In 2021 WPP were keen to explore the challenges of fostering communication across diverse cultures. How do you build trust with people from different backgrounds? How do you bring greater flexibility and tolerance into the workplace? How do you co-create with people you have only just met? To do this Music & Management developed the Transformation Experience.

"Thank you once again for conveying to our group the powerful music/business metaphor. You made it all come together and your insights about business organizations was exactly right..."

Rick Zwern Director, Worldwide Training, Hill & Knowlton

For their 2020 Strategy Meeting in Berlin, Bayer invited Dominic Alldis of Music & Management to give a dinner speech about musical leadership, collaboration and autonomy.

“Very different – very sensible – super engaging, the feedback from colleagues was great. Living up to the expectation and giving a different perspective. It was great to have Dominic with us...”

Astrid Scherer VP Business Operations Bayer Pharma & Consumer Health

For a client appreciation event in Copenhagen, Kearney engaged Dominic Alldis and jazz trumpet virtuoso Gerard Presencer to deliver a pre-dinner performance and speech about the skills needed to be an exceptional jazz performer. They discussed building on each other’s ideas, making mistakes, listening, knowing when to play and when not to play, and establishing momentum..."

We have had lots of great feedback this morning on the dinner and music. Thank you for sharing your insights, passion and talent with our clients..."

Juliana Muir, Director, Global Head of Strategic Partnerships & Events, Kearney

For their signature program Orchestrating Winning Performance 2023 - “Meeting Uncertainty with Resilience”, IMD invited Dominic Alldis as a guest speaker and to deliver the Fusion Experience with soloists from the Lausanne Sinfonietta and from Geneva’s vibrant jazz scene. Together they played and discussed how organisations need to balance strategic alignment and corporate hierarchy (classical), with autonomy and individual responsibility (jazz). The engagement was arranged by Speaker Ideas.

“It was a fascinating session with standing ovations for Dominic and the musicians. Thank you for bringing this amazing suggestion to our attention…”

Delia Fischer, Chief Communications Office, IMD

Between 2007 and 2020 Columbia Business School in New York engaged Music & Management to provide The Orchestra Experience for their Advanced Management Program. Participants listened to the Chelsea Symphony play a classical symphony and engaged in an interactive discussion about leadership, teamwork and creativity within the workplace.

"A large part of the beauty of the Orchestra Experience is that it allows participants to really feel the difference that leaders can make. It is one thing to tell executives that they have to be a step ahead of those they lead, or that micromanaging strangles motivation and creativity. But it is immensely more powerful to show them, and indeed allow them to hear, the disappointing product of the reactive leader or the micromanager…"

Paul Ingram, Kravis Professor of Business, Columbia Business School

For the Kyndryl 2023 Conference in Orlando Florida, 700 senior executives met to discuss current and future trends within IT. The conference concluded with a performance of Beethoven’s 1^st Symphony by a 45-piece orchestra. It was combined with discussion about communication, trust, AI, business culture and the role of leadership.

“Thank you for a truly memorable session that brought a breath-taking end to our Leadership Summit. I have led many events/summits in my career, and I have never experienced such an immersive and unique experience, connecting two different worlds through similar attributes. Your linkage of music to our leadership behaviours was truly amazing. Know that everyone that I talked to after the event was mesmorized by your session…”

Maria Bartolome Winans, Chief Marketing Officer, Kyndryl

Since 2021 the US law firm White & Case has engaged Music & Management to provide The Orchestra Experience for their newly appointed partners. Participants have the opportunity to listen to a classical symphony and engage in an interactive discussion about diversity and the mindset of an inclusive leader.

"It has been truly a delight to have this experience with you Dominic. Thank you…"

Hugh Verrier, CEO, WHITE & CASE

WPP engaged Music & Management to deliver The Fusion Experience for 30 their leadership development program. The fast-paced world of advertising attracts highly creative people. It needs to balance this with reliability and consistency to retain its best clients. The contrasting worlds of classical music and jazz perfectly illustrate the two sides of their business. The event featured musicians from London's jazz scene and the Canzona String Quartet.

"Your insights about collaboration and trust resonated powerfully with our leaders in the context of their teams and the business. In their words, "transformative and empowering" - elevating their sense of purpose and a shared responsibility for the work and for their teams. Simply magical..."

