The 8-Week People Leader Accelerator
Become the one they fight to retain.
From new-in-seat to indispensable — in 8 weeks.
Next cohort starts July 13 · Limited founding seats.
Built for the person in the seat, not the org chart
You were hired or promoted because the last person didn’t quite get there. You have the data. You have the tools. What you don’t have is the training — because the playbook for doing this job well didn’t exist when you took the seat. The Academy is built for that exact moment.
Is the Accelerator live?
Partly — and on purpose. The lessons are on-demand, so you fit them around your week; there's no fixed lecture time to attend. What makes it a cohort is everything around the lessons: a fixed start date, weekly deadlines that keep you moving, a peer group going through it with you, and a live weekly group session with Chris where you ask questions, get unstuck, and pressure-test your work. You're never doing this alone or guessing — and you're never chained to a lecture slot either.
On-demand lessons
Fit them around your week — there's no fixed lecture time.
Fixed start + weekly deadlines
A start date and a forcing function that keep you moving.
A peer cohort
A group going through it alongside you — not alone.
Live weekly group session with Chris
Ask questions, get unstuck, and pressure-test your work — weekly.
Seven modules. One capstone. Eight weeks.
Every module runs the same loop, so each week ends with something you can actually do — and a credit to show for it.
1. Learn it
Recorded, leader-grade walkthroughs.
2. Get the AI tool
Do it with leverage, not by hand.
3. Practice on real data
The Cadwell sandbox — a real company’s numbers.
4. Earn the credit
Quiz-gate → SHRM / CPD PDC.
Start from the P&L, not the org chart. Learn what the business is actually trying to do.
Turn strategy into headcount, cost, and capacity decisions leaders recognize as their own.
Catch the lies in the data. Know which numbers to trust before you build anything on them.
Separate the symptom from the cause before you spend a dollar fixing it.
Design an intervention, run it, and manage it like an operator — not a side project.
Tie the outcome back to the dollars leadership already cares about.
Walk in with three slides and walk out with the decision.
Put the full loop together: present and defend a real workforce plan in front of the room, then take the exam that earns your credential.
What it looks like in the week
Walk out with a credential, not just a certificate
CDPL — Certified Data-Driven People Leader
Earn the CDPL by passing the week-8 exam, plus SHRM PDCs / CPD hours along the way.
Who's teaching
Royal Navy aerospace engineer turned HR data practitioner. Seven years leading engineering teams on frontline squadrons, MIT Sloan MBA, then Wayfair — where he owned process innovation across a 400+ recruiter global TA function and cut time-to-hire by more than 50%. Five years consulting Fortune 500 and PE-backed companies on workforce planning and AI strategy. Now teaching those same skills at scale.
Two guarantees
Change your mind in the first 14 days and get a full refund — no questions asked.
Complete every module, the capstone, and the exam within your cohort’s 8 weeks and earn the cert. If you still don’t feel you got the value, claim a full refund within 7 days of earning the cert.
As one of the first cohorts, you get more direct access than any future cohort will: the program is being tailored to exactly what this first group needs as we go. Once the founding cohorts wrap, this won't be offered again.
Self-Study or Accelerator?
Same material underneath. The Accelerator is Self-Study plus structure, a live weekly session, and a credential — built so you actually finish.
- The full library of applied lessons, on-demand
- Templates, tools, prompts, and an AI tutor
- Your pace, on your own
Best if you're self-directed and just want the material.
Explore Self-StudyEverything in Self-Study, plus:
- A fixed 8-week cohort with a start date
- Weekly deadlines and a forcing function
- A peer cohort moving with you
- Live weekly group session with Chris
- The capstone and exam
- The CDPL credential
Best if you want to actually finish — fast — and walk away certified.
Claim your founding seatBecome the one they fight to retain.
Next cohort starts July 13 · Limited founding seats.