A new lens on recruitment
Hiring for personality, not just a CV.
The Director of Happiness
Your day begins with a challenge to conventional management theory. You’ll sit down with the team, including their Director of Happiness, to understand how they move beyond standard HR processes. You’ll explore how they recruit for personality over experience, how they use the “Happy Index” to measure culture in real time, and why they’ve built a management structure that gives branch staff the authority to make decisions on the spot.
The Shop Floor Reality
The insight isn’t in the boardroom; it’s in the branches. We take you off-site to visit multiple locations, from high-street shops to pods in supermarkets, so you can see the model in action and witness the results of their visibility-first leadership.
You’ll talk to branch managers who are trusted to run their shops as if they own them, and see how Timpson holds consistency across very different businesses, from Timpson to Max Spielmann, without stifling the local touch that keeps customers coming back.
Purpose as a Business Driver
You’ll spend time with the Timpson Foundation to understand how they’ve turned social inclusion into a powerful recruitment stream. This isn’t CSR; it’s a core operational pillar that has built loyalty and changed lives. It’s a direct, practical lesson in how a business can take on social responsibility and become stronger, more profitable, and more human because of it.
The day closes with a look at the future: how Timpson manages growth, adopts new technology like AI, and protects its unique culture as it expands.
What your leaders take away
Tools for trust
How to move from command-and-control to genuine autonomy.
The power of visibility
Why your leaders need to be where the work happens.
Culture as a competitive advantage
How to make your values felt, not just displayed on a wall.
Last week the Health Services Executive Team and I had the pleasure of visiting Alder Hey Children’s Hospital for a tour and a visit to their Innovation Hub, led by Dr Iain Hennessey and team. It was incredibly impressive and I really enjoyed spending time in another healthcare organisation, seeing and learning about how they are delivering excellence in innovation. The hospital puts patients and their families at the heart of every decision they make and actions they take, making the environment as welcoming as possible, including things like the smell and look of different areas to make the children feel comfortable. They also have no sirens when the ambulances arrive so not to distress any of the patients.
The day was organised by Wavelength in partnership with Alder Hey, Adrian Simpson from Wavelength helped facilitate a great session where we were able to share ideas around patient centricity and innovation and look for ways in which we can continue to develop the healthcare we deliver for our own patients and customers. Huge thank you to the hospital and Wavelength for an amazing day it has certainly inspired us!
I feel grateful, inspired and humbled by the incredible work of Alder Hey Innovation led by Iain Hennessey and his team. Their customer obsession, outside the box thinking and bravery in pushing the boundaries of technology to save the lives of children faster and better is refreshing and inspiring. Aldermore Bank shares a unique connection in the name, which symbolises strength, confidence and determination. I’m really proud to be part of this business and am filled with hope for how we can take and implement learnings from Alder Hey to create more value for our customers.
Alder Hey is one of the best development experiences that I’ve ever had. I would highly recommend this day for leaders and innovation teams who want a fresh perspective on the connection between purpose and innovation.
A completely uplifting and inspiring experience - a radical lesson in how to make innovation part of organisational culture.