Future Leaders: Cohort 7
Heat Pumps
Our project was the culmination of over six months worth of strategy, leadership and management training – all tied to the topic of Net Zero and Sustainability.
What we did:
Our project centred on researching supply chains associated with the Heat Pump market.
We felt a technology that is becoming a vital part of our move to net zero needed to be interrogated on its ethicality.
Following this, exploring what, if anything, we could add to the discussion in this space to improve the Heat Pump supply chain.
We looked at what we could do to set a standard in this growing market
We spent time gathering research and speaking to industry experts and devised a potential solution to support sustainability in the market.
We highlighted the potential of a ‘mark of trust’, we looked into how this could work practically.
We wrote a report illustrating our proposal and presented it back to industry experts from MCS.
We undertook market research, looking at existing green career websites to understand how accessible the industry currently is. We also met with ourcontacts in the industry to gain sponsorship and understand their experiences. This confirmed that there is demand for a platform such as GenGreen and helped us to shape the services we wanted to offer.
We built a prototype website which offers information about the diverse roles available in the green industry, current news, upcoming careers events and a tool where they can log in to view and apply for live work experience and apprenticeship vacancies. This tool is also open to businesses to log in and advertise these vacancies.
Lastly, GenGreen provides a service to schools, colleges and parents, offering insights and advice to enable early conversations with teenagers. We created a brand which is fun, inspiring and accessible to the target market.
We shared the website with key stakeholders for feedback, which showed unanimous agreement that there isn’t enough clear support to help 14–18 year-olds into the green industry. Feedback on the usability and feel of the website was very positive.
Our challenges
Being a geographically dispersed team creates challenges around the ways we work together, but we utilised the tools at our disposal (such as Mural, Google Docs and Microsoft Teams) to stay connected.
A number of us started new jobs and faced personal challenges along the way; we always showed understanding and patience as our personal capacity fluctuated.
Our outcome
We built a website which addresses the needs of our target audience, and has the foundations to launch as a fully functioning website if we are able to obtain funding in the future.
We have built a network of contacts who are keen to engage with us and support the future of GenGreen.
We utilised the communication tools and understanding of each person’s leadership styles learned in Phase 1 to work collaboratively, ensuring we are honest, inclusive and nurture a psychologically safe environment.
We planned an event in March 2025 to come together to present the website to our course leaders and other interested stakeholders.
What did we learn?
“This project helped build my resilience and commitment to developing something from scratch, even when there are no deadlines and it was a new idea without a framework to guide us. Benefitting from the commitment of my colleagues and this encouraged me to participate in the project, even when challenging. Learning from other members of the team and Richard throughout this process, was the real benefit for me - even more than the subject matter!”
Alex Hyde
“I enjoyed working within a team of professionals within the climate industry and seeing how all our jobs are remarkably different but serve the same purpose. It was really humbling to see how broad our industry is and be taken out of my own sphere of influence. I enjoyed learning about the Heat pump industry and how private investment is entangled with public interest. I really felt proud of the group as we entered the final part of the project presenting to MCS and watching us all develop as leaders.”
Sophie Jones
“I really enjoyed the process of creating this hypothesis, not only because I find the topic of low-carbon energy generation interesting and exciting, but because I had not worked on a project like it before. Having the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded individuals in the creation of a new concept was a truly special experience.“
“I particularly enjoyed, and had the most involvement in the ‘certification’ section; understanding what parameters the product, producer and installer had to abide by to achieve the mark of trust.”
Sam Crawford
“Participating in the Future Leaders Programme was a transformative experience that pushed me to grow both personally and professionally. Working on a project with no predefined roadmap taught me the importance of adaptability, resilience, and taking initiative. Despite the ambiguity, collaborating with a team of equally committed colleagues motivated me to stay engaged and focused, even during the more challenging moments.”
“One of the most rewarding aspects was learning from the diverse expertise within our group. Each member brought unique perspectives to the table, and seeing how our individual roles contributed to a shared purpose was incredibly inspiring. It was a powerful reminder of the collective impact we can make when we bring different skills and experiences together.”
Julia Drake
“Being part of the Future Leaders Programme was a transformative gift I didn’t realize my professional career needed. Collaborating with our diverse group taught me to view leadership through multiple perspectives, broadening my understanding of leadership and approach. Under Richard’s guidance, I discovered the power of empowering others and the fundamental need for a sense of belonging within teams. (Thank you Richard!)”
“Participating in the final team project was a fun and invaluable experience. I learned the importance of creating an environment where others can thrive, fostering genuine collaboration among us. Delegating tasks based on our strengths proved to be a game-changer for productivity. Observing and leading simultaneously helped me grow in confidence as a leader. Ultimately, the project underscored that with the right tools, support, and teamwork, success is always within reach. (Thank you FLP7 cohort.)”
Loide Matias da Silva
“I’d highly recommend and encourage the Net Zero Future Leaders Programme to anyone considering the course, no matter what stage of their career. Richard’s delivery of the course alongside multiple experts was engaging with a trust quickly built that meant the learning was on another level. The content has been hugely relevant to me since doing the course and there are applications I have taken through in both my day-to-day working and personal life. Thank you Richard and the rest of the FLP7 cohort.”
Rory Matthews
