Scaling leadership development across three regions, sustained for over nine years. 

How Hemsley Fraser helped one of the world's most recognised global spirits companies build a consistent leadership culture across APAC, EMEA and the UK, without flattening the diversity that makes the business what it is.

250+

leaders developed globally 

9+

years of continued partnership 

17

cohorts delivered 

4.8/5

 average participant rating, consistently 
Top_20_Leadership_2026

The organisation

One of the world's most recognised global spirits companies, known for some of the world's most celebrated spirits brands, operates across APAC, EMEA and the UK, with people speaking different languages and working in different cultures. Hemsley Fraser has partnered with the organisation since 2016. 
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The challenge

The organisation needed a leadership programme that could travel: one that would build a consistent leadership culture across every level of the business, without flattening the diversity that makes the business what it is. With people spread across three regions, working in different languages and cultures, a single, purely translated programme risked losing meaning and relevance the further it travelled from its country of origin. 

The solution

Hemsley Fraser, in close collaboration with the organisation, designed and delivered Leadership Essentials, a bespoke programme blending face-to-face and virtual learning to create a consistent, high-impact experience wherever people are based. 
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  • Four interconnected modules, Leading Self, Leading Individuals, Leading Teams and Coaching, building the self-awareness, communication and capability leaders need to bring out the best in their people

  • Delivered in English (UK and US) and Simplified Chinese, a deliberate choice to keep the experience meaningful, not just translated

  • Blended face-to-face and virtual delivery, designed to hold consistency across three regions rather than varying by location

Results

  • 250+ leaders developed globally across APAC, EMEA and the UK

  • 17 cohorts delivered since the programme began in 2016

  • Average participant rating has held at 4.8 out of 5, consistently, across nine years

  • Programme refreshed in 2019 to stay aligned with the organisation's evolving leadership framework, and the partnership has since grown to include targeted Presentation Skills and Storytelling sessions for a specific regional team

What made this work

  • Building a genuinely global programme designed to travel, not translated content bolted onto a single template

  • Deliberately delivering in Simplified Chinese rather than relying on English alone, to keep the experience meaningful rather than merely accessible

  • Refreshing the programme in 2019 rather than leaving it static, keeping it aligned with how the organisation's leadership framework evolved

  • Growing the partnership beyond the core programme into targeted, team-specific skills work as new needs emerged

The original four-module design reflects Excite and Engage, building self-awareness and genuine engagement across Leading Self, Leading Individuals and Leading Teams, while the 2019 refresh and the addition of targeted regional sessions reflect Embed and Evolve, the programme adapting and deepening its impact well beyond its original launch.

"17 cohorts in. 250+ leaders across three regions. A 4.8/5 rating that hasn't wavered. That's not just a successful programme, it's evidence of what happens when development stays genuinely relevant to the people doing it." 

FAQs

Building a leadership programme that holds its quality across regions, languages and years is a significant undertaking. Here are the questions organisations most commonly ask us before they start.

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Meaningful delivery takes more than translation. This programme is delivered in English (UK and US) and Simplified Chinese specifically, a deliberate choice made to keep the experience relevant to how people in each region actually work, rather than relying on English alone across every market. 

Building leadership development that travels?

If you're looking to build a consistent leadership culture across regions, languages and years, without flattening what makes your business distinct, we'd love to talk. Get in touch to find out how we can design and deliver a programme built around your organisation's specific challenges. 
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