HIT Scotland has launched a new executive programme aimed at helping senior hospitality leaders rethink how customer and employee experiences are designed and delivered across their businesses.
Called Lead by Design, the programme is part of HIT Scotland’s 2026 Executive and Leadership Programme and is aimed at C-suite executives, business owners, board members and senior decision-makers in Scotland’s hospitality and tourism sector.
The four-day programme will take place across 7–8 October 2026 and 25–26 November 2026 at two Edinburgh hotels, with applications closing on 11 September 2026.
Led by Executive Experience Design and Development Consultant Victoria Taylor, the programme will focus on what HIT Scotland describes as “experiential executive leadership”. Participants will be encouraged to take on the role of “experience architects”, looking at how customer, employee and commercial experiences can be deliberately designed rather than treated as separate operational concerns.
The programme comes as hospitality businesses face changes in customer expectations, technology, workforce dynamics, profitability and competition. HIT Scotland argues that these pressures are increasing the importance of experience as a leadership issue, rather than something managed solely through marketing, operations or customer service teams.
Lead by Design will use practical frameworks including Taylor’s Multi Lens Approach and 4 H Framework to examine how businesses can design customer and employee journeys around key moments and interactions. The programme will conclude with two sessions, Masterclass in Magic and Workshopping Wonder, where participants will use experience-led design methods to map and reconsider end-to-end experiences.
Lead by Design is one of three executive programmes HIT Scotland is delivering before the end of 2026. The first, AI: The Intelligent Edge, will run from 5–6 October and will examine the practical commercial and operational applications of artificial intelligence. Leadership Redefined: Culture First will follow on 21–22 October, focusing on workplace culture, leadership and managing organisational change. The programme series will culminate in HIT Scotland’s Industry Leadership Summit 2026 on 19 November, where the organisation plans to unveil its 2027 Executive Programme.
Victoria Taylor, Lead by Design programme facilitator, said: “Experience is no longer something that sits at the end of a process, it is the process. In modern hospitality, every interaction is a reflection of leadership, culture and the choices a business makes. The organisations that will thrive are those that deliberately design experiences rather than simply react to them.”
Dave Allen, programme director at HIT Scotland, added: “The role of the hospitality leader has changed. It is no longer enough to be operationally excellent. Today’s senior leaders have to understand technology, culture, finance, customer behaviour, experience and commercial strategy, and, importantly, how all of those things connect.
“That is why programmes such as Lead by Design are a vital resource. They are an essential investment in the future resilience and competitiveness of our businesses. If we want Scottish hospitality to compete at the highest level globally, we need leaders who are prepared to challenge convention, design better experiences and make decisions with the future in mind.”
HIT Scotland has launched a new executive programme aimed at helping senior hospitality leaders rethink how customer and employee experiences are designed and delivered across their businesses.
Called Lead by Design, the programme is part of HIT Scotland’s 2026 Executive and Leadership Programme and is aimed at C-suite executives, business owners, board members and senior decision-makers in Scotland’s hospitality and tourism sector.
The four-day programme will take place across 7–8 October 2026 and 25–26 November 2026 at two Edinburgh hotels, with applications closing on 11 September 2026.
Led by Executive Experience Design and Development Consultant Victoria Taylor, the programme will focus on what HIT Scotland describes as “experiential executive leadership”. Participants will be encouraged to take on the role of “experience architects”, looking at how customer, employee and commercial experiences can be deliberately designed rather than treated as separate operational concerns.
The programme comes as hospitality businesses face changes in customer expectations, technology, workforce dynamics, profitability and competition. HIT Scotland argues that these pressures are increasing the importance of experience as a leadership issue, rather than something managed solely through marketing, operations or customer service teams.
Lead by Design will use practical frameworks including Taylor’s Multi Lens Approach and 4 H Framework to examine how businesses can design customer and employee journeys around key moments and interactions. The programme will conclude with two sessions, Masterclass in Magic and Workshopping Wonder, where participants will use experience-led design methods to map and reconsider end-to-end experiences.
Lead by Design is one of three executive programmes HIT Scotland is delivering before the end of 2026. The first, AI: The Intelligent Edge, will run from 5–6 October and will examine the practical commercial and operational applications of artificial intelligence. Leadership Redefined: Culture First will follow on 21–22 October, focusing on workplace culture, leadership and managing organisational change. The programme series will culminate in HIT Scotland’s Industry Leadership Summit 2026 on 19 November, where the organisation plans to unveil its 2027 Executive Programme.
Victoria Taylor, Lead by Design programme facilitator, said: “Experience is no longer something that sits at the end of a process, it is the process. In modern hospitality, every interaction is a reflection of leadership, culture and the choices a business makes. The organisations that will thrive are those that deliberately design experiences rather than simply react to them.”
Dave Allen, programme director at HIT Scotland, added: “The role of the hospitality leader has changed. It is no longer enough to be operationally excellent. Today’s senior leaders have to understand technology, culture, finance, customer behaviour, experience and commercial strategy, and, importantly, how all of those things connect.
“That is why programmes such as Lead by Design are a vital resource. They are an essential investment in the future resilience and competitiveness of our businesses. If we want Scottish hospitality to compete at the highest level globally, we need leaders who are prepared to challenge convention, design better experiences and make decisions with the future in mind.”
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It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many web sites still in their infancy.
The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making
The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for ‘lorem ipsum’ will uncover many web sites still in their infancy.
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution
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