Compassion in Business

The Future of Leadership: Compassion in Business

What happens when a leader who has built a career on creating thriving, high-performing cultures suddenly finds himself stuck in toxic environments he cannot fix?

This is the story of Nigel Kilpatrick, a multi-award-winning global sales and marketing leader with three decades of experience building teams that succeed. After two senior leadership roles in toxic organisations, Nigel reached breaking point. Despite all his expertise, he found himself trapped in fear-driven systems that resisted change. That moment marked the beginning of a very different journey, one that would transform his view of leadership, and his life.

Nigel turned to deep reflection and study, becoming a student of A Course in Miracles. Its teachings of forgiveness, choosing love over fear, and shifting perception became the foundation of his new philosophy. He began leading differently: with compassion as the operating model. During his time on the international leadership team of a global tech company, he introduced this approach during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, a time when most businesses struggled. The result? Resilient teams, sustained growth, and renewed purpose.

Then in 2024, Nigel faced his biggest test yet: being diagnosed with advanced Prostate Cancer and Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. On the very same day he began radiation therapy, he also started a new role at one of Europe’s fastest-growing consulting firms, Pace XL. Instead of being defeated by fear, Nigel discovered a deeper strength, a gentleness, openness, and clarity that reshaped not only how he lived but how he led. This experience became the backbone of his new book, “The 10 Traits of a Compassionate Leader.”

In this inspiring event, Nigel will share:

• The lessons behind his personal journey from burnout and toxicity to resilience and compassion.
• Practical insights from his book The 10 Traits of a Compassionate Leader — showing why compassion is not a weakness, but a driver of high performance.
• How leaders and entrepreneurs can apply these traits in their own teams to create sustainable cultures where people thrive.
• The story of Champions of Compassion, the global movement he founded to unite people who believe in leading differently.

Expect a mix of powerful personal storytelling, thought-provoking insight, and practical takeaways you can bring into your business and life the very next day.

Who should attend?

• Business leaders and entrepreneurs
• People managers at any level
• Anyone who wants to build healthier, more human ways of working

📍 Foundry, Poole
📅 Tuesday 15 October
🕕 6–8pm

This isn’t just another leadership talk. It’s a chance to hear from someone who has lived through both the best and worst of corporate culture, and emerged with a new model for the future of leadershi, one rooted not in fear or control, but in compassion, authenticity, and presence.