Lynne Mueller Director of Worldwide Training, WPP

Airbus is Europe's largest aeronautic company. In 2006, EADS (as it was known until 2014) engaged Music & Management to provided a series of afternoon percussion workshops at their Academy near Bordeaux. This was followed an evening presentation about playing in orchestras and jazz bands. It was attended by senior executives from across France, Germany, Holland and the UK.

"From the various comments received so far from our participants, it seems that the Summer Academy was very well appreciated. From my colleagues at the CBA, I'd like to express my heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for having made our first program a wonderful success..."

Mahan Amarnath, Corporate Business Academy, AIRBUS/EADS

Crowe is one of the world's leading global professional services organizations with 140 independent member and correspondent firms with offices in 87 countries. In 2008 Dominic Alldis was invited as after-dinner speaker at their annual conference at Grosvenor House in London. His speech was entitled "Innovation: Encouraging & Controlling It" and featured live musicians from London's vibrant jazz scene.

"The most important thing I look for in a musician is whether he or she knows how to listen..." 

Duke Ellington, Bandleader & Composer

For their 2017 Partners Conference in London, PWC's UK Head of Consulting invited Dominic Alldis to give a keynote speech about the essential qualities of an orchestral conductor, as well as the skills needed to thrive in the turbulent musical world of jazz.  The event featured several jazz musicians from London's vibrant music scene.

"Thank you so much again for the session you ran for us - it went down fantastically well, as I knew it would…"

Marco Amitrano, UK Head of Consulting, PWC

The CJD is the oldest employers' movement in France. Its purpose is to promote ‘responsible liberalism’ and provide a forum for discussing how an ethical work environment can best service the needs of mankind. For their 2018 conference in Paris, they invited Dominic Alldis to provide three 10-minute musical interludes: Orchestra, Jazz and Soloist. Each interlude explored the unique challenges of a working environment... in a large organisation, a small team or working as an independent entrepreneur. The session was delivered in French.

"We enjoyed a magic moment suspended in the air of time. Dominic Alldis has the power to illustrate collective and individual management practices through the art of music..."

Pierre Minodier, President, Centre des Jeunes Dirigeants d'entreprise

Egon Zehnder is one of the world's top five top global executive search firms. For their 2014 Annual Partners Meetings they engaged Music & Management to provide the Fusion Experience at the Museé Jacquemart André in Paris. It comprised a series of improvisations on a theme by the French composer Maurice Ravel, followed by a group discussion about storytelling, legacy and creativity in both music and business.

"The musical evening is a real magical event. The beauty of it is how we learn the power of storytelling, how to put together a team of stars and with a few hints generate real teamwork, how to allow teams to alternate leadership at different moments, how to listen for the clues given to you by other team members. All of this is done in a very professional way. Feedback from the attendees was simply spectacular and it was an evening nobody will forget..."

Luis Hernán Cubillos, Partner, Egon Zehender

For their Leadership Conference in Berlin, Vaillant invited Music & Management to present both The Orchestra Experience and The Jazz Experience to their top 200 leaders. The event featured a group of Berlin's finest jazz musicians followed by a Q&A about flexibility and change within music and business.

"Thank you very much for your impressive performance at our management meeting in Berlin. It was a pleasure to listen to you and the fantastic musicians. You gave us a very lively example of the importance of the right attitude and management skills to deliver outstanding results in your professional area. And this is what we and our managers took home as a learning: a common, clearly defined attitude and excellent management skills are a key factor for success also in our business..." 

Dr Jens Wichtermann, Group Director of Corporate Communications, Vaillant

In May 2016 Kimberly-Clark Corporation invited Music & Management to provide The Orchestra Experience to 650 of their senior executives in Dallas, Texas. The delegates heard The Plano Symphony Orchestra perform Beethoven’s First symphony and a keynote about musical leadership, cooperation and performance.

"Dominic Alldis's command of his profession rivals that of any senior business leader. His ability to connect key business principles like trust, respect, and execution was brought to life through the Orchestra Expeirence. Respectfully, one of the most unique and enjoyable presentations your team will ever witness and be sure to remember..." 

John K Millis, Vice President, Kimberly Clark Corporation

For their first Global Lab Experts Meeting in Frankfurt, Dentsply Sirona invited Dominic Alldis to give a Dinner Presentation about how individual musicians play together within and orchestra, and how jazz musicians harness the energy of improvisation to create new musical forms. He was joined by two leading jazz musicians from Cologne’s vibrant jazz scene.

