Industry: Travel
Client: NUCO Travel
Services provided: Leadership team development & one-to-one coaching
About NUCO Travel
NUCO Travel creates unforgettable snow holidays for the “snowsports generation”, from students to alpine adventurers. Founded by a group of friends in 2012, NUCO is a founder-led company that’s grown rapidly, now employing over 40 permanent staff and a much larger seasonal workforce during peak times.
With exceptional growth, energetic culture, and young talent, NUCO needed to develop its next generation of leaders to sustain success, and support the team through the highs (and slopes) of a seasonal travel business.
The challenge: turning managers into leaders in a seasonal, fast-growth business
As the company expanded, many team members stepped into management roles without formal training or support. While technically excellent and committed to the NUCO mission, many didn’t yet see themselves as leaders, or feel like part of a leadership team.
NUCO faced several people challenges common in fast-growing, founder-led organisations:
- Managers unsure of their leadership role and impact
- Little cross-department collaboration or shared ownership
- A top-down approach to performance and development
- High seasonal turnover, with short windows to onboard, build trust, and deliver
- Managers juggling team duties, personal workload, and leadership responsibilities
To scale sustainably, NUCO needed to equip people managers with the confidence, skills, and shared purpose to lead collaboratively, and create a strong, connected leadership team before the next ski season.
Our solution: building leadership capability before the peak season
CAPE People Development worked closely with the People & Operations team at NUCO to design a bespoke leadership development programme that aligned with their seasonal rhythm and fast-paced environment.
The programme created space for the leadership team to:
- Clarify their purpose and shared vision
- Reflect on how they wanted to lead, individually and as a team
- Explore communication and collaboration styles
- Build skills in performance, coaching, and feedback
- Move away from “top-down” management toward shared responsibility
Key programme components:
- Facilitated workshops focused on real team dynamics and leadership scenarios
- One-to-one coaching to deepen self-awareness and build personal confidence
- Conversations on how to lead through seasonality, transitions, and pace
- Support in rethinking appraisals and performance to empower team ownership
This structure gave the team practical tools, and the mindset shift needed, to lead with clarity, confidence, and collaboration.
Our solution: building leadership capability before the peak season
Following the programme, NUCO’s leadership team reported greater cohesion, stronger communication, and more confidence in tackling difficult conversations.
The impact included:
✅ A clear leadership team purpose and collective identity
✅ Use of coaching skills to support and challenge staff
✅ Increased employee ownership of performance and development
✅ Higher morale across both office and resort-based teams
✅ Creation of NUCO’s first people strategy
✅ A revised approach to managing performance and retaining talent
Why it matters in founder-led, seasonal businesses
In founder-led, fast-growth businesses, leadership roles often evolve organically. Managers can feel stuck in delivery mode, unsure how to lead, especially in organisations where peaks of activity leave little time for reflection or connection.
That’s why early, structured development is essential.
With the right support, your leaders can:
✅ Step confidently into their leadership identity
✅ Communicate and collaborate across departments
✅ Lead seasonal teams with purpose and clarity
✅ Create cultures of ownership, feedback, and growth
Want to strengthen your leadership team before your next busy season?
Let’s design something tailored to your people, pace, and purpose.
📩 Start a conversation
