National Trust

National Trust prepared to embark on an ambitious new strategy in 2025 - expanding into more complex projects with new partners. The organisation identified a crucial need to strengthen its senior and executive leaders’ capabilities in project sponsorship. 

This new direction requires leaders who can sponsor the most significant and strategically demanding initiatives, ensuring that the organisation has the capacity to manage high-stake projects with confidence and proficiency. Having previously established foundational sponsorship training in-house - which is now being extended to the broader leadership team - National Trust sought a partner to provide advanced development for a select group of senior leaders.

Requirements

National Trust's vision for the future involves:

• Tackling increasingly complex projects that require navigating diverse stakeholder interests
• Managing strategic risk
• Adapting to an evolving operational landscape.

These projects demand leaders with advanced capabilities, especially in handling ambiguous, high-impact challenges. National Trust recognised that foundational knowledge alone would not suffice for the unique demands of these strategic initiatives.

It needed a programme tailored to senior leaders who could step into the role of project sponsor for complex projects. National Trust required leaders who could serve as change navigators during a period of organisational transformation. 

Solution

AMBS was chosen to develop their programme, bringing expertise in project leadership and shared organisational values to the initiative. The National Trust chose to work with AMBS because of the School's

• Strong reputation
• Expertise in project leadership
• Commitment to a practical, action-oriented learning approach.

What set AMBS apart was not only its academic credentials but also the alignment with National Trust's values. This shared focus on effective, real-world learning and a mutual understanding of their goals gave the National Trust confidence that AMBS was the ideal partner. They could help drive their leadership development and make an immediate, lasting impact on their ability to manage significant change.

Equipping leaders for the future

Nick Sharpe, Project and Programme Development Specialist at National Trust, said: "Our new strategy is bold and ambitious, aiming to restore nature across the country, end unequal access to heritage and nature, and inspire millions to care about these things.

"We wanted to set ourselves up to succeed in these goals by investing in our project leadership capability. AMBS have been the perfect partner, furthering our thinking with first class insights, and developing a cadre of Sponsors at the Trust who are ready to lead the brilliant projects that will realise our long term goals."

The programme was designed to deepen leaders' understanding and equip them with advanced tools for project sponsorship. It would enable them to drive impactful results and lay a strong foundation for the National Trust's strategic goals. Building on the foundational training leaders had already received, the programme focused on cultivating high-level sponsorship capabilities for complex projects. It was structured to address three key areas:

• Best practices in managing complex project demands
• Stakeholder leadership in intricate scenarios
• Agility in change management during uncertain and volatile phases.

AMBS's commitment to practical, action-oriented learning ensured that leaders not only gained theoretical insights but also had opportunities to apply them to real-world challenges.

The programme was led by world-leading academics from AMBS, and workshops encompassed a range of critical topics, including:

• Personal leadership
• Challenges in leading complex projects
• Effective sponsorship of complex project
• Engaging stakeholders in a complex environment
• Leading in complexity, risk, and uncertainty.

Programme impact

The programme established a robust foundation for senior leaders who are ready to sponsor and lead National Trust's most challenging projects.

Equipped with the advanced skills to manage complexity, guide stakeholders, and navigate uncertainty, these leaders now serve as the driving force behind the National Trust's most significant change initiatives. National Trust is now well-positioned to embrace their upcoming strategy with confidence, agility, and a reinforced capacity to handle its most ambitious projects.

This investment in leadership development not only ensures a higher standard of project sponsorship within the National Trust, but also builds a framework for sustainable growth and adaptation as the organisation moves toward its strategic goals for 2025 and beyond.

Learn more about customised programmes at AMBS