Assynt Leadership Expedition: Finding perspective in the wild

Even for those familiar with the Highlands, Assynt feels otherworldly – it’s remote, rugged and, most of all, unmistakably Scottish. Its billion-year-old sandstone peaks, including Suilven, rise sharply from the moorland and set the scene perfectly for our first leadership expedition with Charlotte Street Partners.

The aim of the expedition was simple: to explore how adventure, resilience and perspective connect, and how time outdoors can reset the way we both lead and think.

“The idea was really, can we attract more people out of their offices and out of whatever is going on in their lives, to bring them to a place like this and not just teach them about resilience and leadership, but teach them about perspective,” said Malcolm Robertson, founder of Charlotte Street Partners.

The group – a mix of business owners and senior executives – arrived in Lochinver ready to step outside their comfort zones. Over three days they hiked, reflected and shared ideas surrounded by sea air and silence.

On the first evening, Mollie Hughes, our Managing Director here at Ocean Vertical and record-breaking adventurer, spoke about resilience and mindset, drawing on her solo Antarctic expedition and Everest climbs. “It’s about adjusting our mindsets and combating that negative bias we all have,” Mollie explained. “It can really stop achievement and wellbeing. The outdoors gives us that space to reset, and the corporate audience – those with high-pressure jobs – probably need it the most.”

Under blue September skies, the team then took on Suilven – a 12-mile trek through lochs and heather to the twin summits of Caisteal Liath. And four hours later, after a climb and a sea swim, the sense of clarity and connection was tangible.

For Ocean Vertical and Charlotte Street Partners, this was the first of many collaborations designed to bring leadership development into the outdoors – where the lessons are real and the impact lasts.

You can read The Times feature on the expedition here. And if you’d like to be part of a future Leadership Expedition, get in touch with us at oceanvertical.com/contact. We’d love to hear from you.