Introduction

As the most historic financial institutions in the US with 50,000+ employees worldwide, and a heritage stretching back over 230 years, the bank wanted to reignite pride, trust, and shared values across its teams.

At Tempest Experiences, we specialise in designing offsites, leadership summits, and cultural activations that go beyond “tick-box” team days. Here’s how we partnered with BNY to create a program that left leaders not only energised, but measurably more aligned.

The Challenge

BNY needed to:

• Reconnect employees with the institution’s extraordinary history and values.

• Strengthen leadership alignment across EMEA and the US.

• Deliver both large-scale cultural activations and targeted interventions for leadership teams.

The Approach

We designed a multi-layered program that blended global leadership summits, immersive offsites, and targeted workshops.

Program highlights included:

• Leadership Summits — high-impact gatherings across EMEA and the US, bringing together senior leaders for strategy, storytelling, and reflection.

• Emergency Team Reset (New York) — a rapid-response intervention that helped one team rediscover its sense of identity and purpose.

• Values-Led Workshops — interactive sessions anchored in BNY’s legacy and cultural pillars.

Each activation was designed to be experiential, combining storytelling, neuroscience, and behavioural design to ensure lessons stuck.

The Outcomes

To track success, we measured both survey data and qualitative feedback.

• 84% of participants reported feeling “more connected to BNY’s values” after attending.

• 78% of leaders said they gained “practical tools to lead with authenticity.”

• 4.6/5 overall satisfaction score across events.

• Follow-up interviews revealed leaders felt “a renewed sense of belonging” and stronger cultural identity.

Why It Worked

1. Values-first design — every session was rooted in BNY’s history and cultural principles.

2. Blended formats — combining large-scale summits with smaller, targeted interventions.

3. Measurement built-in — pre/post surveys and interviews provided evidence of cultural alignment and leadership growth.

Key Takeaways for Leaders

• Culture isn’t a side project — it must be designed into leadership events.

• Measurement matters — without data, it’s just “a nice day out.”

• Blend scale with depth — the most effective programs mix global activations with local interventions.

Conclusion

BNY Mellon’s Global Value Driven Activations prove that large institutions can create memorable, measurable leadership experiences that build pride and belonging. For any organisation facing disconnect, the lesson is clear: design experiences that unite people with purpose, and back them with data.

👉 Want to learn more? Explore how Tempest Experiences designs company offsites and cultural activations that deliver lasting impact.