What does Adaptive Edge do?

Adaptive Edge is a UK strategy and innovation consultancy. We help organisations decide what to change, then make the change real: strategy built with the people who must carry it, AI adoption inside real work, and behaviour change that sticks.

How is Adaptive Edge different from a traditional strategy consultancy?

We do not hand over a deck and leave. Strategy is made in working sessions with your own teams, so the people who must deliver it own it from day one. We prove an approach in one team before asking the whole organisation to change.

Who does Adaptive Edge work with?

Global organisations across healthcare, industrials, media, retail technology and financial services, including ITAB Group, Freudenberg, Sky and Sandvik Coromant. Engagements run across Europe and beyond, remote and on site.

How does Adaptive Edge approach AI adoption?

We put AI to work inside real workflows rather than running abstract training. Teams learn on their own live work, we measure what actually changes, and we scale only what proves useful.

What does a typical engagement look like?

Most engagements combine focused research, co-created working sessions, and hands-on tools built for your context. They range from a single workshop to a multi-phase transformation programme.

How do we start a conversation?

Use the contact form on the site. We usually begin with a short call to understand the decision you are facing, and we will tell you plainly if we are not the right fit.

Freudenberg 175th Anniversary

Client: Freudenberg

The Challenge

How do you evaluate the future-readiness of a massive global business that spans multiple business models across all global regions?

Our Approach

Freudenberg is deliberately decentralised, which makes alignment hard and makes it matter. Every three years the group brings 450 senior leaders together around the themes it most needs to work through; across cycles those have included customer centricity, digitalisation, AI, speed and market transformation. The design principle is constant: 450 people should have the conversations that change decisions, rather than watching a main stage.

Over 14 months, in collaboration with Treehouse Innovation, the team worked alongside 85 senior leaders from Freudenberg's C-suite and VP levels, representing all 11 strategic business units. The challenge was to assess the future readiness of the company through deep research sessions and interviews exploring every facet of their operations.

The culmination was a four-day event bringing together 450 key participants. But this wasn't a typical corporate event. Complex strategic findings needed to be presented in ways that were clear, emotionally engaging, memorable, and even entertaining. The approach centered on helping people connect with the material on a personal level, to feel involved rather than simply informed.

Key interventions included an interactive six-room gallery where each room was dedicated to one of Freudenberg's guiding principles, with interactive quizzes, games, and historic artifacts. Breakout sessions used creative formats like a Formula One-themed board game for operational excellence, and a risk compliance game where participants earned "Freudenbugs" by solving real-world challenges while providing valuable feedback to the risk team.

A magician was brought in whose craft served as a metaphor for organizational transformation, and an orchestra performance that demonstrated the power of collaboration. Animated videos broke down complex governance and compliance models into visually compelling narratives.

The Impact

The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Participants left not only informed but energized, having engaged with strategic material in surprising and enjoyable ways. Leadership gained new perspectives from participant insights, which shaped their approach to risk, compliance, and operational excellence.

The resources and tools created continue to serve as lasting assets, allowing Freudenberg to communicate and embed these strategic updates across their vast global organization. This case demonstrates the power of combining strategic depth with creative engagement to ensure lasting impact.

The relationship did not end with the anniversary. Freudenberg has invited us back every cycle since 2018 to design and facilitate the recurring three-day leadership event that brings 450 leaders together around the themes the group most needs to work through.

Our Role

As project lead for Treehouse Innovation, Nathan directed the design, planning, and delivery of Dialog 2024. Worked closely with senior leaders to shape the strategic storyline, coordinated the creative and facilitation teams, and ensured the final experience translated sophisticated organisational content into clear, immersive sessions for participants.