Customized U.Excel program for middle managers recognized for combining coaching, real-world application, and immersive practice through Boomtown simulation
LONDON — Alchemist, a global leadership development company specializing in changing behavior at scale through practice-led learning, and Fugro, the world’s leading Geo-data specialist, announced today that they won Gold in the Best Leadership Development Program category in the 2026 Brandon Hall Group™ HCM Excellence Awards®.
The winning initiative, U.Excel, is a customized program created for Fugro’s middle managers. It was designed to build leadership confidence, strengthen strategic communication and turn learning into meaningful behavioral change.
“We’re proud to receive Gold and to have the work of our participants and learning team recognized,” said Wouter Jan Kleinlugtenbelt, global head of learning at Fugro. “Our middle managers are a critical link between strategy and execution, so we didn’t want a generic leadership course. The program was developed around the situations our leaders face every day.”
The 11-week development journey combined live virtual learning, diagnostic insight, one-to-one coaching, peer learning, practice between sessions, work on real business challenges, forum theatre, senior leader engagement and post-program reinforcement.
The program culminated in Boomtown, a two-day, face-to-face immersive business simulation delivered by an Alchemist facilitator, coaches and professional actors. Participants stepped into a fictional company and were challenged to apply their new skills and behaviors in an environment designed to recreate the pressure, ambiguity and interpersonal dynamics of real leadership.
“This award validates what can happen when an organization is willing to go beyond traditional leadership training and create opportunities for people to practice in situations that feel real. U.Excel was designed around that principle,” said Russell Miller, CEO of Alchemist. “Boomtown brought those behaviors together in an environment where participants could test themselves, adapt and learn. It’s a powerful example of what practice-led learning can achieve when it’s built around the realities leaders face.”
Participant feedback highlighted the impact of the experience:
- “A brilliantly designed, created and executed simulation that brought to life, in a short space of time, so many challenges that we often have to deal with. It massively reinforced the learnings of the course, brought it to life and made sure we’ll remember Boomtown!”
- “It is really something we can’t learn in a classroom or virtually. The simulation reflects many real challenges we face at work.”
Program impact was measured through a combination of quantitative data, participant feedback, coaching insight, facilitator observation and follow-up evidence from the business.
Across cohorts, U.Excel achieved:
- 94% average positivity score across the program.
- 96% average positivity score for the Boomtown simulation.
- 95% said they gained value from the interactive nature of the simulation.
The program also created opportunities for managers across countries and functions to build stronger connections with peers and senior leaders. The face-to-face experience added a different level of energy, visibility and connection next to the virtual part of the program.
“Boomtown gave participants something that’s very difficult to recreate through conventional learning,” Kleinlugtenbelt added. “They could test themselves, see how their behavior affected others and receive immediate feedback, all within a safe environment. That combination of realism, challenge and reflection made the experience memorable and helped participants connect the learning directly to their work.”
“Every year, the HCM Excellence Awards remind us that innovation is ultimately about impact,” Rachel Cooke, COO of Brandon Hall Group™ and HCM Excellence Awards® Program Leader. “The organizations recognized this year have demonstrated that great HR and learning strategies don’t just improve programs, they strengthen organizations, empower people and deliver measurable business results. We are honored to celebrate their achievements.”
“The HCM Excellence Awards have become the most recognized benchmark for excellence in human capital management because organizations know they are earned, not given,” Mike Cooke, CEO, Brandon Hall Group™. Every winning program has demonstrated measurable impact, innovation, and execution through one of the industry’s most rigorous evaluation processes. We are proud to recognize the organizations setting the standard for the future of work.”
The Brandon Hall Group™ HCM Excellence Awards® recognize organizations that successfully develop and deploy programs, strategies, technologies and solutions that deliver measurable business results and advance excellence in Human Capital Management. Entries are evaluated by industry experts and Brandon Hall Group analysts based on alignment to business needs, program design and delivery, adoption, measurable benefits, and overall impact.
The full list of winners is available at: https://excellenceawards.brandonhall.com/winners
About Alchemist
Headquartered in London, Alchemist is a global leadership development company specializing in immersive, experiential, and interactive learning. Known for its client-centric approach and innovative design, Alchemist creates learning experiences that are impactful, memorable, and built to drive business outcomes through high-stakes, real-world challenges, live practice, AI-driven simulations, and immediate coaching. Learn more at thisisalchemist.com.
About Fugro
Fugro is the world’s leading Geo-data specialist, collecting and analyzing comprehensive information about the Earth and the structures built upon it. Adopting an integrated approach that incorporates acquisition and analysis of Geo-data and related advice, Fugro provides solutions. With expertise in site characterization and asset integrity, clients are supported in the safe, sustainable and efficient design, construction and operation of their assets throughout the full lifecycle. Learn more at https://www.fugro.com.
About Brandon Hall Group™
For more than 30 years, we have helped organizations transform workforce performance into measurable business results. We combine independent research, proven practices from award-winning organizations, benchmarking, strategic advisory, and the collective intelligence of a global executive community to help leaders make better decisions with greater confidence.
Our Workforce Excellence Intelligence is built on evidence, not opinion. By continuously studying leadership, learning, talent, human resources, artificial intelligence, and the future of work, we identify what drives exceptional organizational performance—and translate those insights into practical frameworks, benchmarks, and guidance that organizations can apply immediately.
More than 10,000 organizations worldwide, including many of the worldʼs leading employers and Human Capital Management solution providers, have engaged with Brandon Hall Group through our research, advisory services, Excellence Councils, Institute, certifications, and the globally recognized HCM Excellence Awards®. Together, they create one of the industryʼs richest ecosystems of workforce knowledge, best practices, and proven results.
Our purpose is to make Workforce Excellence achievable for every organization and establish it as the global standard for organizational success.
