Multi-award-winning leadership specialist Anna Mosley has launched a new high-level development programme aimed at founders and business leaders who have already built strong six or seven-figure companies and are now preparing to scale further.

Set to open in January 2026, the Extraordinary Leader Programme combines a structured online curriculum with small-group coaching across a 12-week period. Designed for time-pressured founders, the programme creates a focused environment for driven and receptive leaders seeking the mindset, strategic clarity and leadership confidence required to reach eight-figure growth.

Mosley — who has supported thousands of leaders over the past decade and partnered with international brands such as L’Oréal, Boots and LinkedIn — explains that many founders reach a point where operational success alone is no longer enough to support future expansion.

“These founders have done brilliantly to reach six or seven figures and build a team — but in order to scale from here, something has to shift,” Mosley said.

“Most founder have never been taught how to lead. This programme shows them how to become the leader their business needs them to become for this phase of business growth. It gives them the tools, confidence and capability to step into the CEO role of both their business and their life.”

Extraordinary Leader helps founders master how to:

• Lead themselves — building confidence, clarity and self-leadership capability
• Lead others — empowering people and developing future leaders, with maximum impact and influence
• Lead culture — driving high performance, accountability and a team that wins without them

Participants will learn how to free themselves from day-to-day firefighting, and carve out more time to work on their business rather than constantly being stuck in it.

“This programme is designed for the high-achieving yet plateauing founder ready to level up in 2026 — they know they are capable of more, but don’t yet know how to get there,” Mosley added.

“The transformation is profound: participants gain clarity, capability, community and a strategic pathway to scale. They stop feeling stuck, mastering leadership for growth.”

A master in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and an expert in high performance culture, Mosley brings a rare ability to make leadership simple, actionable and transformational.

Applications for the Extraordinary Leader Programme are now open.

To register interest or secure a place, visit: go.eighty.academy/eighty-extraordinary-leader

A local Manchester entrepreneur who’s made it her business to help local authorities and corporations understand their communities and stakeholders, is being honoured, as she hits her second year anniversary, with an award that celebrates her as a key figure at the heart of the research industry.

Dr Felicity Heathcote-Marcz, 34, based in Greater Manchester, makes it her mission to help make public sector spending deliver for residents within local communities, and her work with Sheffield City Council, designing and delivering the research behind a City Centre Access & Movement Strategy, has seen her agency Bare Analysis win the coveted CIHT (the Chartered Institution of Highway and Transportation) Award for best Equality, Diversity and Inclusion project.

Alongside Steer consultancy, a global agency with offices in Manchester, and Nota Bene, an SME based in Sheffield, Bare Analysis took a different approach to providing the insights to inform this Strategy for Sheffield City Council. By focussing on ethnographic techniques alongside focus groups and interviews with business leaders, while reaching out to people who are often excluded from traditional consultation projects, such as refugees, those with disabilities and older and younger demographics, the team made sure an exceptionally rich picture of current transport journeys, needs and priorities for the future were fed back to the client.

This month has also seen her celebrate a new client win, as Bare Analysis, taps into innovative methods to help employers in the region. Research has found that the UK economy is significantly affected by long term sickness absence since the Covid pandemic, and in this health focused project Dr Felicity will lead a team focused on understanding the costs to Northern employers of employee sickness absence. They will also look to uncover the impact of chronic pain conditions on the UK workforce. Bare Analysis is working with a team of expert academics and innovators to uncover these costs and provide recommendations for new incentives and treatment options to benefit employees, employers and local government, including the NHS.

Making a name for herself supporting public sector organisations, she’s also worked with West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), Westminster City Council, Transport for London and Creative Estuary (via RealWorth Consultancy) over the last 2 years – and her expertise was called upon earlier this month when she was a speaker at The Local Transport Summit sharing her insights on ‘Putting people at the heart of transport decisions: Building consensus through user-centred strategy’. She also recently presented on the importance of quality research in a world of AI, as part of a panel discussion at the recent AI summit for the Liverpool City Region.

