Dr. Laurence H. Brown is a distinguished leadership and corporate development expert with over 20 years of experience in the GCC region. As the Director of the National LifeSkills Academy Ltd, UK  (NLSA) and founder of the training consultancy Future Vision 2030, Laurence has partnered with top organizations such as Harvard since 2011, Saudi Aramco and John Hopkins, as well as more recently with top companies across the GCC such as Saudi Aramco, Zain, Ma’aden, NEOM, to deliver tailored, future-proofed coached-facilitation aligned with Vision 2030 objectives.

Laurence’s extensive background includes roles such as, Director of Learning with Saudi Aramco, Executive & Team Coach, Learning & Development Manager, and Lead Operational Excellence Assessor. He was invited to Chair, author, manage and put online the first hybrid accredited degree in the GCC back in 2001, and has led numerous high-impact learning and development projects. His commitment to excellence and innovation has made him a sought-after consultant and mentor across the region in the field of leadership development.

With a passion for unlocking the collective intelligence of organizations, Laurence continues to inspire leaders across the GCC, helping them navigate increasingly complex challenges to achieve long-term success.

The Journey: A Symphony of Serendipity and Success

Laurence suggests, that in retrospect, his professional journey has been shaped by serendipitous events, leading him onward and upward without any serious decision-making on his part. It’s almost as if he has been guided along a preordained path. “If you don’t believe in fate at 30, you might at 60.”

The remarkable coincidences that steer us toward our destiny seem too fantastical to be mere chance. This has certainly been Laurence’s experience.

Years ago, a young Saudi colleague asked him about life’s coincidences and whether he believed in Destiny.

Laurence shared a series of remarkable, sequential events over which he had no control, events that led him directly to meeting his wife, as well as being invited to join Saudi Aramco.

If he hadn’t reached for a paper stapler and been snapped at, then sat in an empty café to cool off, and noticed an open newspaper on the table next to him with vacancies listed, if the hotel where interviews were being held hadn’t been directly across the street, if he hadn’t been offered the job in Yokohama and contracted pneumonia there, applied for a job in the countryside to recuperate, or if the lady offered the job in Nagasaki hadn’t asked for a higher salary, Laurence would never have met his lovely wife or his amazing daughters. His life path is one well-lived in grateful thanks. 

That one moment of reaching for a stapler was the catalyst for a series of chance events, which led to his family and ultimately to a career as Director in Aramco in Dhahran.

Another series of employment coincidences, being in the right place at the right moment, led Laurence to the UAE military college at Zayed Military City back in 1998. From there, he was seconded to the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) in 2000 to author, manage and teach a new Internet program. This directly led him to design manage, and teach a new degree—the first online hybrid accredited degree in the GCC. Thus began his 25-year sojourn in the GCC.

Another chance meeting, at the exact moment two friends passed by one another in Bahrain, led directly to an invitation to apply for a role at Saudi Aramco. This marked the beginning of Laurence’s corporate Directorship of Learning and the multitude of unique learning and development projects he was invited to lead during his tenure at Aramco.

Laurence’s journey is a testament to the power of destiny and the unexpected diversions that lead to remarkable destinations. His experiences underscore the significance of being open to life’s remarkable coincidences and the profound impact they can have on one’s personal and professional journey.

The Genesis of FutureVision2030

To understand what inspired FutureVision2030, one must look back to the year 2001 when Laurence was tasked with authoring a new style of degree program in the UAE, an online and hybrid offering. Faced with a mere six-week window from inception to the first sessions and no existing model to follow, Laurence knew he had to engage clients directly. “How would you like this to work for you? What’s the most effective way we can put this together to form a cohesive, supportive community of learning across four deeply gender-segregated campuses?” he asked.

The results were astounding, with Laurence and the four cohorts collaboratively creating a model that met their needs. The lesson? Ask the question, “How is this going to work best for you?” and remain vigilant and open to shifting needs through an Agile Coached Facilitation approach.

