PZ Cussons

When the consumer goods company behind brands including Imperial Leather, Carex and Original Source, PZ Cussons, undertook a major reset of its business model between 2023 and 2026, it presented a serious delivery risk. 

The plan was to simplify the brand portfolio, restructure the organisation, and focus on four lead markets: the UK, Indonesia, Nigeria and Australia. But the internal challenge – strengthening organisational alignment, building leadership capability and creating a more consistent employee experience to support delivery at scale – was compounded by a “potentially catastrophic” external context, which, the company said, “only intensified the urgency”. 

Nigeria experienced a 70 per cent devaluation of the naira against the pound between June 2023 and May 2024, and the firm’s 2024 revenue plummeted 19.6 per cent, while profit before tax fell 39.7 per cent. The company knew organisational resilience and leadership execution were no longer aspirational outcomes – they were requirements for recovery and survival. 

Employee listening data showed declining confidence in organisational direction and mixed views on manager effectiveness, making it clear that the gap between current leadership behaviours and those required in leading through ambiguity, driving accountability and building trust had to be addressed. Furthermore, workforce data during the restructure showed elevated attrition risk. It was clear leadership needed to be defined in practical, measurable terms, embedded across the organisation, and supported with tools to manage ongoing change while maintaining consumer relevance and operational performance.

The resultant plan was structured around five key anchors: the employee value proposition, ‘Dare. Discover. Do.’, integrated into recruitment, onboarding and performance; the development of a new global leadership framework; the launch of  Discover Leadership, a multi-layered leadership programme that translated the leadership framework into practical behaviours through real scenarios, complemented by a global mentorship scheme; and change management workshops. The initiative was all brought together at ‘PZ Unleashed’ – a global leadership event. 

Hailed by the PMA judges as “demonstrating a clear shift from leadership theory to behavioural application”, the strategy was borne out by the results. Behind the return to an operating profit of £20.6m in 2025 was consistent leadership behaviours and improved workforce stability and, by February 2026, the share price had increased by 19 per cent. “This is a positive example of responding to an external market event with a purpose-driven strategic change programme,” the judges said.