Leadership Development Programme for Vice Presidents at a Global Financial Services Firm
Overview
A global financial services organisation sought to strengthen leadership capability within its Vice President population.
The organisation recognised that individuals at this level were moving from technical expertise into broader leadership responsibilities. Many were now responsible for influencing stakeholders, leading teams, and driving strategic initiatives.
PreSSense was engaged to design a leadership development programme that would strengthen leadership capability while connecting development directly to real organisational challenges.
The Challenge
Vice Presidents sit at a critical point within many organisations. They are expected to deliver strong performance within their teams while also contributing to broader strategic initiatives.
The organisation wanted to create a programme that would:
Strengthen leadership capability within the VP population
Encourage cross-functional collaboration across business areas
Move beyond traditional classroom training
Connect development directly to real organisational priorities
A key requirement was that participants should apply their learning to real business challenges rather than theoretical case studies.
The Approach
PreSSense designed a structured leadership programme combining capability development with a strategic project component.
Participants developed leadership capability through focused sessions on communication, influence, strategic thinking, and decision-making.
Alongside these sessions, participants worked in cross-functional teams on strategic project challenges designed to address real organisational opportunities.
The project component became a central feature of the programme.
Teams were asked to:
Identify opportunities for improvement across the organisation
Explore how new approaches or technologies could support future development
Develop structured proposals and recommendations
Participants then presented their proposals to senior stakeholders.
This approach ensured the programme combined leadership development with meaningful organisational impact.
The Outcome
The programme created strong engagement from participants and senior stakeholders.
The project component encouraged collaboration across departments and enabled participants to apply leadership capability in real organisational contexts.
Key outcomes included:
Strong engagement across the VP participant group
Increased collaboration across business functions
Practical proposals generated by project teams
Senior stakeholder engagement in programme outcomes
The programme demonstrated how leadership development can be strengthened when learning is connected directly to real organisational challenges.