Wavelength Connect focuses on The Future of Business. We bring together leaders from sectors that would not normally interact and provide access to the world’s most admired, successful and innovative companies.
Wavelength Connect is our immersive executive education programme, focused on The Future of Business
Based on our core belief that leaders learn best from leaders, over nine months Wavelength Connect equips each cohort of 50 peers from different sectors and industries, with the insights, connections and energy to tackle the challenges and opportunities facing the world today.
Business models have been upended, the purpose of the office re-invented, the environmental crisis, geo-political instability, black lives matter, and the continued rise of China are all challenging the status quo. We are now a digitally native world, connected virtually, but increasingly disconnected on many other levels.
Never has it been tougher to be a leader and the need for a new type of leadership has never been more clear.
Nor has the need for a different kind of leadership programme.
Wavelength Connect is that programme.
We bring together leaders from worlds that would not normally interact and provide access to the world’s most admired, successful, innovative companies and leaders.
Together we explore the opportunities and challenges in the business landscape today, and turning those insights and lessons into tangible actions and new networks to ensure your leaders and business thrive now and into the future.
Wavelength Connect is underpinned by three pillars:
Inspiration
From Alibaba and Apple to Unilever and W.L. Gore, unparalleled global access to some of the world’s most progressive organisations.
Connection
50 peers from different industries and sectors learning together and from one another.
Application
Access to a dedicated executive coach shortens the timeline from inspiration to application.
Wavelength Connect 2023
Wavelength Connect is a unique executive education and leadership development programme, focused on the theme of The Future of Business.
Across nine months, we provide participants with the inspiration, education, provocation and knowledge to find solutions to core leadership and organisational challenges and to own and action them.
Ming Lee, Global Finance Director, Jaguar Land Rover
Connecting with fellow leaders from corporates, charities and government authorities was an enriching experience. Wavelength has awoken my consciousness on how I can make a difference in the world.
★★★★★
Suzy Hay, former Global Director Platforms & Partnerships, Guardian Media Group, now Global Director, Meta
Connect helped me navigate a time of profound change - for my industry, my company and for myself. It could not have come at a better time, and proved to be a real anchor and inspiration in a time of immense uncertainty.
★★★★★
Julia Mixter, Director of Transformation, Raven Housing Trust
Wavelength is a leadership programme with a difference – immersive, thought-provoking, inspiring and challenging. If you want a completely different learning experience, away from the traditional classroom – this is for you. Whether in a yurt deep in the countryside or touring around the country to look ‘behind the brand’ to learn from some of the most innovative and exciting brands, there is something to learn for everyone. Personally, it gave me inspiration and time to reflect on my leadership purpose; to consider the impact and outcome of each decision I am taking; to cut through the task list and really think about the value I am bringing to each interaction.
★★★★★
Frederico Santos, Executive Customer Director, Carglass Portugal
I have done the MBA, I have done the business school courses but Connect is in a league of its own. A truly powerful programme which has made me think differently about my leadership and my business.
★★★★★
Dave Lewis, CEO, Tesco
The USA programme worked extremely well and gave my team and I a great opportunity to connect with many entrepreneurs, businesses and ideas. We now approach innovation differently at Tesco from both an organisational and cultural perspective.
★★★★★
Francis Lake, former Head of Executive & Leadership Development and Talent, Clydesdale Yorkshire Building Society
Adrian really engaged and inspired our leaders. Along with the support he has provided through Connect and Wavelength USA this has moved on our thinking about leadership and purpose massively. He did a tremendous job at bringing together lessons from a really broad range of highly successful leaders. The blend of examples and stories helps people to absorb the ideas and think about application. And the session was also really entertaining!
★★★★★
Grant McPherson, former Executive Director, Manufacturing, Jaguar Land Rover, COO Royal Mail
Connecting with fellow leaders from corporate, charities and government authorities was an enriching experience. Wavelength Connect has awoken my consciousness on how I can make a difference in the world.
What's the Focus of Connect?
The principal theme of Connect is The Future of Business. We will explore this topic in depth from four core angles:
Global Perspectives on Innovation & Agility
The pandemic has reinforced the need for every business and every leader to be more agile, innovative, and externally aware. Participants will be provided with access to the world’s most innovative companies from Silicon Valley, China, and Israel to gain invaluable insights on innovation.
