How long does it take to design and launch a leadership academy?

Timelines vary depending on the complexity of the brief, the number of participants and the level of customisation required. A simple, single-level academy can be designed and launched in eight to twelve weeks. A multi-level, global academy with custom content, blended delivery and managed services typically requires three to six months of design and piloting before full scale rollout.

What does a blended leadership academy include?

A blended academy combines multiple learning formats into a coherent journey. Typically this includes virtual instructor-led sessions, in-person facilitation, digital learning assets, peer learning activities, coaching support and reflection tools. The right blend depends on your participants, your culture and your operational context.

How does Hemsley Fraser ensure consistency across different regions and cultures?

We use standardised programme materials that create a consistent learning experience regardless of location, delivered by our global faculty of expert facilitators who understand local cultural context. We do not rely on local adaptation to bridge the gap. We design for global from the start, then allow facilitators to bring local relevance within that consistent framework.

How do you measure the success of a leadership academy?

We design measurement into the academy architecture from the start. Typical measures include 180-degree behaviour change surveys at the start and end of each level, participant satisfaction tracking across all cohorts, manager observation of behaviour change on the job, and longer-term business outcome measures such as retention, engagement and internal promotion rates.

Leadership development at scale

Build a leadership academy that develops your people from frontline to executive

A leadership academy is not a course catalogue. It is a structured, multi-level capability programme designed to develop leaders consistently across your organisation, whether you have 500 people or 50,000.

The organisations that build great leadership academies share a common belief: that leadership capability is a strategic asset, not a training expense. They invest in developing leaders at every level, from first-time managers stepping into people leadership for the first time, through to senior executives shaping organisational strategy and culture. Hemsley Fraser has been designing and delivering leadership academies for global enterprises for over 30 years. We bring the design expertise, global faculty, blended delivery infrastructure and managed services that make a multi-level leadership academy possible at scale.

What a leadership academy includes

A Hemsley Fraser leadership academy is built around your organisation. There is no standard template because the right academy depends on your culture, your leadership challenges and what good leadership looks like in your specific context.

That said, every academy we design includes five core elements:

1) A clear leadership framework

We start by defining what great leadership looks like in your organisation across every level. This is grounded in our 10 core leadership capabilities and adapted to reflect your values, your strategy and the specific behaviours that matter most for your people.

2) Blended delivery that fits real working life

We combine virtual instructor-led sessions, in-person delivery and digital reinforcement into a coherent learning journey. Our Excite, Engage, Embed, Evolve methodology ensures every element is designed to drive lasting behaviour change rather than short-term knowledge transfer.

3) Global delivery with local relevance

For organisations operating across multiple regions, we provide consistent programme delivery across geographies, using a global faculty of expert facilitators who understand local cultural context. We deliver in 70+ languages across 90+ countries.

4) Measurement built in from the start

We design measurement into the academy architecture before delivery begins. That typically means 180-degree behaviour change surveys, participant satisfaction tracking and longer-term outcome measures tied to the business goals the academy was designed to serve.

5) A multi-level structure from front-line to executive

A leadership academy is not a single programme. It is a connected series of development experiences that build capability progressively, from frontline managers developing confidence in their first people leadership role through to senior executives strengthening strategic influence and organisational culture.

Who we build leadership academies for

We work with large and complex organisations that need leadership capability to be consistent across every level and every region. Our clients include global enterprises in financial services, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, energy, FMCG and professional services.

A leadership academy is the right solution if your organisation is facing any of these challenges:

Leadership capability is inconsistent across regions, teams or levels. Managers are being promoted into leadership roles without the skills or confidence to lead effectively. There is no shared understanding of what good leadership looks like across the organisation. Senior leaders are not developing fast enough to keep pace with organisational change. You need a scalable, repeatable leadership development model that grows with the business.

A recent partnership

A global FMCG dairy cooperative with nearly 20,000 employees across 21 countries needed to upskill 1,900 managers as part of a major business transformation. Their new CEO had restructured the organisation, transferring people management responsibilities directly to managers who were not yet equipped to lead effectively.

We designed and delivered a 20-week blended leadership programme combining virtual and in-person instructor-led sessions, digital reinforcement and a comprehensive participant hub.

Read the full story

We love to measure impact

Making a positive difference to business goals

Example outcomes that we’ve seen include…

Greystar manager development programme

Impact on performance / engagement 90%; 24% improvement in performance & productivity; 35% reduction in the likelihood of employees leaving.

BAE custom development programme

As a result seen reduced attrition, 93% stating they intend to be at BAE in 12 months, & increase in female hires.

Multinational oil and gas company programme

Hogan 360° tracked indicators showed leaders who completed LEAD showed significant improvement across all measured leadership dimensions.

CCEP leadership programme

Participants were asked to rate how likely they were to recommend CCEP as a great place to work, before & after attending the programme (measured via NPS). Prior to attending, scores +35.1 points, after scores increased to +56.8.

Frequently asked questions

Building a leadership academy is a significant investment. Here are the questions we hear most often.

A leadership academy is a structured, multi-level capability programme designed to develop leaders consistently across an organisation. Unlike a single training programme or course catalogue, an academy provides a connected series of development experiences that build leadership capability progressively from frontline managers to senior executives, aligned to the organisation's values, strategy and definition of great leadership.

Thinking about building a leadership academy

We would love to talk. Whether you have a clear brief or are still working out what you need, our team can help you think through the design, the delivery model and what success looks like for your organisation.

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