As much as 80% of UK GDP comes from service-related activities and the UK is the second-largest service exporter in the world. And yet our research continues to show that service gets too little attention in the boardroom. Too often, it’s regarded as just an operational or front-end activity, something that is the province of a department or function rather than a key driver of business performance, revenue, growth and productivity. Service should be embedded into the heart of organisational strategy and culture, not left at the edges.
At The Institute, we have long campaigned to change that as we strive to build a true Service Nation. That’s why I am excited and proud to announce the launch of a new organisation under the Institute umbrella – Portis – through which we will be delivering a Mini-MBA in Strategic Service Leadership designed for board-level leaders, whatever their professional background, across the public and private sectors.
Ten-week executive programme
Through Portis (from the Latin meaning ‘gateway’), we will be running four cohorts a year of our ten-week executive programme in Strategic Service Leadership that takes delegates on a journey of learning and insight, deepening their understanding of the service agenda and its integral relationship to strategy. Each cohort is limited to twelve delegates, enabling close engagement and interaction.
Learning builds through five key modules:
- Strategy – integrating service strategy at board level
- Culture – translating brand into consistent service delivery
- Insight & foresight – building continuous customer intelligence and strategic foresight
- Design & delivery – human-centred, AI-enabled service innovation and governance
- Impact & measurement – proving financial return and wider benefits at board level
The programme is delivered through a range of formats, with a blend of live online and in-person sessions, ‘lectorials’, and interactive learning via a specially curated learning portal. Senior business leaders who have operated at the highest levels deliver and facilitate the lectorials to delegates.
Interactive ServiceLabs
An exciting and innovative feature is our ServiceLabs, where delegates step inside our content partners – some of the UK’s highest-performing service organisations such as Nationwide, first direct, Octopus Energy, Wickes, Zurich Insurance, DPD, Hays Travel and HM Passport Office – to explore how strategic decisions translate into excellent service. Each ServiceLab combines an exclusive site visit with an interactive Masterclass with senior leaders from the host partner, allowing delegates to explore and debate the strategic thinking, leadership and culture behind their success.
With three in-person ServiceLabs during the ten weeks, other tasks within each module, plus a bespoke project based on a live organisational challenge that each delegate arrives with, culminating in a board-ready presentation, the course is fast-paced, challenging and stimulating. Delegates should expect to commit around eight hours per week, excluding travel to in-person sessions. For delegates who choose the assessed route, the Mini-MBA award is designed to the equivalent of Level 7 and is self-accredited by The Institute of Customer Service. The programme is designed with CPD relevance in mind, with independent CPD accreditation currently pending.
We envisage that those joining the programme will already be operating at board level – perhaps a COO, Customer Experience Director, CFO, CPO, CIO, Operations Director or other equivalent senior executive role in the public or private sector. We also ask that delegates are nominated by their CEO or Director General.
This programme offers first-hand insight into how top-performing organisations from multiple sectors think and operate, and the chance to learn alongside cross-sector peers in their cohort. Portis will also support an active alumni network long after each cohort has ended.
Empowering the Service Nation
This is by no means only an Institute effort – I am extremely grateful to the founding partners behind Portis who provided seed funding and worked with us to make it a reality: Ageas, Bfl, Concentrix, Corrella, Northumbrian Water, Novuna, Octopus Energy, Places for People, Rail Delivery Group, UK Power Networks, Wickes.
I am equally grateful to our content partners, named above, for opening their doors to host the ServiceLabs and make this learning experience possible.
This is more than just ‘a course’. Our interactive and innovative programme will empower executives to drive organisation-wide service strategies, design and deliver service transformation, calculate and report the financial case for service excellence, lead the ethical deployment of AI in a service context, and exercise accountable leadership that improves employee engagement, stakeholder confidence and organisational reputation. As more executives go through the process, we can really start to build the Service Nation.
Get in touch
If this is something that you’re passionate about and inspired by, speak to your CEO and get in touch. If you’re a CEO reading this – is there someone in your leadership team with CEO potential for whom this could be the perfect development opportunity?
For detailed information, see the Portis website at www.stepintoportis.com
We are planning four cohorts of up to twelve delegates during 2027, with the first starting on 11 January. Please don’t hesitate to drop me a line if you’re interested in discussing further, or get in touch with Portis Programme Director John Barnett at john.barnett@icsmail.co.uk
Make Portis the gateway to your service leadership future!
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