She said: “Over these last 2 years in self employment I have been involved in the delivery of transport projects that have supported strategic decision making across local government and social value projects. Some of these have put a monetary value on the change to real people’s lives from community interventions. This is what the power of research is all about to me. Uncovering the hidden realities of what change is needed to significantly make a difference to real people, to signpost to clients where change is needed first and most, showcasing the cracks that need fixing via immersive research, to help improve the quality of people’s lives. This helps to make communities stronger – and I’m really grateful that my knowledge and skills enable me to make a difference”.

Dr Felicity founded Bare Analysis in 2023 on an essentialist approach – delivering simple, essential truths which help inform decisions that lead to win-win solutions, both for the user of the services, and from the organisation too. The name ‘Bare Analysis’ was inspired by this essentialist philosophy, along with a trip to the stunning wild Beara Peninsula in Ireland, where the bare beauty of the views sparked reflection on what is essential and important in life.

She has worked with clients across a broad variety of contexts to create positive change, including for local and central government, transport providers, NHS and healthcare companies, banking and ecommerce clients and asset management companies / developers.

Find My Surveyor, the property survey services platform, has named Ryan Osman as its new Chief Technology Officer and co-founder. He joins existing co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, Jack Purdie, marking a key milestone in the company’s development.

The move follows a strong first year in operation, with the business now preparing for wider national reach. Osman’s appointment is expected to accelerate product development, streamline operations, and support growing demand from homebuyers across the UK.

Created to simplify the often slow and confusing process of booking property surveys, Find My Surveyor has taken a different route from traditional comparison websites. Rather than selling customer data to multiple providers, the platform links users directly with one trusted, RICS-certified local surveyor who provides their best price upfront.

At the centre of this model is the platform’s OneQuote technology, designed to make choosing a surveyor far easier. The system assesses criteria including location, availability, and survey type to generate one tailored quote, removing the need for multiple calls or comparisons.

“Our goal is to build the most trusted and efficient route to survey services in the UK,” said Jack Purdie. “With Ryan joining as CTO and co-founder, we now have the technical leadership in place to accelerate development and deliver that at scale.”

Osman has already overseen upgrades to the platform infrastructure, including improvements to booking functionality and matching logic. The site has also been redesigned for greater speed and clarity, supporting more survey types and customer journeys.

Find My Surveyor now provides access to over 15 specialist services, including asbestos reporting, fire risk assessments, CCTV drain surveys, RICS Level 2 and Level 3 surveys, and home condition reports.

“This industry has been underserved by technology for too long,” said Osman. “We’re giving homeowners a modern, straightforward way to get expert survey advice without the hassle or confusion that’s traditionally been part of the process.”

Throughout 2026, the business plans to further expand its network, enhance automation, and continue improving standards in the survey marketplace. With a rapidly growing user base and strong focus on clarity and service, Find My Surveyor is positioning itself as a leading disruptor in residential surveying.

North West businesses are fundamentally rethinking their approach to end-of-year employee recognition as budget pressures reshape traditional corporate gifting. The shift represents more than cost-cutting; it’s a strategic realignment that industry experts say could actually strengthen workplace relationships.

Nicholas Lane, director at Merchandise Branding, reports witnessing fundamental changes in how regional businesses allocate recognition budgets. “We’re seeing companies move away from the premium hamper model that dominated pre-2020,” Lane explains. “The focus now is demonstrably on meaningful connection rather than monetary value.”

The £20 threshold: Where creativity meets constraint

Data from corporate gifting suppliers suggests many North West firms are working within £15-25 per employee parameters this Christmas, a significant reduction from the £40-60 range commonly seen in previous years. Yet HR professionals report that this constraint is driving more innovative thinking around recognition.

Manchester-based HR director Sarah Chen explains: “When you can’t rely on expensive gifts to convey appreciation, you’re forced to think harder about what actually resonates. Ironically, that often produces better outcomes.”

This aligns with observations from Merchandise Branding, where Lane notes that personalisation has become the differentiating factor. “A £20 gift selected specifically for someone’s interests consistently outperforms a £50 generic item. We’re seeing clients request monogramming, custom messaging, even gift matching based on employee profiles they provide.”

Branded merchandise enters the workplace culture conversation

Traditional branded merchandise, long relegated to trade show giveaways, is being repositioned as internal culture-building tools. High-quality hoodies, premium notebooks, and thermal cups bearing company branding are increasingly seen as identity markers rather than promotional items.

