--- title: "Turning Insight Into Impact: A Note from Al Bird" url: "https://www.roffeypark.com/articles/turning-insight-into-impact-a-note-from-al-bird/" lang: "en-GB" type: "post" description: "Roffey Park's new Chief Executive on stepping out of the boardroom, and why he wants to hear the questions your organisation is wrestling with. For the past four years I've watched Roffey Park from the boardroom as a trustee. It" last_modified: "2026-10-01T12:37:03+00:00" categories: [Company News] --- # Turning Insight Into Impact: A Note from Al Bird _Roffey Park’s new Chief Executive on stepping out of the boardroom, and why he wants to hear the questions your organisation is wrestling with._ For the past four years I’ve watched Roffey Park from the boardroom as a trustee. It gave me a valuable view of the organisation and its mission, but governance only lets you see so much. When the Chief Executive role came up this summer, I was glad of the chance to roll my sleeves up, get closer to the work and see how I can really help. I’m still learning a lot. But a few things are already clear to me, and I want to share them with you, because they are really about the organisations you lead and work alongside. #### Why this work matters to me My interest in how people think, learn and perform goes back a long way. My master’s degree was in cognitive ergonomics, which is the psychology of human performance at work. That took me to Accenture, where I worked on large change programmes as a change management and human performance consultant. Later I moved into technology-based learning, and then to KnowledgePool, where we managed large corporate learning programmes and got to know the best providers in the market. Roffey Park held a special place on that list. It stood out for the quality of its thinking, its independence and its commitment to purposeful organisational change. Coming back to lead it feels less like a new job and more like the threads of my career finally coming together. #### The pressure you’re under If you lead people or work in OD, you’ll know the pace of change isn’t letting up. Technology, and AI especially, is reshaping how work gets done. Economic pressure and shifting demographics pile on top. Our purpose at Roffey Park has always been improving the behaviour, performance and wellbeing of people at work. The context keeps changing, but those questions don’t go away. If anything, they matter more now. #### Three words I keep coming back to As I get to grips with everything Roffey Park does, I’ve found myself looking at it all through three words: insights, experiences and impact. I’ll probably keep repeating them, so forgive me in advance. **Insights.** We have a bank of research going back decades, covering collective leadership, organisational culture, wellbeing and, more and more, how people adapt in an AI world. My job is to keep refreshing it and make sure it answers the questions you’re actually facing. **Experiences.** Insight only helps when you can do something with it. Sometimes that’s a provocative article you read on the train. Sometimes it’s an event, a leadership programme, a change engagement we work on together or one of our University of Sussex-validated MSc qualifications. And if you’ve visited us in West Sussex, you’ll know the hospitality is part of it too. **Impact.** This is the test I hold everything against. Does it contribute to measurable, tangible and lasting change in the real world? Some of what we do reaches large numbers of people lightly. Some of it works deeply with a handful of senior leaders who then carry change right through their organisations. Both count, as long as we understand the difference we’re making. #### Why I want to hear from you [Applied research](https://www.roffeypark.com/research-publications/) is the beating heart of what Roffey Park has been known for, and what I want it to be known for long into the future. The best research starts with a real question from a real organisation. That’s where you come in. The voices of clients, partners and practitioners give us the clearest clue about where we can be most useful. So in these early months I’m spending as much time as I can listening. If there’s a challenge your organisation or your clients keep running into, I’d genuinely like to hear about it. #### Come and meet us at THRIVE My first big public event as Chief Executive will be [**THRIVE 2026: Courage to Lead**](https://www.roffeypark.com/events/conference-2026/), here at Roffey Park from 3 to 5 November. It’s a chance to spend time with evidence-based thinking and have honest conversations about what leaders are facing right now. As an educational charity, we put all conference fee revenue into the Val Hammond Research Fund, so your place helps fund the next round of research. I’d love to see you there. **Al Bird** Chief Executive, Roffey Park Institute --- **Continue Exploring** The themes Al highlights throughout this article, from insight and learning to impact, sit at the heart of Roffey Park’s work. - [Explore our latest research and insights](https://www.roffeypark.com/articles/) - [Discover our leadership and management programmes](https://www.roffeypark.com/new-open-programmes/) - [Learn about our consultancy services](https://www.roffeypark.com/consultancy-offer/) - [Join us at THRIVE 2026: Courage to Lead](https://www.roffeypark.com/events/conference-2026/)