BAT Modern Oral formed a brand new global team to deliver a high priority category under significant commercial pressure.
Inner Leader partnered with BAT to support the team to build trust, clarity and psychological safety as the foundations for strong performance.
Company Name
British American Tobacco (BAT) Modern Oral
Industry
Global FMCG
Services
Leadership Team Development
The Challenge
When BAT moved its Modern Oral category from the United States to Southampton, a new leadership team was brought together almost overnight. Twelve managers from different countries, different working cultures and different expectations suddenly found themselves responsible for delivering one of BAT’s highest priority categories.
They had the expertise.
What they needed was alignment.
Chris Keller, who was part of the senior group, describes those early days clearly. “It was a brand new team. None of us had worked together before and the stakes were high. We needed to build trust quickly or risk slowing the whole category down.”
BAT had already partnered with Inner Leader since 2019 across several areas of the business, so bringing the leadership team into the Modern Oral programme was a natural next step. What Chris didn’t expect was how quickly the environment changed.
A Different Kind of Leadership Development
Many leadership programmes feel theoretical, but this one didn’t. The sessions were practical, honest and highly interactive. DISC profiling gave the team a shared language for understanding each other, and the psychological safety work helped people speak openly without worrying about hierarchy. Communication and presentation activities encouraged leaders to break old habits and find clearer, more compelling ways of getting their message across. Personal brand work strengthened their confidence and helped them show up with more intention.
The tone of the experience made the biggest difference.
“Tim and Sarah make people feel comfortable the moment they walk in,” Chris says. “We were learning, but we were laughing too. The room felt safe, so people spoke freely. That’s rare.”
As the days unfolded, people who had barely met before were suddenly connecting at a deeper level. Senior leaders did not dominate the conversation. Quieter voices found room to contribute. The group began to understand not just what each person did, but how they worked, how they processed ideas and how they preferred to communicate.
Impact at a Glance
How the Leadership Team Began to Work Differently
The change became obvious the moment everyone returned to their teams. Meetings felt more open and more productive. People contributed sooner, shared their ideas more confidently and challenged each other in ways that were constructive rather than confrontational. Decisions became clearer because conversations were more direct and people understood how to speak to one another in a way that landed.
Chris noticed the shift immediately.
“I would start a discussion and instead of silence, people jumped in. They were challenging me, challenging each other, building on ideas. The quality of thinking moved up immediately.”
This new alignment acted like a catalyst. The clarity at leadership level created confidence across the wider team. People knew what was expected of them and felt encouraged to take ownership rather than wait for permission. The result was faster progress and a culture that felt lighter, more trusting and much more energised.
Why It Mattered
This leadership shift shaped everything that followed. It established a foundation for a team culture built on trust, psychological safety and accountability. It helped remove unnecessary bottlenecks and gave people the confidence to step forward and lead from where they were.
In a category where timelines are tight and expectations are high, the leadership alignment became a performance driver in its own right. It influenced the way the wider team communicated, collaborated and solved problems, and it helped create the conditions that later led to a remarkable increase in project capacity.
Part of a Bigger Picture
The leadership programme was only one part of a wider transformation at Modern Oral. Inner Leader also delivered one to one coaching and full team development across the division at the same time, creating layers of support that strengthened confidence and capability at every level.
You can explore the rest of the story here:
One to One Coaching at BAT Modern Oral
Team Development at BAT Modern Oral
Full Case Study: How BAT Modern Oral Built a High-Performing Team That Runs Itself
