Calm is Contagious – Leading Under Pressure

Leading Under Pressure with Mark Hardie MBE FRSA of Glion Institute of Higher Education shared an honest, practical, and genuinely impactful session that brought together hospitality leaders and professionals from across the Middle East and Africa with frameworks on leading through uncertainty.

In the session, Mark covers:

• The VUCA reality and how leaders respond
• Decision-making under uncertainty and feedback loops
• Crisis fundamentals — routines, culture, and communication

Mark Hardie MBE FRSA is a leadership and human and organisational performance expert with over 30 years of experience spanning elite military operations, organizational development, and executive coaching. He has led teams in the world’s most demanding environments, developing a deep expertise in decision-making under pressure, crisis leadership, and adaptive performance. Mark is the author of Think Like a Marine and co-creator of the RESeT® approach, which integrates ancient wisdom with neuroscience and psychology to help leaders sustain themselves and their teams in high-pressure environments.

As a Visiting Professor at Glion Institute of Higher Education, he teaches “Leadership in Uncertain Times” and Leadership Across Cultures specializing in how human factors and organizational context drive behaviour. His work focuses on building the “Presence of Capacity” shifting organizations away from the “blame trap” toward resilient systems that can absorb human variability. An EMCC Master Coach and certified breathwork trainer, Mark has delivered cultural transformation programs for multinational organizations across the hospitality, public and private equity sectors. He remains dedicated to helping teams turn their potential into consistent, high-quality performance by prioritizing people first, then ideas, then systems.

The Performance Advantage: Why team health is your most underrated asset

Discover practical ways to restore focus, energy, and resilience in the workplace with Sophie Plato, a health speaker and movement educator. She helps individuals and organisations understand how stress, workload, and modern working patterns affect the body — and how small, intelligent resets can make a big difference.

In this masterclass, you’ll learn:
✅ The hidden ways stress and workload affect team performance
✅ Simple RESeT® tools to implement immediately with your team
✅ How to maintain sustainable energy without a complete lifestyle overhaul

Perfect for leaders, managers, and anyone looking to show up more fully and effectively at work.

Sophie Plato is a health speaker and movement educator specialising in proactive healthcare for real life. Her work helps individuals and organisations understand how stress, load and modern working patterns shape the body — and how small, intelligent resets can support focus, energy and long-term health.