The challenge

A newly expanded executive leadership team at an international retail organisation had formed following significant organisational upheaval, including senior leadership transitions and restructuring. 

The team needed a way to build trust, connection and honest dialogue quickly, without defaulting to another meeting-room discussion. The brief was to create a psychologically safe yet stretching experience that enabled senior leaders to explore how they communicate, make decisions and work together under pressure. 

The solution

Fieri designed and delivered Dawn Response: From Crisis to Coordination, a one-day immersive humanitarian-aid scenario for the organisation’s executive leadership team. 

Set within a high-pressure flood-response simulation, the experience required leaders to make time-bound decisions, engage with role-players and coordinate action under pressure. 

The design deliberately blended “meaningful fun” with structured reflection, enabling the team to build trust, surface dynamics and strengthen communication and alignment outside the boardroom. 

The results

• Full participation and sustained engagement from the entire executive leadership team 

• Increased trust, openness and quality of dialogue under pressure 

• Stronger bonds and renewed sense of shared purpose at a critical moment 

• Clear insights into communication, decision-making and team dynamics 

• Client feedback confirming the experience was “exactly what we needed”