Client Spotlight

Preparing Future Leaders in Financial Services

A leading international financial services organization partnered with The Humphrey Group to strengthen the communication capabilities of emerging leaders in its rotational leadership development program. Through Speaking as a Leader®, participants built the skills to communicate with greater clarity, presence, and impact as they gained exposure to senior leaders and took on greater responsibility. The program delivered measurable growth:

Participants' ability to convey a strong physical and verbal leadership presence increased by 67%
Participants' ability to create powerful, message-driven communication increased by 30%.
Participants' ability to conclude interactions with a clear call to action increased by 58%.
Participants' ability to plan for critical conversations and navigate them effectively increased by 20%

Meet the Client

Financial Industry | 68,000 Employees | Global

This client is a leading international financial services organization providing insurance, wealth, asset management, and health solutions to millions of clients around the world. With operations across 28 markets and more than 68,000 employees, the organization has built a global business around helping people achieve greater financial security and well-being.

Recognizing the potential of its early-career talent, this client created a three-year Rotational Leadership Development Program designed to prepare high-potential employees for future leadership opportunities. Participants rotate through three distinct roles across the business, building broad organizational knowledge while taking on stretch opportunities and gaining exposure to senior leaders and executives.

As participants entered the second year of the program, their responsibilities and exposure were growing. They began increasingly communicating with stakeholders at varied levels of leadership, including executives. The organization recognized an opportunity to complement their growing business experience with the communication skills they would need to influence others, tailor messages to different audiences, and speak with clarity, confidence, and presence.

By investing in these capabilities early, the organization aimed to equip participants to make a greater impact in their roles today while continuing to prepare them for greater leadership responsibility in the future.

To develop these critical communication skills, the client partnered with The Humphrey Group to deliver our Speaking as a Leader® learning experience. Offered annually, this program is specifically tailored for second-year participants in the rotational leadership development program.

The two-day program focused on the communication moments increasingly important to participants as their responsibilities expanded. Through practical tools, hands-on exercises, and feedback, participants strengthened their ability to structure message-driven communication, support ideas with relevant evidence, conclude interactions with a clear call to action, and communicate with greater physical and verbal presence.

The experience also equipped participants to approach everyday leadership conversations more intentionally, from planned interactions with senior stakeholders to impromptu discussions and more challenging conversations. By applying the tools to realistic communication scenarios, participants had opportunities to practice new approaches and build confidence they could carry directly into their roles.

Participants emerged from Speaking as a Leader® with stronger capabilities across several core areas of leadership communication. One of the most significant shifts was in leadership presence. Before the program, 38% of participants rated themselves at an Intermediate level or higher in conveying a strong physical and verbal leadership presence. Afterward, 100% did. Average self-ratings in this area increased by 67%.

Participants also reported meaningful growth in their ability to translate ideas into purposeful communication:

58% increase in proficiency in concluding interactions with a clear call to action
30% increase in creating powerful, message-driven communication
20% increase in planning for and navigating critical conversations
19% increase in supporting messages with the right amount of information

Together, these results show progress not simply in presentation skills, but in the broader communication capabilities participants need as they engage increasingly senior stakeholders, take on stretch opportunities, and prepare for future leadership roles.

By embedding communication development within its rotational program, the organization is investing early and intentionally in its leadership pipeline, equipping emerging talent with skills they can apply today and continue building on as they step into greater responsibility.