Leadership built across a global culture.

Challenge

Mergers and acquisitions have helped the Ardagh Group multiply in size six times in less than seven years and given the global packaging business a staff of 19,000 spread across 25 countries.

But with that growth came the challenge of ensuring that standards, staff development and organisational leadership stayed consistent across an immensely diverse workforce, and that one corporate culture could bind together numerous countries and a varying set of operations.

Process

Ardagh went in search of a training programme strong enough to succeed across language, culture and specialisms, and found it with the Leadership Trust.

We helped them put in place a five stage Development Journey designed to help leaders during all the keys steps in their career and abilities.

Outcomes

Specific to Ardagh’s needs was a programme that could enhance the leadership skills of its management teams across the world so they could engage with and empower staff whatever region or discipline they were working in.

It needed to encourage cross-cultural working and be able to handle issues such as succession planning, unlocking team potential, and focusing on priorities.

Yet it also had to be flexible enough to allow managers to join at the most appropriate moment in their career and be robust enough to counter the pressures felt within a fast-moving, highly competitive industry.

Feedback

Geri Stewart, Group People Development Manager for Ardagh said:

“We are still in the early stages, but having delivered the Leadership Foundations programme in five countries and four languages over the last six months, the feedback has been extremely positive. This programme has allowed us to train managers who then deliver the same programme in their own language and country, validated by the Leadership Trust. This will help us develop our talent pipeline and be fit for future growth.”