The answer to this question harks back to the definition of a scale-up as a high-growth company. As much as we would like to believe that growth begets growth by itself, it is ultimately the leaders of an organisation that are at the helm when it comes to steering the engine of growth. Leadership competencies at scale form one of the foundational pillars of a successful scale-up. Despite their importance, leadership capabilities and people management skills are an often-overlooked, albeit crucial, piece of the puzzle, with investors attributing 65% of portfolio company failures to people and organisational issues.

According to the UK’s ScaleUp Institute, the development of leadership skills remains a top priority for the majority of scale-ups in 2022. While strides have been made in addressing the acute shortage, a leadership capacity gap – alongside a talent and skills gap – persist in the scale-up community.