In less than six years, Brisbane will take centre stage as it hosts the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The recent announcement of BESIX Watpac and John Holland as the preferred joint venture for the new 63,000-seat Brisbane Stadium at Victoria Park marks another significant milestone as the programme moves towards delivery.
As the countdown continues and preparations ramp up, our attention turns to what it really takes to deliver an event of this scale.
“With complex stakeholder dynamics, a large construction requirement and an immovable deadline, the challenge of delivering an Olympic programme extends far beyond the need for new venues and infrastructure,” says Warren Rushbrook, Gerard Daniels CEO. “Hosting an event of this scale and complexity requires the right leadership capability, structures and governance; a delivery model that allows people to perform; and a clear vision for what the programme will achieve – during the Games and beyond.”
Playing a key role in building the leadership team for the London 2012 delivery consortium, and more recently supporting two strategic appointments for Brisbane 2032, provide Warren with firsthand experience of the leadership and delivery challenges involved in staging major public events. Here he reflects on the lessons learned from London 2012 and what they tell us about leadership and the delivery of major public events.
Finding the right leadership capability
When London won the rights to host the Olympic Games, public confidence in the UK’s ability to deliver the event was far from assured. Overcoming the early scepticism required not only a clear vision, but the leadership capability and delivery expertise to turn ambition into reality.
“The London Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) spoke consistently about being the client of choice for talent across the supply chain,” says Warren. “In doing so, they made it clear that they wanted the very best organisations and individuals from around the world to deliver these assets,” says Warren. “What transpired, transformed the white elephant in waiting into something that brought the country together.”
A turning point for London was the appointment of CLM – a consortium of CH2M Hill, Laing O’Rourke and Mace – as the delivery partner responsible for design, procurement and construction. Bringing together established construction and infrastructure specialists with the experience and resources to deliver major assets, became a significant factor in the success of London 2012.
“Managing an individual project is vastly different from overseeing a programme of interconnected projects, each with its own priorities, stakeholders, timelines, dependencies and challenges,” says Warren. “The success of London 2012 shows just how important it is for leadership capability and experience to reflect the scale and complexity of what must be achieved.”
The example also highlights the value of looking beyond conventional talent pools and drawing on diverse, transferable industry experience. “Leading the construction of an individual sporting venue may provide relevant experience, but delivering major projects in complex environments such as oil and gas or mining can bring a more nuanced perspective and a broader lens,” says Warren. “These industries develop leaders who are accustomed to managing enterprise-level risk, navigating complex stakeholder environments and overseeing multiple interconnected projects. The ability to understand and manage risk across an entire programme, rather than simply delivering individual projects, is a critical leadership capability for an undertaking of this scale.”
Experience gained in mining, energy, transport and other capital-intensive industries can build highly relevant capabilities in managing complexity, coordinating multiple workstreams and navigating competing stakeholder interests. Warren also emphasises the importance of looking beyond job titles and sector experience to understand the scale of a candidate’s previous responsibilities, the challenges they have successfully navigated and their experience delivering comparable programmes in different markets.
Appointing the right talent requires a clear understanding of the programme objectives and the leadership capabilities needed to achieve them. “The real challenge isn't necessarily finding people who've done exactly the same thing before, it's finding leaders with the experience, judgement and adaptability to deal with the complexity of a programme like this,” Warren reflects.
Gerard Daniels recently supported two senior appointments for the Brisbane 2032 delivery consortium that bring this to concept to life:
- One candidate had outstanding major construction and stadium delivery experience, at a scale directly relevant to Brisbane;
- The other brought a very different background, with extensive experience managing complex stakeholder relationships and delivering major programmes, including within live sporting environments.
“I found it encouraging that the client wasn’t looking for two people with identical backgrounds and that they recognised the value in making both of these appointments,” says Warren. “This is a great example of why you need to look beyond traditional sector experience and focus on building a leadership team with the right mix of skills.”
