The CEO Accelerator Programme, the premier leadership development platform for C-Suite leaders, organised its 3rd CEO Breakfast Retreat themed: ‘Adaptive Capacity: Assess, Adapt and Accelerate’, in partnership with TEMPLE Advisory and African Context Advisory Partners.
The CEO Accelerator Programme is a programme that supports C-suite leaders to embrace a bold, new leadership mind-set, and develop executive skills needed for running complex organisations in a rapidly changing environment. CEOs from different industries came together to connect and learn, celebrate their progress, and create new ways of leading.
The CEO Accelerator Programme currently has 45+ members in 6 Cohorts. CEOs who have completed their 12-month learning journey on the programme were also celebrated for their commitment to learning and developing their leadership.
Prof. Ato Essuman, Founding Dean, Faculty of Education and Entrepreneurship (IEE) at the Methodist University College of Ghana (MUCG), and member of the Council of State, Ghana, was the guest speaker. He shared lessons on his personal leadership journey in the public sector, private sector, church, leading corporate turnarounds, etc.
Speaking on the theme, he noted that: “The culture of an organisation is its personality and character. It affects the way people behave. The truth about corporate culture is that it revolves around the leaders of the organisation. So leaders must be consistent and lead the process of creating effective cultures which support organisational aspirations”.
A new addition to the 3rd CEO Breakfast Retreat was the introduction of a Wellness Lab segment. All CEOs present went through basic metabolism checks. This was facilitated by Kristyne Twum, CEO of Kedar Health & Wellness. There were lots of insights shared by Kristyne on executive health and wellness.
She stated that everyone’s metabolism age is expected to be 10 years younger than their actual ages. But most times, a lot of people tend to look older than their metabolism age due to stress and lack of physical activity. She advised leaders to manage their stress levels. Simple actions, such as drinking water throughout the day and not when thirsty, go a long way to help.
Speaking on the theme of ‘Adaptive Capacity’, the convener of the CEO Accelerator Programme and Chief Learning Strategist at TEMPLE Advisory Limited, Robert Marshall Bennin, observed that the theme captures succinctly the preparation, posture and perspective leaders need for the months ahead, given the COVID-19 crucible we experienced in the last 2 years.
He urged leaders not to just adapt to but also harvest wisdom and strength from the most trying experiences they have witnessed in the last 2 years. He also encouraged leaders to jettison ideas and perspectives that may not be fit for the future as we enter a brave new world. He admits that this requires humility, courage and discipline. And these 3 are core behaviours expected of every CEO on the CEO Accelerator Programme.
One of the members, Munnira Sheikh, CEO of Zenfusion Consultancy, commenting on the Retreat, said: “Thank you Robert for staging up the event so wonderfully. This leadership drive is par excellence. You are always able to infuse energy into such events”.
Mabel Nana Nyarkoa Porbley, MD of Saham Insurance Ghana, had this to say about the CEO Accelerator Programme: “I have learned so much from the programme. It is so thought-provoking, and there are a lot of things that, as executives, we take for granted and the programme helps to bring them up. It cuts across your well-being and culture – which are critical parts of corporate structure and staff engagement. You will be surprised how much you take for granted when it comes to that”.
Mr. Michael Bozumbil, CEO of PETROSOL Ghana Ltd., also appreciated the programme, saying: “The CEO Accelerator Programme has been very useful. It has validated some of the things that I have been doing as a CEO, and has encouraged me to do more of such. Mostly, the focus for me has been on the value and the culture aspect. What I have learned from this is that as a CEO, I am the Chief Culture Officer of the company.”
About the CEO Accelerator Programme
The CEO Accelerator Programme is a strategically curated network of highly capable C-Suite leaders who connect to share expertise, peer coach and challenge each other to accelerate personal and organisational transformation. Leaders on the CEO Accelerator Programme go through a 12-month learning journey that supports them to embrace a bold, new leadership mind-set, take control of their calendar and learn to adapt to a rapidly-changing environment.
The mission of the CEO Accelerator Programme is to build a cadre of highly capable leaders who will usher corporate Africa into a glorious future. We believe that the future of Africa is in the hands of those who lead our institutions. There are currently 6 cohorts with 45+ leaders from 20 different business sectors on the CEO Accelerator Programme. Each cohort is made up of 8 to 12 enterprise leaders.
The key principles underlying the design of the CEO Accelerator Programme are: Mission and Context Clarity; Practice and Reflection; and Peer Coaching and Accountability. Leaders on the programme are inspired by the African proverb which says that: “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together”. Visit our website https://ceoacceleratorprogram.org/ for more information.
