Creating a Thriving Culture at Pace: What Does It Really Take?

Hello PPMA members and friends

As we build momentum towards #PPMAHR26, we’ve invited some of our speakers to share a preview of what they’ll be bringing to the event. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be spotlighting these sessions to give you a taste of what’s in store. To kick things off, Kate Enver, Corporate Head of Communications, HR & OD at Runnymede Borough Council, and Juliette Alban-Metcalfe, CX at Real World Group, look ahead to their session ‘Creating a Thriving Culture at Pace’. They’ll share the inspiring story of how Runnymede Borough Council transformed its organisational culture within just 12 months, following the receipt of a Best Value Notice that explicitly highlighted cultural challenges.

Organisations often talk about culture change as if it’s a very slow, almost tectonic process, something that can be marginally shifted over years, maybe decades, and only with the right alignment of stars, strategies, and senior leaders. But what happens when you don’t have years? What happens when the need for cultural transformation isn’t a strategic aspiration, but an urgent requirement?

That’s the question at the heart of our upcoming session, Creating a Thriving Culture at Pace. It’s a story rooted in real pressure, real stakes, and real leadership, the kind that emerges not from job titles, but from collective responsibility.

Runnymede Borough Council found itself in exactly that position. A Best Value Notice had highlighted culture as a critical area of concern, placing the organisation under intense scrutiny. The clock was ticking. The expectations were high. And the margin for error was slim. Yet within just 12 months, the Council achieved a level of cultural improvement that many organisations struggle to reach in far more forgiving circumstances.

How?

That’s the part we’ll explore together, not just through theory, but through lived experience.

Kate Enver, Corporate Head of Comms, HR & OD at Runnymede Borough Council, and Juliette Alban‑Metcalfe, Chief Executive of Real World Group, will share the inside story of how leadership was mobilised across the organisation. Not just senior leadership, leadership everywhere. Because one of the most powerful lessons from Runnymede’s journey is that culture doesn’t shift when a small group of people work harder. It shifts when a whole organisation starts pulling in the same direction.

Before you join us, it’s worth reflecting on one question:

What would it take for your organisation to change at pace, not in theory, but in reality?

Most of us instinctively think of barriers: capacity, resistance, legacy behaviours, competing priorities. But Runnymede’s experience invites a different perspective. It suggests that even under immense pressure, culture can move quickly when three things align:

Clarity of purpose, not slogans, but shared understanding of why change matters now.
Distributed leadership, people at every level feeling empowered to act, influence, and model the culture they want to see.
Psychological safety, the confidence to speak honestly about what isn’t working, and the trust to try new approaches without fear of blame.

These aren’t abstract concepts. They are practical levers and when aligned they create momentum.

The session is an invitation to think differently about what’s possible in your own context with the right tools to assist you. Whether you’re facing external scrutiny, internal challenges, or simply the ambition to build a healthier, more engaged organisation, the Runnymede story offers a powerful reminder: pace and positivity are not opposites. Under the right conditions, they reinforce each other.

So, as you prepare to join us, consider this:

If your organisation needed to transform its culture in the next 12 months, where would you start and who would you bring with you?

We’re looking forward to joining fellow public‑sector leaders to reflect on how we can collectively create the conditions for people and organisations to thrive at pace.

Kate Enver, Corporate Head of Comms, HR & OD Runnymede Borough Council