"Thank you so much for creating a fantastic prelude for our Global Lab Experts Meeting. The performance was spectacular, and thus all attendees were extremely motivated and inspired. We could not have imagined a more beautiful start of our event. With the exceptional mix of classical and jazz parts, he together with his co-musicians set the right spirit for the meeting. He got involved with our meeting, and related needs, so basing on our input he created a tailored setting for our experts. The event was unique, outstanding, and inspirational…" 

Dr. Ricarda Jansen Configure Director of Clinical Affairs Dentsply Sirona

The senior management team for ARUP Europe asked Music & Management to provide a dinner presentation that interspersed dinner courses with ‘musical interludes’.  Each interlude provided a musical metaphor for a contemporary business concern: including leadership, teamwork and creativity.  The evening also featured a live jazz band.

"Just a short note to thank you very much for your entertaining contribution to our Forum. Everybody I spoke to very much enjoyed hearing the musician's trade secrets, and we enjoyed the music too…"  Sir Philip Dilley, Executive Chairman, ARUP

In 2013, CA Technologies invited Dominic Alldis to address their Annual Conference in Berlin.  He spoke about leadership, collaboration and improvisation within the world of music and performed with a live jazz band.

"The conductor's goal is to motivate the players to play better than they do normally - to forget about routine, make an ordinary life, an ordinary moment, extraordinary..."

Paavo Järvi, conductor        

Leadership eBay was set up to provide leadership, teambuilding and creativity programs for senior management at eBay and Paypal.  Music & Management have been a key part of their strategy, presenting the Orchestra Experience between 2005 and 2013.

"Time and time again, an absolute highlight of our leadership development program is the interlude session with you, Dominic. The chance to sit among an orchestra, to experience the interplay, the connection, the artistry of the musicians is an inspiring and unforgettable experience. Even more powerful are the business insights our leaders gather during the session. Through your delicate facilitation and wonderfully eloquent commentary as maestro, our leaders gain new insights into the power of the podium, the impact of their leadership and importance of truly listening. Quite literally Dominic, you are helping us transform leadership here at eBay..."  Beth Axelrod, Senior Vice President, Head of Global HR        

In 2014, Dominic Alldis was invited by Maybank to address their senior management about leadership, collaboration and creativity in music at their headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. The visit was arranged by the London Speaker Bureau.

"Thank you for an enlightening performance. You have brought The Guru Series to new heights!.."

Datin Mornifairos Bte Othman, Executive Vice President, Group Organisational Learning, Maybank

In 2015, Wyeth Nutrition asked Music & Management to provide a performance with a string quartet for their Annual Conference in Paris.  An audience of 300 delegates from South East Asia listened to Paris Virtuosi perform Haydn's 'Fifths' Quartet.  This was followed by a lecture drawing attention to the importance of careful preparation, technical excellence, shared responsibility and trust in both music and busines.

"Musical dedication has a special beauty of its own.  It is the highest possibility of being a human being.  The reward of being in a community – a quartet – is greater than any reward for personal success..." 

Professor Paul Robertson, First violinist in The Medici Quartet

In 2010-11 London Business School engaged Music & Management to provide a series of jazz events for their Senior Executive Development Program.  It focused on the special skills required to be a successful jazz musician - flexibility, speed of response, improvising within minimal structures, alternating between 'soloing' and 'supporting' roles, accommodating of errors and rotating leadership.

"The jazz vision is dead right for today’s organizations.  Compelling, engaging and applicable to creative business, Dominic Alldis is a master of management insight through music..."   

Professor Nigel Nicholson, London Business School 

In 2015, Siemens Industry Software invited Dominic Alldis to deliver a keynote address to 900 technical managers and software engineers as part of a training and communication conference in Madrid.  Topics included leadership and the orchestra, innovation and risk taking in jazz, building trust and collaboration within the workplace.

“Dominic Alldis was the motivational highlight at our European Consulting Conference with about 900 participants in Madrid this year. He successfully managed to use the symbolism of an orchestra in an outstanding manner, to demonstrate how the role of a conductor and that of a team within a company are similar. His message conveyed the importance both as a conductor and as a manager, using soft skills to reach common success.  I would highly recommend him for similar events…"  

Christian Wilmschoefer, 
Vice President, 
Siemens Industry Software Gmbh