Upon joining Saudi Aramco, Laurence was informed, “We need to run lean!” Once again, he turned to the young people he served, asking, “What do you need from me?” The resounding call was for choice, relevance, and contemporary learning to navigate their fast-changing career landscapes. Laurence compiled a list of external partnerships and online courses that would appeal to new hires, and the General Manager endorsed it. The response was immediate, with one young lady the next morning enthusiastically expressing her desire to take six of the courses immediately.

Traditionally, corporate training in companies across the GCC and Asia involved managers and HR dictating topics, followed by aligned PowerPoint presentations within tight timeframes. While feedback was always positive, Laurence knew it was often polite appreciation rather than genuine engagement. After three decades of working with young people, he realized that traditional leadership models from the ‘80s and ‘90s bore little relevance to their immediate and ever shifting needs in the Here and the Now.

During one Sunday morning’s training session in September last year, Laurence decided to cast aside the pre-determined playbook and reverted to asking, “What’s the best way we can work together in our short time available so I can help you the most?” This approach transformed the dynamic, with participants perking up, putting away their phones, and engaging in meaningful conversations. They quickly reverted to Arabic, and the excited buzz of animated discussions filled the room. The group realized they had been struggling with the same problem across their respective departments for years, and so collaboratively brainstormed meaningful solutions via Laurence’s coached-facilitation methodology.

One notable success was a group in Riyadh that identified a shared priority issue, leveraging their 250+ years of combined professional problem-solving experience they created implementable milestones for immediate action. Laurence facilitated this process, allowing the magic of collective intelligence to unfold over the three hours to brainstorm the solutions needed.

The essence of Laurence’s corporate training business lies in choice and relevance, where he coaches, guides, and facilitates engagement, creating a deep engagement among motivated young people who deserve to be asked and listened to.

The National LifeSkills Academy and FutureVision2030 upholds these values, enabling individuals to freely express their work frustrations in a psychologically safe, supportive community of learning.

By addressing these issues openly, FutureVision2030 draws on the invaluable collective experience of the group to overcome barriers, meet strategic outcomes, and ensure flexible agility reigns supreme. His commitment to continuous improvement has established him as a respected and awarded figure in the field of innovative and contemporary leadership development, ensuring that training remains relevant and impactful in navigating the complexities of the regional modern work environments.

Laurence’s approach to future-proofing young leaders across the GCC empowers them to hold their heads high and compete for their rightful place on the global stage.

Empowering Leaders for Tomorrow

FutureVision2030 is a premier corporate training institute specializing in leadership development and coaching. Their mission is to empower organizations across the GCC and Asia by unlocking the collective intelligence of their workforce. They offer a wide range of training programs, including facilitation of prestigious edX Harvard and MIT Leadership certifications, designed to enhance collaboration, strategic agility, and innovation.

Their services cover various areas such as effective communication, conflict resolution, emotionally intelligent management, design thinking, HS&E, ESG, Operational Excellence and training in coaching techniques. FutureVision2030 takes a personalized approach, tailoring programs to meet the specific needs and goals of their clients. They focus on future-proofing leadership skills, ensuring that individuals and organizations are well-prepared to navigate the challenges of today’s dynamic work environments.

With a commitment to excellence and continuous support, FutureVision2030 helps clients achieve long-term success by fostering a psychologically safe and supportive learning community.

Adapting to Industry Trends and Approach to Tailored Training

Tailoring training programs to suit client needs has become an increasingly complex conundrum. Laurence, often employed as a professional associate trainer by larger consulting institutions, receives a syllabus agreed upon by his employing institution and the hiring company’s HR department specialists responsible for training. His role then involves using his extensive experience to flesh out this syllabus into a meaningful and relevant curriculum, which can span a full five days. To achieve this, Laurence and his team conduct thorough research on the company, often spending days delving into the company’s Vision 2030 pillars and specific objectives, and designed these bespoke details into the curriculum. Ideally, they have a list of participants or at least a guide to their professional levels and functional departments, and from there, they research the individuals using platforms such as Google, LinkedIn, and the company’s website and annual reports to tailor the curriculum and activities to the professional levels of the staff present.