“There’s been a perception shift,” notes workplace culture consultant James Morrison. “Employees, particularly in growing companies, want to feel part of something. Quality branded items can reinforce that identity in ways that generic luxury items cannot.”

The approach works particularly well for scale-ups and SMEs that build distinctive workplace cultures, where brand identification serves strategic purposes beyond mere recognition.

Gen Z expectations drive sustainability requirements

Perhaps the most significant shift in corporate gifting relates to environmental considerations, driven primarily by younger workforce demographics. Gen Z and Millennial employees, who comprise an increasing majority of North West workforces, explicitly expect sustainability alignment from employers.

Lane reports substantial upticks in requests for eco-certified products: “Recycled materials, biodegradable packaging, reusable items—these aren’t requests anymore, they’re baseline expectations. Companies worry about being judged for wasteful gifting choices.”

The sustainability trend coincidentally aligns with budget consciousness. Items like bamboo lunch boxes, collapsible water bottles, and products made from recycled materials often cost less than traditional luxury alternatives, while scoring higher on perceived value among younger recipients.

The hybrid work complication

Logistical complexity has emerged as an unexpected challenge. With hybrid working now standard across the North West, businesses face the practical problem of physically delivering gifts to dispersed workforces without creating a two-tier system that alienates remote workers.

Drop-shipping directly to home addresses has become standard practice, with some businesses coordinating virtual unboxing events via video conferencing platforms. “It sounds gimmicky until you see it work,” admits Liverpool-based operations director Tom Bradley. “Creating that shared moment, even digitally, maintains the team experience we’d otherwise lose.”

The approach requires additional planning; orders must be placed earlier to account for individual delivery logistics. However, it avoids the perception problems that arise when office-based staff receive gifts, while remote workers are overlooked or receive delayed packages.

When handwritten notes outperform premium gifts

Multiple HR professionals interviewed reported unexpected feedback about the impact of personalised written messages. In an era dominated by digital communication, physical handwritten notes acknowledging specific contributions appear to carry disproportionate weight.

“We surveyed staff after Christmas 2024,” explains Stockport-based HR manager Rachel Williams. “The handwritten cards scored highest for appreciation—higher than the actual gifts. That completely changed our 2025 strategy.”

The finding suggests that when budgets constrain the value of gifts, investing time in genuine personal recognition may deliver superior outcomes. Several businesses now allocate management time specifically for writing personalised cards referencing individual achievements, treating it as seriously as the gift selection itself.

Timing strategies: December rush vs January surprise

An emerging minority of businesses are deliberately avoiding the December rush entirely, scheduling employee recognition for January instead. The counter-seasonal approach offers practical advantages, including preventing postal delays, reduced supplier pressure, and competitive pricing, while potentially increasing the psychological impact.

“January is when people actually need a lift,” argues Bolton business owner David Turner. “Everyone expects something in December. A thoughtful gift arriving in January, when the festivities are over and reality hits, has more emotional resonance.”

The strategy remains uncommon but appears to be gaining traction amongst businesses willing to challenge conventional timing expectations.

The retention equation

Beneath discussions of budget constraints and gifting strategies lies a harder business calculation. With recruitment costs continuing to escalate, industry estimates suggest that replacing a skilled employee costs 6-9 months of their salary; investment in retention mechanisms delivers measurable ROI.

“Nobody stays or leaves based on a Christmas gift,” acknowledges workplace consultant Morrison. “But recognition is cumulative. Companies that consistently demonstrate appreciation through whatever means they can afford build loyalty that salary matching alone cannot achieve.”

For North West businesses competing against larger firms with deeper pockets, strategic recognition programmes become essential competitive tools. The shift toward thoughtful, personalised gifting, driven initially by budget necessity, may ultimately prove more effective than the expensive approaches it replaced.

Lane’s assessment: “Economic pressure forced a rethink, but what we’re seeing emerge is probably better practice. Businesses that nail meaningful recognition on modest budgets are building stronger cultures than those who simply threw money at the problem in previous years.”

For businesses developing their Christmas recognition strategy, the evidence suggests that authenticity, personalisation, and genuine consideration will matter more than expenditure. This conclusion should provide some comfort as budgets remain under pressure heading into year-end.