Sony Music Publishing partners with leadership expert Heather Elkington to bring their core values to life across global teams
This year, Sony Music Publishing (SMP) partnered with Fresh Leadership World Founder, Heather Elkington on an organisation-wide initiative to bring SMP’s core values to life across teams and territories. The programme focuses on helping leaders and team members embody the company’s values through the everyday moments that shape culture.
Rather than treating values as aspirational language or internal branding, SMP made a strategic decision to reject “values as poster statements” and instead embed them into the everyday decisions, conversations, and expectations that shape culture on the ground.
Following a successful UK launch, the People Experience (PX) team expanded the programme across Europe, Australia, and Asia, signalling a long-term global commitment to leadership that is consistent, human, and accountable.
The work centres on one clear principle: If values don’t show up in behaviour, they don’t exist.
Across all regions, the initiative has centred on:
- Turning SMP’s values into real, everyday behaviours
- Strengthening communication and psychological safety
- Building consistent expectations across teams and territories
- Empowering managers to lead with clarity, confidence, and care
- Creating environments where creativity and high performance can thrive
The result is a model of leadership that moves beyond surface-level “culture programmes” and into the reality of how people actually work together under pressure.
The initiative reflects SMP’s commitment to actively investing in its people and strengthening values-led alignment worldwide.
“With our amazing trainer, Heather Elkington, we’re now rolling out the programme across Europe, and it’s inspiring to see how each team is already living and breathing our values in their own way. These aren’t just words on a wall; they’re already part of who we are. So proud to see everyone sharing stories, ideas, and real examples of how they’re bringing our values to life every day.”
— Derya Topcu, People Experience Business Partner, Sony Music Publishing
The partnership concludes in early 2026, marking the completion of a major global initiative driven by Sony Music Publishing to embed its core values and strengthen alignment across teams and regions.
For Fresh Leadership World, this project has been a standout example of what becomes possible when a global organisation is genuinely committed to bringing its values to life across every team, territory, and interaction.
“Working with Sony Music Publishing has been exceptional. Their dedication to putting values into action (not just words) is what makes the work so meaningful. Every region brought its own energy, its own stories, and its own commitment to creating a strong, aligned culture. It’s been a privilege to support their teams.”
— Heather Elkington, Founder, Fresh Leadership World
Fresh Leadership World is honoured to have partnered with Sony Music Publishing on this global initiative and looks forward to the final phase of work in the new year.