Achieve together leadership conference sets ambitious goals for the year ahead 

This full day event included presentations from Zak Houlahan, CEO, Sam Collier, Chief Operations Officer, Chris Saunders, Chief Financial Officer , Zoe Armstrong, Chief Care and Quality Officer, Lisa Cole, Chief People Officer and our Unity Representatives, Mary,  Simon,  Crystal  and Simon.

The past year has been one of significant transformation. In 2025, we simplified processes, invested in Home Manager pay, increased leadership visibility, completed an acquisition, delivered a pay increase above the National Living Wage, and were proud to be named one of the UK’s top 500 employers by the Financial Times. 

In 2026, our focus is firmly on growth. 

This will mean: 

-Our standards, led by Home Managers, will ensure consistently Good homes for all. 

-We will continue to invest in our team members, strengthening Achieve together as a great place to work. 

-Safety will remain our top priority and our golden thread that runs throughout the organisation, underpinned by our specialist care and support. 

-We will improve and expand our portfolio, enabling more people to live meaningful, independent lives. 

To bring these messages to life for our leaders at the event, a practical challenge was set – to “grow” a freestanding tree using only the materials provided of paper, string, tape and glue, with the tallest tree declared the winner. Competition was fierce and, in some cases, interpretations of the brief were creative, but the energy, collaboration and teamwork on display clearly demonstrated the strength and excellence of our team members. 

Our culture of co-production will also grow. It sits at the heart of how we develop and deliver support, and how we run our homes across Achieve together. 

To reinforce this, every leader at the conference was asked to make a personal pledge to role model and champion the values of co-production within their teams and day-to-day work. 

We will continue to live by our four values, Making Things Happen, Being Brave, Having Fun and Valuing Everyone. while staying true to our vision: 

“Advancing adult social care by working in partnership to create good homes where team members can thrive and grow, and people we support can live happy, healthy and meaningful lives.” 

We go into 2026 with a lot to achieve, but always with people we support at the heart of every decision. 

Good to Grow 

The theme of our conference this year was ‘Good to Grow’. While this is reflective of our organisational goals, it also reinforces our sustainability commitments. Held at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew in London, to align with the theme, each element of the event from the name badges to the wildflowers contained in conference packs were sustainably sourced.  

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