Darren Evans in conversation with Lindsay Hutchinson and Kathryn Daniel. The Engine Room is teaming up with The University of Huddersfield to host their next Research in Conversation session on 18 June.
Join us for a breakfast networking event on Thursday 18th June from 08:30-10:00 at the 3M Buckley Innovation Centre – designed for managers, directors and senior leaders faced with a shadow of the past but responsibility for the future.
Exploring the topic of organisational ghosts and the role they play in driving or stifling continued success, this relaxed, straight-talking morning will combine honest reflections with real-world examples and practical insights for attendees to apply in their own organisations.
Explaining the theme in a little more detail, The Engine Room’s founder and managing director Darren Evans, said: “Businesses, like people, carry echoes of their past – values, behaviours and personalities that shape the present long after early leaders have stepped aside.
“But do these previous successes, long-held traditions, and inherited ways of working act as powerful anchors that support progress, or invisible constraints that hold organisations back? That’s the topic we will start to unpick in the second instalment of the University’s Research in Conversation event.”
Having worked alongside family businesses large and small, as well as ambitious start ups, vast global enterprises and local authorities, The Engine Room has seen ‘organisational ghosts’ in multiple settings.
If you catch your team saying “we’ve always done it this way”, or “we didn’t get to where we are now by doing things differently”, you have ghosts,” Darren continued. “Sometimes these ghosts reinforce brand consistency, and they can act as protective barriers against risky decisions. But times move on, markets evolve and people change, so organisations need to adapt too.
“A business can be traditional and cutting-edge at the same time, but it takes work.”
Darren will be joined by Lindsay Hutchinson, a senior marketer who has spearheaded change in a traditional, well-established, almost 200-year-old business – our client, William Smith Group 1832. She – and they – recognised that they could not rely on heritage alone to drive future success, and her learnings will form a key part of the conversation on June 18th.
Also on ‘stage’ will be Kathryn Daniel, from Huddersfield-headquartered family business, Paxman. An accomplished senior marketing manager who joined the company in 2002, she leads the marketing function for Paxman’s key markets of the US, Canada, and the UK.
Tickets are free but pre-registration is required via Eventbrite.
Alongside the main conversation, you’ll have time to connect with local professionals, enjoy a relaxed breakfast, and continue the discussion through informal networking.
