The Mind at Work has helped inspire 25 international senior executives at a ground-breaking Strategy with Purpose programme, delivered in partnership with the MIP Graduate Business School of Milan.

The three-day course was designed and delivered by The Mind at Work leadership team in collaboration with long-standing business partners Arrigo Berni, who is the Chairman of Moleskine; Axel Miller, who serves as Chairman of Carmeuse SA and Manfredi Ricca, the Global Chief Strategy Officer at Interbrand.

Academics from the School of Management at the Politecnico di Milano, which is the largest technical university in Italy, also contributed to the programme that sought to reconcile purpose and value creation in building iconic companies.

Pascale Ascher, who steered the programme alongside fellow The Mind at Work founding director Darren Rudkin, said: 

“In today’s corporate world, true long-standing success takes much more than just making profits with companies increasingly expected to have an impact and create value for multiple stakeholders inside and outside of the company.

“This requires companies to reach a higher purpose, one that transcends profit maximisation and positively impacts people and society.

“This course has been designed to benefit leaders with the ability and willingness to shape the strategy of an organisation, whether it a for-profit company or a not-for-profit organisation, and build healthier and higher performing organisations, defined by a higher purpose.”

The three days included a mix of experiential learning, inspiring talks, active discussions, a deep dive experience of iconic companies and active mentoring from academic and business experts in the application of learning.

The programme began by exploring the relationship between higher purpose and individual choices and actions in becoming purpose-led leaders.  Day two focussed upon the power of purpose in creating brand strength and the role of culture in delivering meaningful brand value. The final day then moved into an investigation into the relationship between what an organisation does and why and how this is delivered; before exploring the role of strategy in bringing purpose to life.

Follow-up mentoring sessions with participants will also take place in 2020 to provide practical support in the development of purposeful organisational strategies.

Pascale added: “It was an honour and a privilege for us to work with so many forward-thinking business leaders and to help inspire them towards seeing new possibilities for leading their companies with an elevated purpose.”