11 February 2025

Leadership, Resilience, and the Power of Choice: Lessons from Bob Keiller

We were privileged to welcome Bob Keiller, former CEO of Wood Group, to the dojo today to speak to our Academy students as part of their modules in the run-up to their trip to Japan in 2026. A man whose journey has been shaped not just by business acumen but by resilience, humility and an unshakable belief in the power of people.

We often hear from Olympians, those who push the limits of physical and mental endurance, but Bob’s success came from a different kind of discipline—the mindset of “controlling the controllable.” Challenges come to us all, but how we respond is a choice. Everything has options. You can choose to move forward, to learn, to adapt—or you can let difficulty consume you. The decision is always yours.

He spoke candidly, unafraid to reflect on both personal and professional hardships. He shared the pain of caring for his terminally ill mother and the loss of his brother in 2009—moments that shaped him, taught him and reinforced the idea that adversity is not the end, but a point of growth.

He recounted pitching to investors during the management buyout of Production Services, a business he would eventually grow to 60,000 employees. At the time, he had no idea how to raise the £280 million required, but he asked for help. Not a weakness, but a strength—the understanding that real leadership isn’t about knowing everything, but about seeking the right people to learn from. Leadership, after all, is about people. The good ones stay with you, and so do the bad.

Bob reflected on the lessons he learned not just from great leaders, but from poor ones—how not to lead, how grudges serve no one, how the true measure of leadership is in the small things. The birthday cards he took the time to write for his staff. The bouquet of flowers he sent to a colleague who shared his wedding anniversary. The importance of contact points—small gestures, moments of recognition, proof that people matter.

It is a philosophy that was ingrained in him through sport. A keen rugby player for Jed-Forest, he was never bound to one position—not because of exceptional talent, as he readily admitted, but because he was always available. He learned the game, but he also learned the camaraderie that comes with it, the bond that meant you could battle an opponent for 80 minutes and then share a beer with them afterwards. And to improve his game, he stepped onto the judo mat, earning his orange belt—not for medals or accolades, but to understand how to manipulate the movement of bigger opponents, to work with what he had rather than lament what he didn’t.

Through business, sport and life, Bob’s message remained the same. Everything is a choice. How you lead, how you learn, how you treat others. Challenges will come, mistakes will be made, but it is in those moments that growth happens—if you choose it.

Thank you Bob for taking the time to talk to us about your journey and for the positive support towards what the club is trying to do for our young people and community.

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