scratch.

Her approach to designing a new leadership programme was methodical and inclusive. It began with a clear vision and mission, focused on developing high-potential leaders to support retention and succession.

Key steps included:

• Defining success measures early – including engagement scores, promotion rates and 360 feedback.
• Using the ‘strengthen, stretch, move’ model to assess readiness and aspirations.
• Running a diagnostic phase to identify skills gaps and future needs.
• Designing a blended learning programme with PDPs, mentoring, experiential learning and tailored resources.

Michaela also emphasised the importance of supporting those not selected for leadership programmes. At a previous organisation, she introduced a programme that was a condensed version of the main offer, open to all. ‘It helped keep people motivated and gave them the experience needed to succeed in the future,’ she said.

Tips for evolving your own L&D offering

The panel shared a wealth of practical advice for L&D professionals looking to evolve their leadership offer:

1. Co-create with local teams

Daniel stressed the importance of stakeholder co-creation when scaling programmes globally. ‘Don’t just say “Well, we’ll move it over and see how it goes”,’ he warned. ‘Partner with local teams to understand unique cultural and operational needs before you launch.’

2. Use AI to enhance, not replace

JD Group is using AI in two powerful ways:

• AI coaching bots trained in ethical practice, offering on-demand support to leaders.
• AI avatars for roleplay and feedback, allowing leaders to practise difficult conversations in a safe environment.

For them, it’s not about replacing human connection - it’s about freeing up time and creating safe spaces to learn, make mistakes and try again.

3. Leverage internal expertise

Michaela recommended tapping into internal role models – people who really embody the company value or behaviours – to run workshops or sponsor projects. ‘It’s good for their development too,’ she noted, ‘and can help if your programme is restricted by budget’.

4. Embed leadership development into daily work

Importantly, leadership development must be ongoing and embedded, not confined to one-off events. ‘It’s about creating a culture where feedback, clear metrics and smarter technology are part of the everyday,’ Paula added.

To hear more from Daniel and Michaela – including their thoughts on diversity, global scalability and the role of emotional intelligence – watch the full webinar below.

Watch the webinar recording

How City & Guilds can help

Whether your organisation wants to develop leadership and management capabilities through qualifications, apprenticeships or in-house training, we have expertise to partner with you across the full range of skills solutions.

• Training quality assurance and consultancy

If you have an established in-house leadership or management development programme, or you’re thinking of setting one up, we can work with you to ensure it exceeds expectations. Our expert consultants can support every aspect of your internally developed training, from planning your workforce development strategy to quality assuring your programme, reviewing your assessment processes and evaluating your return on investment.

• Leadership consultancy

For over 35 years, The Oxford Group (a part of City & Guilds) has been partnering with ambitious organisations to develop the skills, behaviours and mindsets their leaders and managers need to drive productivity, innovation and growth. Our global network of experienced consultants work with you to craft bespoke, innovative leadership development programmes that are enriched with evidence-based approaches and impactful results.

• Qualifications, apprenticeships and ready-to-run workshops

If you’re looking for flexible learning routes and a focus on practical skills for leaders and managers, you need ILM (a part of City & Guilds). Their suite includes globally recognised qualifications from Level 2 to Level 7, apprenticeships from Level 3 to Level 7 and ready-to-run leadership skills workshops for in-house delivery.