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In high-stakes industries like nuclear decommissioning, technical expertise alone is not enough — strong leadership and well-developed soft skills are essential for success. The Decommissioning Alliance (TDA), a joint venture between Amentum, Westinghouse, and AtkinsRealis, recognized the need for structured leadership training to support its workforce in delivering critical projects at Sellafield. In this blog, Malcolm Wall from Amentum shares how TDA’s leadership training programme was developed, and how it has transformed its workforce, enhanced partnerships, and set a benchmark for leadership excellence in the sector.
The Decommissioning Alliance (TDA) is a highly successful joint venture between Amentum, Westinghouse, and AtkinsRealis. In partnership with Sellafield, TDA plays a pivotal role in decommissioning the legacy ponds facilities at Sellafield, a critical project addressing the UK’s nuclear decommissioning challenge. This work has been delivered as part of the broader and equally successful DDP framework. At its peak in 2024, TDA employed a dedicated, multi-disciplined project workforce of over 350 skilled individuals, delivering critical outcomes in one of the industry’s most challenging environments.
However, as with many large-scale, technically demanding initiatives, growth and operational focus revealed some areas needing attention. Over its nine-year trajectory, TDA identified a significant gap in structured training. A lack of internally delivered training within the joint venture’s team prompted the creation of a transformative leadership training programme, underscoring TDA’s commitment to continuous improvement and a forward-thinking culture.
A Coordinated Leadership Training Programme
TDA’s leadership training initiative was, in part, modelled on the highly successful ‘AMEC Leadership Academy’ in order to cascade leadership excellence throughout the organisation. Initially targeting TDA’s lead team, the programme sought to establish a solid foundation of leadership principles, behaviours and practices that would permeate the wider workforce. This structured approach empowered leaders to inspire their teams, ensuring consistent development at multiple levels.
Key elements of the training programme included:
- Systems Thinking: Enhancing the ability to identify interconnections within complex problems and make informed decisions.
- Self-Awareness and Judgement Index: Building introspection and decision-making capabilities to navigate high-stakes environments.
- Facilitation & Presentation Training: Equipping leaders with skills to foster collaboration and promote a facilitative leadership culture.
- NLP Coaching: Using Neuro-Linguistic Programming techniques to enhance goal setting, communication, and influence.
- Coverdale Leadership & Executive Training: Strengthening team leadership and organisational effectiveness at multiple levels.
- Purpose, Mission, Vision, Values (PMVV) Training: Aligning leadership with core organisational principles to create a unified direction.
- Motivational Speakers: Providing inspiration through insights from speakers drawn from the worlds of boxing, football, rugby, and the military elite.
- One-to-One Coaching: Offering personalised support at critical times.
Thought Leadership and Transformational Impact
My role in designing and delivering this programme has focused not only on practical leadership training but also on embedding a culture of thought leadership across TDA. This new leadership programme has had a significant impact on the Legacy Ponds Programme, enhancing relationships between TDA members and its partner businesses. It has helped us move away from a transactional client-subcontractor model towards a more collaborative partnership, underpinned by shared purpose and mission.
The use of NLP-based coaching and language has been particularly influential in enabling leaders to become clearer about their goals for themselves and their teams. By fostering improved communication, delegation, and inspiration, leaders have developed a stronger ability to drive results while aligning with organisational values. This shift has cultivated a coaching culture that enables teams to navigate and move beyond bureaucracy and red tape, unlocking new levels of initiative, efficiency and innovation.
My own personal training in Executive Leadership, Clean Language Coaching, and NLP-based coaching, combined with my extensive experience in projects and programme management, has been instrumental in achieving these outcomes. This holistic approach has not only improved delegation and decision-making, but also inspired other and future leaders to set higher ambitions for themselves and their teams. The programme’s delivery has benefited from collaboration with some of the best specialist trainers in the industry, making it far more effective than any purely internal or online (e-learning) teaching tools or techniques.
Building Leaders
The training offered by TDA has been transformational, helping engineers transition into managerial roles and enabling managers to evolve into effective leaders. This development has delivered far-reaching benefits, including:
- Raising Ambition: Empowering individuals to set higher goals for themselves and their teams.
- Attraction and Retention of Talent: Fostering a culture that values personal growth and professional development.
- Improved Behaviours: Promoting collaborative, respectful, and constructive workplace interactions.
These outcomes align with ISO44001 standards for collaborative business relationships and support the broader objectives of Sellafield’s strategic relationship management (SRM) incentives.
The specialist trainers were utilised for areas such as Facilitation, Systems Thinking, and NLP. The Judgement Index and some one-to-one coaching sessions were also delivered internally by me. As a trained coach, I conducted coaching sessions in several areas, while referring specific participants to other trusted associate coaches when appropriate. Typically, 4-6 sessions were sufficient.
Generally, TDA and Sellafield participants were carefully selected from across the leadership teams. People with diverse skills, positive, enthusiastic attitudes, and high-potential individuals were chosen from a cross-section of the business. The programme was delivered as needed over the course of a year, guided by budgets agreed with TDA’s board members. Participation was voluntary and aimed at supporting the successful completion of the framework while preparing for its renewal in 2026, which would potentially last for another 15 years. One important factor in the success of this initiative was the positive support shown by TDA’s Framework Lead Chris Shepherd from Westinghouse, Paul Fletcher from Amentum, and others in TDA’s and Sellafield’s lead team.
A Model for Future Projects
TDA’s programme sets a benchmark for organisations in the sector navigating the complexities of large-scale programmes. By prioritising the development of people alongside technical objectives, TDA has demonstrated how investing in its people yields tangible long term benefits for project delivery, stakeholder relationships, and organisational resilience. This is people-focused leadership in action. TDA’s example is a reminder that the success, metrics, and benefits of a major project are not solely defined by its physical delivery.
TDA’s programme has been designed to develop the next generation of leaders, carefully considering demographic factors and this has certainly improved ambition, morale, and enthusiasm. The team has successfully retained and attracted highly talented individuals, and TDA’s reputation and scale grew significantly in 2024. The legacy of TDA’s leadership programme will undoubtedly resonate with individuals in the Cumbrian community, the broader decommissioning sector, and beyond, hopefully inspiring others to adopt similar approaches to foster growth and sustainable success.
Major Projects Association Professional Development Programmes
Professional development is at the very centre of the Major Projects Association’s objectives. Each year, the professional development element of our programme is geared to respond to the needs of people working at different stages in their careers. The Challenge of Major Projects (CMP) is our unique programme offering a stimulating opportunity for senior leaders confronting the demands of larger or more complex projects to explore the factors affecting success. Find out more about our suite of professional development opportunities, including CMP, here.