The training program thus aligns with the HR department’s wishes and can take even up to a month to prepare a fully bespoke curriculum. This meticulous process, meets the expectations of both the employing consultancy and the client’s HR team. Quantitative and qualitative feedback is rigorously and systematically sought, with adjustments to delivery methods and quality considerations being retrospectively discussed to inform future direction.

During 2024, Laurence noted a marked shift in face-to-face discussions. He and the group members now engage in in-depth conversations during the initial meet-and-greet sessions on that first morning of the training. These discussions are illuminating, as the group gels and networks on the first day, gaining psychological safety and assurance that the facilitated space allows for the free expression of opinions. Recently, these opinions have become more forthright, highlighting issues, problems, barriers, and mismatched expectations between staff, senior management and the pre-determined curriculum. The shift is moving away from tired leadership models of traditionally successful overseas organizations, towards flexibility in topic progression or even setting them aside to address urgent, priority problems in the Here and Now.

Laurence believes that trainers should transition from preconceived topics to a coaching style of open questioning. This fully agile and group focused approach enables the collective experience in the room to converge, finding authentic solutions to priority issues. He has always championed client-centered learning journeys, from colleges to universities and into the corporate arena. This approach was the focus of his doctoral research over twenty years ago in the UAE. Recently, he was asked to assist a university in Abu Dhabi in guiding their teaching staff away from didactic teacher talk, the ‘Banking’ method of ‘teaching’, towards a Coach-as-Facilitator model, so utilising the ‘Flipped’ method of student led learning journeys within a peer-supportive community.

“It is incredible and quite disheartening that twenty years after proving this concept with adult Arabic learners, traditional roles are still prevalent. Witness the high percentage of university professors in the UK forced into zero contract hours, losing tenure, and their full-time security. Times are changing, with a social pull away from purely theoretical and academic programming towards more learner-led autonomous choice with immediately implementable outcomes. This is a healthy shift as we brace for the tidal wave of volatile and complex change heading our way,” says Laurence.

His adaptable approach ensures that training remains relevant and impactful, empowering individuals to navigate the complexities of modern work environments successfully.

Impact through Agile Coaching Facilitation

As an advocate of an open coaching style of facilitation, Laurence Brown has witnessed numerous uplifting and far-reaching outcomes over the years. One notable success from the past decade is his an eight year journey, more than the four years.   A long journey of persuasion and proof of concept.

Upon arriving at Saudi Aramco in 2010, Laurence was tasked with running lean and effective operations. In response, he suggested creating a library of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) from esteemed institutions, enabling self-study for employees during their free time. As the Professional Advisor to new graduate hires in Dhahran, Laurence advised over a hundred individuals at any given time on company training, higher degrees, submission processes, and selecting institutions for external training partnerships. These partnerships included year on year Harvard University’s annual visits for Ithra and Michigan State University, a top communication school in the US.

This role provided Laurence with a wealth of research opportunities, allowing him to select over a hundred self-study MOOCs relevant to the organization’s needs. These courses quickly gained popularity, leading to lunchtime group meetings and peer support communities. Despite the initial challenge of getting course certificates added to employee training histories, Laurence persevered, even rewriting the education General Instruction (GI) to authorise employee free-choice training. After four years, and even after Laurence had left Aramco, the first MOOC, a John Hopkins University course, was finally accepted into the training history, thanks to the teamwork of Aramco colleague, Taha Al Safi.

Another recent success story comes from Laurence’s corporate training, now referred to as Facilitated Workshops. To ensure a ‘Return on Investment’ from any training, it is essential to see learning outcomes spread across departments, promoting effective peer teaching and mitigating siloed working. This is achieved through post-training follow-ups and individual coaching, overseeing highly effective departmental mentoring projects.

