When a simple five-word purpose has successfully served the business for over 260 years, how do you use it to develop a strategy that is relevant to today’s reality?
The answer, for Tom Willis, CEO of the UK’s bustling Shoreham Port, was to think deeply about the meaning in every word of their five-word purpose, and then engage the organisation to develop a one-page business plan, with just eight bullet points.
The resulting brevity and clarity mean that almost 90% of the organisation’s people now say they understand the strategy and where they fit into it.
Tom was appointed Chief Executive at Shoreham Port in November 2019. Prior to that he has extensive leadership experience in logistics gained at Royal Mail and aviation at Heathrow. Tom holds an MBA from Bayes Business School and an MSc in Coaching and Behavioural Change from Henley Business School, both with distinction.
Alongside his executive responsibilities, Tom is Chair of the Board at Sutton Decentralised Energy Network an innovative sustainable energy supplier and Advisory Board Member at the University of Sussex Business School. Tom is married to Yve and lives in West Sussex, they have three daughters. He is a keen runner and is training to complete the Brighton Marathon for the seventh time in 2024.
Shoreham Port was established as a Trust by an Act of Parliament in 1760. Today, by reinvesting profits to benefit the communities they serve, they continually 'improve the Port for everyone.' Around 2 million tonnes of commercial cargo and 14,000 leisure boat movements are welcomed through their lock gates annually. Fish, valued at around £18 million, are landed each year, making them the third-largest fishing port in England. They discharge, store, and provide haulage for a range of cargoes and specialist projects. Vessel maintenance facilities are offered at their dry dock, and at the centre of their leisure marina, their chandlery provides a variety of products and services. A significant industrial cluster, the Port’s ecosystem covers 110 acres and comprises 175 businesses ranging from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to major multinational industries, with their café, Port Kitchen, acting as a community focal point. Extensive onsite solar arrays and onshore wind turbines generate renewable energy, contributing towards their decade-long certification as an EcoPort.
Tom Willis