Creating conditions for success
Talent and capability are key factors in major projects, but leadership effectiveness is also shaped by the environment in which people operate. For Warren, the success of London 2012 highlights the important relationship between capability, governance and performance. It also demonstrates the value of a collaborative delivery model that brings specialist organisations together within a clearly defined structure to attract and support exceptional talent.
“When the delivery environment is complex, deadlines are immovable and multiple stakeholders are involved, major programmes must offer experienced leaders and specialist organisations a compelling proposition, supported by clear accountabilities and decision-making authority,” says Warren.
“In the search for talent, senior appointments must be considered within the broader delivery model, with clearly defined responsibilities, while oversight is balanced with operational autonomy in a way that supports decision-making and keeps delivery moving,” Warren continues. “A clear understanding of governance arrangements, stakeholder relationships and decision-making responsibilities is critical to identifying leaders who can operate effectively within that environment.”
Responding when things don’t go to plan
From London 2012, we also learned that the success of a programme of this scale isn't just about how well you plan, but how effectively you respond when things inevitably go wrong. The ability to respond quickly can also depend on how well you have developed your stakeholder relationships – if the trust is there, the response can be fast.
A great example was the failure of security contractor G4S, which announced just over two weeks before the Opening Ceremony that it couldn't provide the required number of trained security personnel. Where this had the potential to become a significant problem, the UK Government responded by mobilising thousands of additional Armed Forces personnel to support security across the venues.
“This issue could have seriously undermined public confidence, but instead it became a positive and memorable feature of the London Games,” says Warren. “The professionalism, friendliness and good humour of the uniformed British service personnel welcoming visitors, helping spectators find their way and providing security became part of the London 2012 experience and real talking point for international visitors.”
“The lesson here for Brisbane 2032, is that even with the best planning, things will go wrong,” Warren continues. “What matters, is having the leadership, stakeholder management, governance and organisational agility to make decisions quickly, to mobilise the right resources and respond effectively. With the right elements in place, the way that you respond to a challenge can actually create outcomes that are better than originally envisaged.”
Defining a legacy beyond the Games
The value of defining long-term success and bringing stakeholders along on the journey, is another important lesson to be learned from London 2012. For London, the notion of legacy was central to the vision and vocabulary surrounding the Games, long before anything was designed or built.
“To shift the narrative away from cost and other challenges, communication consistently focused on what would happen, how it would happen and what the legacy would be,” says Warren. “Early planning considered how investment could deliver lasting social and economic benefits for East London, including housing, sporting facilities, commercial activity and transport infrastructure.”
Ultimately, the Olympic Village would become social housing; a new Westfield shopping centre would bring economic activity to the region; London Stadium was designed to host major events (including Premier League matches). “Together, these assets transformed London, during and long after the London Games,” says Warren. “This approach also helped build public support and establish a purpose beyond the Games themselves, reinforcing the importance of looking beyond immediate delivery milestones when measuring success.”
Applying this approach to Brisbane 2032 means considering not only whether the venues and infrastructure will be ready in time for the Games, but also how Queenslanders will benefit from this investment and these assets in the years that follow. “The true success of this programme will be the impact that it still has in 2042,” says Warren.
Taking a long-term perspective has important implications for senior leaders, who must balance immediate delivery pressures with the programme’s broader intended outcomes. Communicating the vision clearly is also essential to building stakeholder confidence and maintaining a shared sense of purpose throughout the programme.
This lesson reinforces the importance of appointing senior leaders who combine delivery expertise with strategic thinking and stakeholder engagement capability. “Understanding and delivering on a programme’s long-term value proposition is just as important as the ability to meet deadlines and manage budgets,” says Warren.
As Brisbane prepares for 2032, the opportunity is to deliver not only a successful event, but a legacy that lasts well beyond the closing ceremony. To build your leadership legacy or discuss the future talent requirement for your organisation, connect with Warren or reach out to your local Gerard Daniels team.
