A Q&A with Emily Cartwright, Head of Career Development

We sat down with Emily Cartwright, Head of Career Development at Sigma Connected to discuss the Bee-yond leadership programme. From its inception and development to its impact and what it means for clients partnering with Sigma Connected, Emily talks passionately about the 400+ leaders her team have trained and the measurable improvements it’s made to our campaigns.

Q: Emily, let’s start with at the beginning. What prompted Sigma Connected to completely reimagine its approach to leadership development and create Bee-yond?

Emily: The catalyst was honestly quite simple – we listened to our people. Over the past five years, we’ve experienced tremendous growth, which has been fantastic, but it also meant we were promoting talented individuals into leadership roles at an unprecedented rate. These colleagues were excelling operationally, but many told us they needed more structured support to truly thrive in their expanded responsibilities.

Our previous approach gave us a foundation, but we knew we needed to go further and faster. With the pace of our growth and so many talented people stepping into leadership, we wanted to create something ambitious and tailored – built by us, for us – that would accelerate confidence and capability.

That’s when we decided to design Bee-yond: a completely bespoke programme that reflects Sigma Connected’s culture, equips our leaders with advanced skills, and gives our clients the benefit of working with confident, capable leaders who are ready for today and tomorrow.

Q: You mention this was built entirely in-house. What’s the biggest advantage of an in-house programme?

Emily: The authenticity factor is huge. When you’re working with personas like Monica, a Team Leader building confidence in client relationships, or Mohammed, a Head of Department managing operational challenges while dealing with a hidden disability, our leaders see themselves reflected in the content. These aren’t generic corporate scenarios. They’re the real situations our leaders navigate daily.

From a client perspective, this authenticity translates directly into better campaign outcomes. Our leaders aren’t learning theoretical concepts that may or may not apply to their work; they’re developing practical skills that immediately impact how they coach their teams, handle escalations, and drive performance improvements. The 11% overall KPI uplift in our largest campaign isn’t coincidental. It’s the direct result of leaders applying tools that were designed specifically for our operational environment.

Q: The programme spans multiple leadership levels and departments. How do you maintain consistency while addressing different needs?

Emily: That’s one of our biggest strengths, actually. While the programme duration varies – seven days for entry-level and frontline leaders, five days for mid-to-senior level leaders – the core framework remains consistent. Everyone learns the same coaching models, the same leadership language, the same problem-solving approaches.

What this creates is unprecedented collaboration across departments. We have leaders from Operations working alongside colleagues from HR, Finance, Payroll, and Planning. They’re not just learning leadership skills; they’re understanding each other’s challenges and building networks that translate into smoother cross-functional operations.

For our clients, this means they’re working with teams where everyone speaks the same leadership language and applies consistent approaches to problem-solving, regardless of which department they’re interacting with. It eliminates silos and creates a more cohesive service experience.

Q: The measurable outcomes are impressive. Can you walk us through how these improvements directly benefit clients?

Emily: Absolutely. Let’s start with the most tangible results. In our largest campaign, following the pilot programme we saw ATP VA increase by 19%, ATP Score by 18%, and Compliance by 16%. These aren’t just internal benchmarks – they translate directly into more reliable performance, stronger governance, and higher-quality customer experiences for our clients.

Another standout is the 50% increase in documented leadership one-to-ones. This means our leaders are having more structured and meaningful conversations with their teams around performance, career development, and wellbeing. The outcome is more engaged and motivated agents, and for our clients, that means better customer interactions, higher satisfaction scores, and fewer escalations.

We’ve also seen a significant shift in proactive problem-solving. Leaders are now anticipating and addressing potential issues before they ever reach the customer. That transition from reactive to proactive management creates a smoother, more consistent service delivery, which gives our clients real confidence in the stability and resilience of their campaigns.

Q: How does the internal development approach impact client relationships?

Emily: It’s transformational for client relationships because it ensures continuity and deep institutional knowledge. When we promote from within, we’re advancing people who already understand our clients’ businesses, their challenges, and their success measures. They’re not starting from scratch – they’re building on years of frontline experience.

For clients, this means working with leaders who are genuinely invested in long-term success rather than short-term results. Our internally developed leaders know the nuances of each campaign because they’ve lived them. That allows them to make informed decisions quickly and coach their teams with an authentic understanding of what excellent service looks like for that specific client.

The ripple effect is powerful. Anneline Daniel, one of our Heads of Department, achieved 95% attendance across her 31-leader team in our Bee-yond sessions. As a result, attrition in her area dropped to just 1-3%, alongside a surge in overall engagement. For clients, this stability translates into consistent service delivery and relationship continuity – outcomes that are rare in our industry.

Q: Tell us about the character-driven learning approach. How does this methodology enhance the leadership development experience?

Emily: The personas are really the heart of what makes Bee-yond unique. Rather than abstract case studies, we created characters that mirror the actual diversity and challenges of our leadership community. When participants encounter Aviwe navigating a complex performance management situation, or Taufeeq balancing operational pressures with team development, they’re engaging with scenarios that feel genuinely relevant.

This approach drives much deeper engagement and retention. Leaders don’t just remember the tools – they remember the context in which they learned to apply them. We’ve seen this translate into sustained behaviour change months after training, which our follow-up observations consistently confirm.

From a client perspective, this means our leaders are equipped with practical experience handling complex situations before they encounter them in real campaign environments. It reduces the learning curve and minimises the impact of challenging scenarios on service delivery.

Q: What’s next for the Bee-yond initiative and the broader HIVE career development programme?

Emily: We’re expanding the ecosystem. Bee-mentored launched in August to provide additional support for leaders who need targeted development, and Bee-line will launch later this year to enhance our entry-level career development planning.

But beyond programme expansion, we’re embedding Bee-yond into our DNA. Every newly promoted or externally recruited leader now goes through Bee-yond as part of their leadership induction. This ensures consistent standards and shared approaches across all leadership levels.

For current and prospective clients, this evolution means working with a business that’s continuously raising its leadership standards. We’re not content with good enough. We’re committed to developing the most capable, emotionally intelligent, and performance-focused leaders in the industry.

Q: Any final words you’d like to add for the people reading?

Emily: Only that Bee-yond represents our fundamental belief that exceptional campaign delivery starts with exceptional leadership. When you partner with Sigma Connected, you’re not just getting operational support – you’re working with leaders who’ve been equipped with advanced coaching techniques, emotional intelligence, data-driven decision-making skills, and most importantly, a genuine commitment to your success.

At Sigma Connected, our people truly are our core focus, and investing in leadership to support all our campaigns isn’t just our strategy. It’s our promise to deliver consistently superior outcomes for every partnership we form.