Governance, Risk & Culture

Culture is the operating system of governance

Discover what is driving yours, and build the culture that delivers good outcomes.

How sure are you that your culture will surface and address risk early, or will you only hear about it once it’s become a full-blown crisis?

The question

How do you know your culture supports good outcomes?

Governance is not a tick-box exercise. It is the litmus test of a healthy organisation. A silent speak-up channel doesn't necessarily mean a healthy culture. It may also mean that people don't feel safe enough to speak, or don't believe that anyone will act if they do..

38%

of audited boards received zero management information on cultural misconduct.

Culture and Non-Financial Misconduct Survey, 2024
50%

of serious cultural and behavioural risks were only found through reactive routes, like grievances or lawsuits.

Culture and Non-Financial Misconduct Survey, 2024
1 in 3

employees who knew about misconduct did not report it. Top reasons: fear for their job, and doubt anyone would act.

Institute of Business Ethics

The rules have caught up. Under FCA Policy Statement PS25/23, non-financial misconduct is a direct regulatory compliance failure, with full effect from 1 September 2026.

Our offer

From the boardroom to the whole organisation.

Lasting change comes from shifting habits of behaviour across the whole organisation, led by what the board and executive team role model. Our approach helps you see what’s really going on, act where it matters and sustain change.

1

Diagnose

See what is really happening.

A diagnostic and analysis of behaviour across your board, your executive team and other teams in your organisation. Our digital diagnostic measures how often behaviours show up, supported by interviews and observation, producing an independent report on strengths, emerging risks and priorities.

  • Board of Directors
  • Executive Teams
  • Vertical & Horizontal Teams
The diagnostic phase helps you answer
  • What leadership behaviours are being incentivised?
  • Is challenge genuinely welcomed?
  • Does the culture enable challenge and truth-telling?
  • Can bad news travel upwards?
  • Is the organisation capable of adapting to disruption?
  • What is the level of psychological safety?
  • Are we creating sustained success or short-termism?
  • Is the team aligned around purpose and risk appetite?
2

Transform

Turn insight into results.

Where the diagnostic identifies material risk, we work alongside you to design and deliver tailored interventions, at the level where culture is actually formed.

At the topThe behaviours of senior leaders, the dynamics of the executive team and the board, and the norms that are modelled and tolerated at the top. We strengthen trust, alignment and decision-making, enabling demonstrable progress.
Across the organisationWe build psychological safety as a shared capability, embedded across the system. That includes building trust, ownership, vulnerability and accountable dialogue which are the core pillars of a strong culture.
How we do it
Workshops and multi-session programmes, in person and online
Realistic scenarios, actors and “heat” experiences
Individual and live team coaching
3

Sustain

Keep a finger on the pulse.

Appreciating culture is never ‘one-and-done’ but continually shifting with the internal and external landscape. We recommend a simple bi-annual cultural check-in to keep a finger on the pulse. This enables early course correction rather than deeper crisis management.

Governance & riskHonest challenge in the boardroom and a more proactive risk culture across the organisation.
Performance & changeRoom for challenge and experimentation means faster decisions, innovation and efficiency.
Engagement & wellbeingGreater ownership, stronger teams, reduced burnout and improved wellbeing.

FIND OUT MORE

Case study: Astellas

From crisis to culture change: building trust and accountability at speed.

Facing the threat of losing its licence to operate, Astellas partnered with Holos to rebuild trust, accountability and psychological safety. The result was rapid compliance recovery and a lasting cultural transformation, measured across the whole EMEA culture.

"Working with Holos has been a key part of shifting our culture."Kasey Brown, Culture and Engagement Lead, Astellas

500+participants, from the Management Board to first-line leaders
EMEA-wideacross a global matrix organisation in significant change
Licence reinstatedwith a measured, lasting cultural shift
The impact over three years
Psychological safety
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
UnsafeSafe
Trust
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
DistrustingTrusting
Authentic leadership
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
BossAuthentic

All nine cultural measures we tracked improved over the three years, including blame towards feedback and siloed towards collaborative.