T2 celebrates 10 years of transformational leadership development

Leadership and performance consultancy T2 is celebrating its 10th anniversary, having achieved remarkable growth from a one-man operation to working with world-class clients including Manchester United, the INEOS Grenadiers cycling team and Specsavers.

CEO Martin Johnson founded T2 10 years ago, building a leadership and performance consultancy with an impressive line-up of clients, including Reckitt, Smith+Nephew and Specsavers. Photo by T2.

Founded by former Royal Navy serviceman Martin Johnson in 2015, Hull-based T2 has transformed from a single consultant working from a shared office to a multi-million-pound business operating from its own 6,000 sq ft leadership development centre.

The company’s decade of growth has been punctuated by several key milestones, including year-on-year growth of over 150% in 2021-22, as the business capitalised on pivoting to virtual delivery during COVID-19, and another leap forward following high-profile partnerships with elite sports organisations.

In another key milestone, T2 recently acquired its headquarters building on the waterfront in Hull and plans further investment, totalling £1.2m, to create a state-of-the-art leadership development centre, offering enhanced benefits for clients and staff alike.

T2 aims to develop the people of today, the leaders of tomorrow and the organisations of the future. The company’s unique approach combines organisational and performance psychology, helping leaders understand both the mechanics of building high-performing teams and the human psychology that drives exceptional results.

T2 Founder and CEO Martin Johnson said: “Ten years ago, I walked away from my corporate job at global business consultancy Gartner with nothing but an idea and a belief that leadership development needed to be more human-centred.

“Our continued growth across such diverse sectors – from elite sports to global corporations – demonstrates the universal applicability of our approach. We don’t just teach leadership theory; we help people understand who they are as human beings first, then build their authentic leadership style from there.”

The business has worked with an impressive roster of clients spanning multiple sectors, including Specsavers, Reckitt, Smith+Nephew, Siemens Gamesa and TransUnion. T2’s expertise extends into the public sector, including working with multiple fire services across the UK, including Humberside.

The consultancy’s breakthrough into elite sports came through a partnership with Sir Dave Brailsford, the legendary performance director behind multiple Olympic cycling gold medals and Tour de France victories.

After discovering the T2 People Performance Podcast during lockdown, Sir Dave contracted the company to work with the INEOS Grenadiers cycling team and later with Manchester United, following INEOS Chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s acquisition of a significant stake in the club and taking control of football operations.

Sir Dave, Director of Sport for INEOS, said: “Martin has a very structured mind and when he imparts knowledge, he does it in a very clear and concise way, which is what attracted me to T2 in the first place.”

A key driver of T2’s growth has been its innovative T2 Partnership Programme, which transformed the business model from project-based work to longer-term partnerships. This approach now accounts for over half of T2’s client base and provides comprehensive leadership development packages including training, coaching, psychometric assessments, and access to T2’s proprietary online platform, the T2 Hub.

Central to T2’s offering is the T2 Hub, first launched in 2019 but significantly developed during and since COVID, as a smart online learning platform designed to deliver real-time personal development content. The platform now combines hundreds of learning pathways, productivity tools, videos and “Hubcast” content, together with organisational analysis and feedback survey capabilities.

The T2 Hub has grown to serve over 11,000 active users, demonstrating the growing appetite for on-demand leadership development content.

Mr Johnson said: “What sets T2 apart is our unique fusion of organisational performance principles with deep performance psychology.

“We’re not just another consultancy delivering generic leadership training. We’re specialists in human transformation who understand that excellent performance starts with understanding yourself as a human being first, then building from that foundation.

“Our methodology bridges the gap between the science of high performance and the art of leading people.”

The company’s flagship event, the T2 Leadership Retreat, exemplifies its commitment to cutting-edge leadership development. The annual three-day immersive experience, held at the luxurious The Grove resort in Hertfordshire, is limited to just 40 people each year to ensure a high-calibre cohort, and attracts world-class speakers, including Professor Steve Peters, author of The Chimp Paradox; explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes; and Damian Hughes, the author of eight best-selling business books on creating high-performance cultures and co-host of the High Performance Podcast.

Next year’s line-up features world-renowned chef Raymond Blanc and endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh.

Mr Johnson added: “The retreat represents everything we believe about leadership development. It demonstrates our principle that breakthrough performance requires leaders to step outside their comfort zones.”

The business has ambitious expansion plans. Over the next two years, T2 plans to branch into physical and mental health services, recognising the crucial link between employee wellbeing and performance.

Within the next 12 months, T2 has plans to launch an enhanced 360-degree feedback tool providing users with in-depth, personalised reports that offer clear breakdowns of strengths and development areas, with actionable insights for professional growth.

The company is also developing a groundbreaking industry database, scheduled for launch in 2026, which will allow individuals, teams and organisations to benchmark their performance against others in similar industries and positions, featuring comprehensive team-level analysis.

In addition, T2 has also secured the UK licence for Attributes, a psychometric assessment tool developed by former Navy SEAL commander Rich Diviney, adding another dimension to its comprehensive leadership development offering.