Leading Through Change: Lessons From the First 100 Days as CEO

Stepping into any new role is a moment of personal growth and huge learning opportunities. At our inaugural Swanky Summit in January 2026, Charlotte Leaper led us through her experience of becoming CEO of health supplement group Cambridge Nutraceuticals.

This Cambridge-based organisation operates three direct-to-consumer brands, primarily in the UK, each with a distinct customer audience and brand proposition: FutureYou Cambridge, GP Nutrition, and Prime Fifty. It is a business navigating the same challenges many ambitious companies face: how to grow sustainably, how to stay focused, and how to build the right foundations for the future.

Reflecting on her first 100 days in the role, Charlotte shared insights into lessons learnt during the intensive initial steps of her journey in leadership.

Lesson 1: People & business need clarity

When Charlotte stepped into the role of CEO, she did so at a moment of significant change for Cambridge Nutraceuticals. One of the earliest and most important lessons Charlotte learned was that, in times of change, people need more than reassurance. They need clarity.

And clarity matters at every level. Teams need to understand where the business is heading, what the priorities really are, and just as importantly, what is not going to happen.

One of Charlotte’s challenges was to crystallise the company’s growth goals into detailed plans.

“Having written the strategic plan with my leadership team, I decided that we needed to go even further. So I made the difficult decision to tell the leadership team that we needed to revisit the strategic plan again. Because pretending that something is clear when it is not is more damaging than being honest and admitting it needs more work and starting again. The team’s attitude was amazing, and we sat down again to revise the strategy, creating something that will truly help us achieve the growth we want to see over the next five years.” 

This became one of Charlotte’s defining principles at the start of her leadership journey: clarity is not a nice-to-have. It is what allows people and businesses to move forward with confidence.

Lesson 2: Being useful is not the same as being effective

One of the hardest shifts when taking on a leadership role is recognising that being hands-on and being effective are not always the same thing.

As with many successful leaders, Charlotte is a person of action. She enjoys solving problems, moving things forward and getting stuck in. Whilst this is a valuable skill at many levels of a business, stepping into a CEO position requires something different. A CEO’s role is to create space rather than fill it.

“In practice this is a difficult transition for those stepping into leadership. When teams are stretched or problems surface, the natural temptation is to get involved and help solve them. But over time, this kind of intervention, however well-intentioned, can actually make things harder. It can create confusion, duplicate work, and unintentionally signal to others that ownership still lies with you, rather than passing the baton on to your team.

“Being effective as a leader often looks less active than being useful. Sometimes it means holding back, trusting others to make decisions, and allowing them to fully own the outcome. That can feel uncomfortable, especially for someone whose instincts are to jump in, but it is often the more valuable choice. Good leadership is not about being at the centre of every solution, but about building an environment where solutions can happen without you.”

Lesson 3: There is no hiding from the numbers

Another lesson soon became apparent as Charlotte transitioned into her new role: numbers have a way of demanding honesty.

Performance metrics tend to cut through assumptions and force sharper thinking. For Charlotte, that meant learning to move beyond simply reviewing reports and instead really interrogating them. It was no longer enough to know whether a figure was up, down or off forecast. The real task was to understand what sat behind it, what it meant for the business, and what action it required.

“That shift is particularly important in the context of board conversations. Challenge can feel uncomfortable, especially early on, but good challenge is not there to undermine confidence. It is there to improve the quality of thinking and strengthen the business.

“I found myself rethinking how I interpreted commercial performance more broadly. In previous roles, there was often comfort in having an explanation for why a number had been missed. But from the perspective of running a business, explanations alone are not enough. Cash flow, forecasts and financial resilience depend not just on understanding what happened, but on responding to it effectively.”

That change in mindset was significant. For those in leadership, confidence with numbers is not about sounding certain. It is about being willing to ask better questions, look harder at the detail, and understand the real story underneath.

Building on this, Charlotte then started to recognise that not every attractive number reflects meaningful progress. It’s important to step back and ask what the business is really optimising for, because ultimately, the right metrics matter more than the most flattering ones.

For Charlotte, this was an important reminder that leadership often means choosing substance over appearance. It means being willing to let go of numbers that look good if they are not helping to build something durable underneath.

Lesson 4: People work is never finished

The final lesson Charlotte shared from her first 100 days was something she was advised by other leaders during that period. That ‘people work’ is never really finished.

One of the themes that ran throughout the talks and discussions during the Swanky Summit was that of fostering robust communication between colleagues, clients and suppliers. This means not shying away from difficult conversations, but handling them with integrity and genuine care for one another.

“Even in a business with a strong culture and good relationships, leadership involves a steady stream of people conversations, some energising and some difficult. There are expectations to manage, decisions to communicate, feedback to give, tensions to navigate and trust to build. None of that sits neatly to one side of the ‘real’ work. It is the work.”

Charlotte found this especially true when it came to feedback. Like many leaders, she discovered that giving direct feedback can feel uncomfortable, particularly when the conversation matters and emotions are involved. But she also learned that avoiding those conversations rarely helps. In most cases, it only delays what needs to be addressed.

“Over time, I came to see that difficult conversations are often a sign of care, not a lack of it. Being clear with people, being honest about performance, and addressing issues directly are all part of helping individuals and teams grow. This was an important shift for me: understanding that leadership is not just about protecting relationships from discomfort, but about supporting people through the conversations that help them improve.”

This final lesson tied in well with the culture that Swanky has been looking to create over the past few years. As an agency, we have worked through the principles of the book “Radical Candor” by Kim Scott. The aim is to empower everyone within the business, from junior staff to leadership, to feel able to raise difficult conversations in a helpful way, and to resolve conflict rather than avoid it. To create a culture of trust and honesty, where everyone can feel heard and we grow together.

Lesson 5: Good leadership means continuing to learn

Perhaps one of the reasons this talk resonated so well with everyone listening was the integrity and honesty Charlotte shared in her own personal growth. Every attendee felt able to relate to moments of growth and learning in their own experiences.

“As I looked back over my diary of the first 100 days as a CEO, a pattern started to emerge – one that can apply across the board to any leadership role. Growth is a cycle of overwhelm, decision-making, and learning, and circling back to make changes to achieve a win. Then the cycle starts over again. It’s tempting to think this cycle means you aren’t doing a good job but the truth is, that is the reality of leadership.

“Becoming a leader does not mean waiting for a moment where you feel ready. It is about accepting the call to go. The most important thing you can do is to be honest, clear, and willing to try again.”

Thank you from Swanky

A huge thank you to Charlotte for such a candid, inspiring and relatable talk, which, for many who attended the Swanky Summit, remains a highlight of the event.

The Summit was a brilliant way to start off the year, bringing together our team members, our trusted partners and our fantastic clients for three days of reflection and inspiration. It was a chance to build relationships and trust; to exchange ideas, share knowledge and unpack challenges. We look forward to continuing to build on this momentum throughout 2026.

Watch highlights of the Swanky Summit Client Day here. And if you’d like to be a part of Swanky Summit 2027, feel free to get in touch.