Author: Kelly Shipley, Head of Talent
On 1st October, we did something special. We brought our global team together in person for the start of our annual networking and connection day. We met at our city centre venue in Manchester to connect, share, and identify priorities for 2026 and beyond.
Our day was facilitated by James Pickles, mental health advocate, wellbeing expert, and performance coach, who led an energizing session focused on:
- Networking: Exploring what we each do, and how the different initiatives and divisions in the business contribute to who we are.
- Building connection: How to harness team spirit and trust, even when we’re not in the same room, and how to support each other.
- Inputting into 2026 strategy: At a critical point in our year, we used the day to reflect and share thoughts on areas to focus on or prioritize for next year. The day provided the opportunity to hear from the fuller team on what is important to them.
The day was highly interactive and a lot of fun, thanks to James and his exceptional knowledge and passion.
Here is what the team had to say about it:
“I really enjoyed seeing all members of the team in one place and got the chance to speak to people I wouldn’t usually see face-to-face, which felt a lot more personal and will hopefully make future online interactions feel less ‘remote’. I also thought it was really valuable to be in groups with a range of roles, and I think hearing from different perspectives and roles benefited the whole team and added a new perspective on topics that we wouldn’t usually get within our role cohorts.”
“I had a great time coming in for this day. I got to see colleagues I’ve never met in person before, which was very exciting, and it was lovely to connect with everyone in the team finally. James ran a great session. I found it insightful to hear how other people’s days look and how they manage stress. And I took away a lot of tips on how to reduce stress in my own day and how to reach out to my colleagues for support.”
Thank you to everyone who made this happen, and to James for helping us bring our values to life.