Consultancy contracts with wind power giant Siemens, holiday company Jet2 and Super League leaders Hull FC are behind the rapid expansion of a Hull business focused on motivation and leadership.
Trans2 Group has increased its team from three to 12 in the two years since managing director Alan Johnson launch Trans2 Logistics. The forwarding arm of the business continues to thrive but the expansion is being driven by Trans2 Performance, which was launched in summer 2015 and is practising what CEO Martin Johnson preaches in his sell-out speaking events and in-demand consultancy sessions.
He said: “It has been a wonderful journey. We have experienced early growth and there is a real demand for our services. We have operated at the highest level in education, professional sport and the world of business and we fully intend to continue. We have not come this far to only come this far.”
Martin progressed from the Royal Navy to senior roles with the Butler Group and Gartner Associates prior to joining his father at Trans2 Group and leading the development which has seen the company increase its footprint at The Deep Business Centre in Hull.
Martin said: “The forwarding side is doing very well and we recently opened a depot nearby to accommodate our expanding fleet of trucks, trailers and escort vehicles. But we kept the headquarters at The Deep because we have modern offices with all the services that we need to run a great business. It’s a very nice working environment for our staff and for our customers.”
The T2 Talks events, which have attracted capacity crowds to The Deep aquarium and Hull Truck Theatre, have raised the profile of Trans2 Performance and brought direct introductions to new clients. More events are now being planned for October in Hull and Portsmouth.
Those new clients include Siemens, which has engaged the company to help with organisational culture and leadership in Hull and further afield, Jet2, which recently reported a doubling of pre-tax profits to more than £104 million, and Hull FC, a surprise package with their success in Super League.
Francis Rawson, Health, Safety and Environment Manager at Jet2, said: “We have used Trans2 for a number of different work streams including manager and team development and have seen some tangible results in terms of improvements in our department efficiencies, communication and our ability to really understand our workforce.
“We have found Trans2 to be extremely engaging, with a real passion for ensuring they understand the unique challenges our work environment poses. The feedback from the team has been fantastic and we look forward to continuing to work with Trans2.”
Lee Radford, Head Coach of Hull FC, said: “Trans2 Performance have helped us to better prepare our players and coaches to communicate effectively, increase our mental capability and to develop an overall positive mindset. The insight is thought provoking, motivating and really actionable.”
A new board at Willerby Holiday Homes recruited Trans2 to develop progressive leadership techniques within the business. HR Director Alison Bettac said: “Trans2 Performance made a significant contribution to the development of the programme and delivered a powerful and effective programme which has resulted in a positive step change in the culture of Willerby Holiday Homes.
“We were so impressed by the impact that we decided to roll out a similar programme to our entire whole leadership team. Martin will also be supporting our one-to-one coaching scheme in the autumn.”
Martin said: “It has been a wonderful first 12 months and we have just launched our executive team building programme, T2 Stretch, which takes leaders and teams out of the classroom environment.
“What makes our content and programmes incredibly engaging and valuable is the fact that we explore and incorporate the relevance and importance of neuroscience, psychology and the art of human performance. Topics such as emotional intelligence, social excellence, the social brain, social styles and cognitive dissonance are all key factors in developing, motivating and inspiring others.”
Freya Cross, Business and Corporate Manager at The Deep, said: “The success of Trans2 Group is demonstrated by the fact that they have doubled their space in the Business Centre to 1,000 square feet just two years after opening here as a start-up.
“The forwarding business provided a solid foundation for the group and Martin’s expertise has added a new dimension which has attracted major new clients who are big players in their respective sectors. It’s good for us as well that T2 Talks is attracting some very influential business people to events held at The Deep.”