For example, a leading telecom company sent staff from across the nation, many of whom hadn’t met before. They spent the first morning, networking and openly airing priority issues, discovering a shared customer invoicing problem inherited from a company merger. The team took control of the session, using their own laptop and projector while Laurence facilitated quietly, allowing human capital intelligence to flourish.

In another instance, an oil company cohort identified an operational problem in their operational domain. With the help of two senior managers, they concluded that an AI intervention was needed. During the vibrant workshop group discussions, which were conducted mainly in Arabic, the participants role-played presenting their outcomes and the benefits of AI implementation to the VP and GM, leading to a successful workshop and firm plans for nationwide implementation.

Additionally, for training to be truly effective, Laurence emphasizes the importance of follow-up. Post-training projects, often extending over a month or two, allow participants to mentor across their peers. These highly effective departmental mentoring projects focus on various management techniques, such as design thinking approaches for creative solution innovation, divergent-convergent brainstorming, and coaching practice to expand the emotionally intelligent toolkit.

These examples illustrate how Laurence’s agile coaching facilitation works remarkably well in practice, he also adds value to the curriculum, for instance, he will allocate an hour in all his workshops for the opportunity of pair-work coaching practice, enabling participants to ask open questions from a handout in English and Arabic and engage in these emotionally intelligent discussions.

His approach harnesses the collective human capital intelligence of motivated individuals, finding authentic solutions to priority issues and ensuring that training remains relevant and impactful in navigating the complexities of modern work environments. Laurence’s dedication to continuous improvement and adaptability has made him a respected and awarded figure across the GCC and Asia in the field of corporate training and leadership development.

Vision for FutureVision2030

Laurence envisions a transformative shift in the approach to corporate training in the coming year, moving away from traditional long-duration programs to better accommodate the need for shorter, high-impact client-led courses. In today’s fast-paced world of constant disruption, arranging a five-day program with senior management has become increasingly challenging. The logistics of getting all the key players into a room for an entire working week are complex, often leading to multiple rescheduling attempts to find a reliable timeframe that all can attend.

Laurence believes it is more practical and beneficial to offer shorter-duration workshops that deliver greater relevance and impact. These condensed sessions would not only be more manageable for busy executives but also provide targeted learning experiences that align with the rapidly evolving needs of organizations.

As part of this visionary approach, FutureVision2030, the flagship initiative of the National Life Skills Academy, will pivot towards this new direction. By focusing on agile, high-intensity workshops, Laurence aims to ensure that training programs are not only efficient but also highly effective in impacting the constantly evolving challenges faced by today’s leaders.

Laurence’s commitment to innovation and adaptability will guide FutureVision2030 as it navigates this transition, ensuring that the academy remains at the forefront of leadership development. This shift towards shorter, impactful training sessions reflects Laurence’s dedication to providing top-tier educational experiences that empower individuals and organizations to thrive in a dynamic business landscape.

Through this forward-thinking approach, FutureVision2030 will continue to elevate the standard of corporate training, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and excellence.

Laurence’s vision embodies the essence of responsive and relevant learning, setting the stage for a new era of professional development that meets the demands of the modern world.

The following section needs to be designed in the PDF:

Guiding Words for Life and Work

Laurence shares:

“I think the one quote I might offer stems from a personal aside, yet I believe it has held me in good stead also professionally over the past 28 years.

On our wedding day, my new mother-in-law from Nagasaki took my wife aside and said:

‘Just remember to be kind to each other.”

I still think that’s a beautiful sentiment to live by.

Another quote that he lives by is by the late great, and much missed Sir Ken Robinson who offered this, which Laurence often alludes to, as he was one of the 30% the system failed!

“I hate the expression ‘A Drop Out.’ If you’re running any kind of enterprise and you lose 30% of your clients every year, you might wonder whether it was the stupid clients or the enterprise.

To call these kids, Dropouts, makes it sound like they failed the system.

And it’s much more accurate to say that the system has failed them.”

Quote: “We are committed to future-proofing the young leaders of tomorrow’s nation-states across the GCC, empowering them to hold their heads high and compete on the global stage.”