New North East Business aims to combat 'culture washing' and build high performing teams

Centric Consultants, a new business founded by former pharmaceutical executive and well-known North East fundraiser, Ivan Hollingsworth, has launched in a bid to tackle ‘culture-washing’ and support business leaders to build strong, sustainable, high-performing teams based on trust and psychological safety not just pool tables and pizza Fridays.

The company, which has already worked with high-profile businesses across the UK including ITV, Norgine Pharmaceuticals and Gateshead based Media Works, takes a full-team approach to training, focusing on the importance of connection and the power of trust when it comes to increasing performance, reducing burnout and staff retention; all problems facing businesses in 2023.

Ivan Hollingsworth has spent over 16 years in the pharmaceutical industry, working and interacting with a wide-range of different team dynamics both in the private and public sector.

This, alongside his training as an elite-level athlete and chair of CHUF (The Children’s Heart Unit Fund) has allowed him to observe and identify what makes a truly high-performing team.

Over his career Ivan has raised over £500,000 for charity and most recently made head-lines across the UK when movie star Ryan Reynolds publically supported his son Seb, after the 13-year-old underwent open heart surgery in 2022.

Speaking about the launch of Centric Consultants, and why businesses need to take an honest look at what culture really means to them, Ivan said, “In the current economic climate, it is more important than ever for businesses to adopt sustainable models for business resilience and growth.

“To achieve amazing results, businesses have to take a real look at what their team culture really is, and walk the talk, not just talk the talk on websites and social media channels. True culture is more than the perks that you offer, it’s how psychologically safe your people feel within the organisation, that’s what delivers results.

“I speak to a lot of teams around the concept of effectiveness post-pandemic. Modern day life is making us less and less effective we have become experts in the art ‘busyness’, spending 47 per cent of our time being distracted, but there are methods and techniques that we can learn as individuals and as teams to combat this through changing our mindset.”

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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