What are the new business models, technologies and consumer trends that every executive should be aware of?
How do you create and sustain an agile organisation?
What does it take to reinvent and reimagine incumbent businesses at speed?
Culture and Future Workforce
The way we work has changed irrevocably raising questions about how to lead a hybrid or virtual organisation.
We will explore how traditional ED&I and Resilience has been challenged by Black Lives Matter, gender diversity, and mental health issues.
How do you build a strong, diverse, and inclusive organisational culture?
How do you lead?
What is the purpose of the office now?
Where should you be looking to recruit the best talent?
The Responsible Organisation
Climate change is the biggest challenge facing humanity right now. We will explore how the world’s leading organisations are putting sustainability and social and environmental responsibility at the heart of their businesses.
What is the role of business in tackling climate change and rising inequality?
What does the advent of consumer activism mean?
What other societal challenges should business leaders consider?
Personal Leadership
We believe transformation starts with the individual so at the heart of and running throughout the programme we will hear personal leadership stories from some of the world’s most accomplished and inspirational leaders.
How do you remain resilient and resourceful during times of unprecedented change?
How do you lead a virtual or hybrid organisation?
How do you develop a powerful, relevant personal boardroom network of mentors, provocateurs, and allies?
What does it take to lead with and for purpose?
Who is Wavelength Connect for?
Wavelength Connect is designed for your best – your change agents, chief enthusiasts, connectors, and doers. Each year 50 leaders from leading FTSE 100 companies, social enterprises, charities and public sector agencies participate in Wavelength Connect. Entire executive teams, groups of leaders drawn from top talent pools and select individuals from the C-Suite have all previously participated. Whilst individuals can participate, Connect works optimally when organisations send a small and carefully selected cohort of this profile.
Time Commitment
Over the course of nine months each individual participant will attend:
10 days
of in-person events, and immersive visits;
1.5 days
of virtual global innovation modules;
7 hours
of Executive Coaching and Peer Working Groups
(delivered in bite-sized 60-90 minute sessions).
What’s the Curriculum?
Participants will engage with a rich, diverse curriculum which include the following core components:
In-Person Events
Dynamic and engaging, in person, 2-day events for the whole cohort, featuring highly accomplished leaders from diverse worlds speaking on our core themes of:
Global Perspectives on Innovation & Agility
Innovation
Culture & Future Workforce
Personal Leadership
Recent speakers include senior leaders from Airbnb, Guardian Media Group, Unilever, The Football Association, IKEA, Timpsons, and Page Group.
Immersive Behind the Brand Visits
Wavelength opens the doors to the boardrooms and shop floors of a dynamic mix of iconic brands and hidden gems for participants to experience first-hand how they create and sustain brilliant customer service, recruit and retain great talent, innovate and excel in an online omni-channel world.
Our hosts have included: Apple, LEGO, Liverpool Football Club, IKEA, Four Seasons, Pret A Manger, BBC, Guardian Media Group, Abcam, and Eden Project.
3-Day Rural Retreat
Held at stunning eco-conference centre with spacious internal rooms, an outdoor amphitheatre, lake, and hundreds of acres of farmland for walkie-talkies.
The retreat will be designed to drive deep connectivity amongst the cohort and provide opportunity for them to meet their coaches.
The three days will be punctuated with regular injections of inspiration from highly accomplished business leaders on topics such as:
Personal Purpose
Resilience and Resourcefulness
Equality Diversity and Inclusion
Recent speakers include senior leaders from Unilever, Netflix, BBC, W.L. Gore & Associates, Women of the World Festival, Samaritans, and Aravind Eye Care System.
Up Close & Virtual Global Modules
Up Close & Virtual sessions live from China, Silicon Valley, India and Israel focusing on:
Global Perspectives on Innovation & Agility
Recent speakers include senior leaders from Alibaba, Netflix, Apple, Amazon, Salesforce, Team8, JD.com, Google, and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and commentators.
Coaching to Action Sessions
Delivered in partnership with the Academy of Executive Coaching (AoEC), individual sessions with an executive coach help each participant to translate the insights and learnings into concrete actions for their organisations.
Each participant has four 90 minute sessions across the duration of the programme.
Peer Working Groups
Small working groups bringing together participants from different organisations and sectors designed to foster connectivity, draw out key insights, and land key learnings.
