TST — AtkinsRéalis Leadership Event

Case study

The
challenge

AtkinsRéalis is one of the world's leading engineering and professional services firms. The launch of Vision 35 -- a bold, decade-long new growth strategy -- had already been introduced to the organisation's leaders at a gathering and shared more broadly at a company-wide forum. The strategy itself was known. The next challenge? Activation.

Running parallel to the strategy launch, AtkinsRéalis had also made a significant structural change with the formation of a new Vision Leadership Group (VLG). The brief to TST? Design and own one day of a two-day leadership event that would shift this newly formed VLG from understanding Vision 35 to personally committing to it.

Case study

The
solution

TST designed a full-day immersive experience built around a single, precise red thread: Vision 35 - Driving to Growth. The metaphor was Formula 1: Like an elite F1 team, AtkinsRéalis' success depended on three interdependent elements continuously improving together: the car (the strategy), the driver (each leader), and the wider team (the people they led and collaborated with).

The metaphor was precise and purposeful. A single 2-inch domino can topple another 50% taller than itself, and a line of dominoes, each progressively larger, can eventually bring down something the size of the Tower of Pisa. The message to leaders was unmistakeable: small, intentional actions, done consistently, become force multipliers for performance across the entire organisation. Their role was to identify and commit to their personal "lead domino": the one behaviour or action within their remit that would tip the greatest change.

Case study

The
experience

The day was designed to make that framework visceral. Leaders arrived to a conference room fully transformed: Scalextric tracks running around the perimeter of the room, a digital leaderboard on screen, F1 race photography on the walls, and a "Vision 35" cap waiting at each seat. The day unfolded across three learning sections:

A bespoke Friction Matrix mounted on a lazy susan at each table. Leaders applied the framework to a live AtkinsRéalis business scenario before competing to diagnose where friction was accelerating or inhibiting growth.

Participants used inversion goggles to experience firsthand how the brain resists change. An Alpine F1 guest speaker brought the Growth Matrix to life through a personal story of unlearning, before leaders applied the framework to identify how to move through discomfort to eventually perform well.

Leaders equipped with practical tools: GRPI (for diagnosing root causes of collaboration breakdowns), Empathy Mapping (for understanding collaborators' perspectives), and Extreme Ownership (for taking responsibility across spheres beyond direct remit).

Running throughout was a gamified competition: teams accumulated points via Podium Thinking cards, live F1 quiz rounds, and the opening Scalextric race. The day closed with a CEO keynote, a highlights video montage, and a full-team photograph.

Case study

Bespoke
materials

Bespoke branded physical materials were designed and produced by TST's creative team, reinforcing the conference identity throughout the room and giving every leader a personal takeaway that embodied the day's message.