Colas Ireland – Building Strategic Leadership Capability for Succession
Building Strategic Leadership Capability through Succession Coaching & Scaffold Workshops
Colas Ireland, a leader in road construction and maintenance, recognised the need to strengthen its leadership pipeline in alignment with its ambitious five-year growth plan. With a clear focus on developing internal talent for senior roles, they partnered with Scaffold Coaching in early 2022 through to 2024 to deliver a phased Succession Planning and Strategic Leadership Programme.
“This programme has enabled our senior leaders to step into their next role with confidence, and clarity of purpose. The strategic workshops helped bring the team together with a shared understanding of what great leadership looks like at Colas Ireland. Working with Scaffold Coaching set us up perfectly to embark on a business transformation project with confidence. ”
The Challenge
Colas Ireland faced a complex leadership challenge: an ageing senior team, low attrition rates, and a preference for internal promotion meant succession planning had become both critical and time-sensitive. As part of a global organisation with French ownership, Colas also needed to navigate cultural alignment and post-COVID shifts in workforce expectations. Rising costs of living and hybrid working trends were surfacing new cultural tensions across the organisation, highlighting the urgent need for cohesive leadership, clearer communication, and a refreshed organisational purpose.
Our Approach
Phase 1: Succession Planning Coaching (Feb 2022 – Summer 2022)
We started with a Discovery Phase involving confidential one-to-one interviews with three senior leaders, stakeholder scoping with the CEO, COO, and HR Director, and psychometric profiling using the Hogan Lead Series. This was followed by bespoke 1:1 executive coaching focused on readiness for progression, increasing personal impact, and aligning leadership styles with the future needs of the business.
Phase 2: Extended Succession Coaching (Late 2022 – March 2023)
After the initial success, Colas Ireland invited three additional leaders to undertake the same programme. The trust built during Phase 1 accelerated rapport and allowed us to deepen our work. Each participant received five coaching sessions, values-based insight to help shape their career intentions and organisational impact, a Lead Series Hogan Assessment and debrief, a facilitated development conversation with Rachael and the CEO, plus a personal succession develop plan which was shared with the business.
Phase 3: Strategic Leadership Workshops (May 2023 – Jan 2024)
In 2023/ 2024, we designed and delivered a 4-day Strategic Leadership Programme, tailored to Colas Ireland’s evolving needs. This cohort included the CEO and full senior leadership team. Key themes included leadership culture, decision making, organisational clarity, and strategic change delivery. The final two days were dedicated to co-creating Colas Ireland’s purpose, vision, mission, and strategic performance indicators to input into the 2024/2025 business plan.
The Impact
3 leaders promoted to Director-level roles
1 technical leader given a broader remit and additional resources
1 senior technical leader exited the business after identifying a values misalignment—a decision that Colas Ireland viewed positively
New sense of strategic cohesion among the leadership team
Draft vision, mission, purpose, and values co-created and aligned to the five-year business plan
Strong engagement and feedback across all phases, with participants reporting improved clarity, confidence, and cohesion
NPS score 67, with everyone rating the Strategic Leaders Programme as excellent.
Every participant strongly agreeing that “This workshop got me thinking differently about my leadership style and impact on others.” “This workshop was a worthwhile use of our time as a strategic leadership team” and “I would recommend this workshop and Scaffold Coaching to a colleague.”
What Participants Said They Took Out Of The Workshop
“The start of something very powerful in building up trust among the senior leadership team so that we can work well together and allow our teams evolve and grow in line with the overall company strategy.”
“Open discussions from the team. A need for clarity within the organisation on its structure and that the SLT needed to be broader in composition.”
“The importance of a leaders shadow. A good leader takes time out to get to know their team members.”
Scaffold Coaching Services
Colas Ireland engaged Scaffold Coaching in 2021-2024 for succession planning Inspire Coaching Package and a bespoke 4 day Strategic Leaders Programme delivered in Dublin, Ireland.