THE POWER OF ALIGNMENT
HDI Global’s next chapter demanded more than ambition – it called for a united leadership team capable of translating bold intent into consistent delivery. This work has paid off: Today, HDI Global’s rejuvenated leadership team stands ready to deliver at scale.
With a strong foothold in the commercial and specialty insurance market and a leadership team seasoned in delivery, HDI Global SE (HDI) entered 2025 with bold intent: to double its revenue and cement its position as a leader in the commercial and specialty insurance space within five years.
The strategy was clear. But behind every ambitious target lies a deeper leadership test: how to scale trust, cohesion, and alignment at the same pace as ambition.
CEO Shaun Scandling and his People & Culture lead, Dawn Mazui, started knocking on doors, searching for a partner to support their ambition. Their first port of call, as is often the case, was local business schools. But the more they listened, the more they realised HDI didn’t need just another leadership course. They wanted fresh thinking, and real impact.
“Some of my biggest concerns were around urgency,” Shaun says. “We didn’t need generic leadership development that may or may not pay off over time. We needed everyone to align around what needed to be done, and why. And then to get behind it quickly.
After just two meetings, HDI chose TPA.
“They heard us, and what they proposed really landed,” Dawn says. Shaun agrees: “I remember walking out of that second meeting thinking, 'This is it. This is what we need.”
WHAT WE DID
To surface how to get Shaun’s leadership team to the next level, we designed a broader Leadership Alignment Journey, including two intensive leadership workshops – each with a distinct purpose, but one shared intent: to move from varied priorities to unified performance.
The first workshop surfaced the dynamics slowing the team’s cohesion – such as diverse priorities and misalignment. Using Discovery Insights to reveal team dynamics and LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® to make those dynamics visible, we created space for real, honest truth-telling that was needed for genuine alignment to begin. (For more on these powerful tools, read Dr El-Karien van der Linde's insight article, The Art of Seeing Differently, here.)
The session marked a turning point. Once the team realised the potential that had yet to be realised, the energy shifted. Barriers gave way to understanding, and the groundwork was laid for even better collaboration.
“After that first session, you could feel the shift,” Shaun says. “We came out a much-improved team. More connected, clearer, and ready to lead differently.”
Dawn agrees. “What that first session did, was hold up a mirror that enabled us to really see ourselves – to admit what needed improvement and to decide, together, how to move forward. That honesty changed everything.”
The second workshop built on that momentum – moving from awareness to action. Leaders explored shared beliefs, clarified what “good leadership” looked like for HDI, and co-created the HDI Leadership Manifesto: a clear, collective standard for how they would lead, decide, and deliver together.
WHAT CHANGED
As the journey unfolded, the HDI team emerged focused, united, and motivated to deliver on their performance ambition.
Decision-making accelerated. Meetings became sharper and more purposeful. Dialogue deepened, and collaboration strengthened across projects and functions. The HDI Leadership Manifesto, co-created by the entire leadership team, is a shared compass that governs how the team leads, decides, and performs.
“Everyone contributed,” Shaun says. “Because we built it ourselves, we believe in it. That belief is what drives performance – it gives people purpose, and it shows up in how we lead.”
For Dawn, the change runs even deeper: “We’re more honest, more cohesive, and more deliberate,” she says. “For me, the word that captures it all is transparency. This process enabled us as a team and as a company to get to the next level.”
OUR IMPACT
HDI’s ongoing leadership journey shows what becomes possible when leaders stop managing symptoms and start addressing the real blockers of performance.
Today, HDI Global’s rejuvenated leadership team – aligned, motivated, and future-focused – stands ready to deliver at scale.
LET'S TALK LEADERSHIP
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