LONDON - s4story -- Alchemist, a global leadership development company specialising in changing behaviour at scale through practice-led learning, and Fugro (ENXTAM:FUR), the world's leading Geo-data specialist, announced today that they won Gold in the Best Leadership Development Program category in the 2026 Brandon Hall Group™ HCM Excellence Awards®.

The winning initiative, U.Excel, is a customised programme created for Fugro's middle managers. It was designed to build leadership confidence, strengthen strategic communication, and turn learning into meaningful behavioural change.

"We're proud to receive Gold and to have the work of our participants and learning team recognised," said Wouter Jan Kleinlugtenbelt, global head of learning at Fugro. "Our middle managers are a critical link between strategy and execution, so we didn't want a generic leadership course. The programme was developed around the situations our leaders face every day."

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The 11-week development journey combined live virtual learning, diagnostic insight, one-to-one coaching, peer learning, practice between sessions, work on real business challenges, forum theatre, senior leader engagement, and post-programme reinforcement.

The programme culminated in Boomtown, a two-day, face-to-face immersive business simulation delivered by an Alchemist facilitator, coaches, and professional actors. Participants stepped into a fictional company and were challenged to apply their new skills and behaviours in an environment designed to recreate the pressure, ambiguity, and interpersonal dynamics of real leadership.

"This award validates what can happen when an organisation is willing to go beyond traditional leadership training and create opportunities for people to practise in situations that feel real. U.Excel was designed around that principle," said Russell Miller, CEO of Alchemist. "Boomtown brought those behaviours together in an environment where participants could test themselves, adapt, and learn. It's a powerful example of what practice-led learning can achieve when it's built around the realities leaders face."

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Entries are evaluated by industry experts and Brandon Hall Group analysts based on alignment to business needs, programme design and delivery, adoption, measurable benefits, and overall impact.

The full list of winners is available at: https://excellenceawards.brandonhall.com/winners

About Alchemist

Headquartered in London, Alchemist is a global leadership development company specialising in immersive, experiential, and interactive learning. Known for its client-centric approach and innovative design, Alchemist creates learning experiences that are impactful, memorable, and built to drive business outcomes through high-stakes, real-world challenges, live practice, AI-driven simulations, and immediate coaching. Learn more at https://thisisalchemist.com.

About Fugro
Fugro is the world's leading Geo-data specialist, collecting and analysing comprehensive information about the Earth and the structures built upon it. Learn more at https://www.fugro.com.