Sustainability That Starts From Within: Behind the Scenes of Our Strategy Sprint with Compass Group HK

There are moments in this work that feel like a turning point — not just for the client, but for ourselves. Take a look at the behind the scenes of our recent Strategy Sprint with Compass Group HK.

Held over two energising days in May, this Sprint wasn’t just a workshop. It was a mirror. It revealed not only how far Compass has come — but how much potential lies ahead, waiting to be activated.

Day One: Digging Deep

We kicked off with a room full of curiosity — 30 people from Compass’ leadership and middle management teams. There was a buzz, a sense of anticipation. We moved fast: from speed-dating exercises to challenge mapping, the team quickly got to grips with the big question — “Why do we exist?”

Their co-created purpose statement was clear and confident:

“We exist to be a global leader in sustainability initiatives for the food service industry — for the health and well-being of our clients, and future generations of a habitable planet.”

This set the tone. Not just as a feel-good slogan, but as a foundation to build real strategy upon. We followed it with a bold two-year goal: to be the top catering service partner to work with or for — sustainable in everything we do.

Facing the Tough Questions

But vision alone isn’t enough. So we invited in some honest discomfort: the Critical Questions.

• Can we confidently deliver on our own strategy?
• Can we create a culture of sustainability and hold ourselves to account?
• Can we consistently procure sustainable ingredients?

These weren’t hypotheticals. They were launchpads — for conversations Compass hasn’t had before, and decisions still to be made.

One particularly insightful moment came from a discussion about ingredients: the real issue wasn’t price, freshness or quality — it was availability. This sparked a powerful recommendation: centralise procurement and take ownership of the supply chain, potentially through local vertical farming and hydroponics. A beautifully practical idea grounded in context.

Day Two: From Ideas to Action

With a strong strategic base, Day Two was all about creativity and movement.

We kicked off with Lightning Demos — inspiration from across the food, sustainability, and innovation worlds. Teams then entered a “Museum Walk”, showcasing solution concepts to one another with a 1 minute pitch to spice things up.

Out of this emerged ten concepts that we mapped to our  roadmap — ten key project areas that Compass can start actioning now. Some centred around training (like Carbon Literacy, which Pauline, the MD loved), others on waste systems, procurement, or communications.

The joy? Watching abstract ideas take form, and seeing people realise: we can do this.

Unexpected Highlights

The magic of workshops often lies in the small things:

• Sustainability bingo was a surprise hit — equal parts silly and enlightening.
• The Carbon Labelling video sparked one of the most engaging discussions of the day.
• Honest reflections surfaced — like how hard it was for some to admit what they needed to stop doing. That said a lot.

Big Realisations

For Compass, the Sprint brought clarity — but also a humbling truth: they’re not quite ready to go public with a full strategy yet. And that’s okay. That’s responsible.

For us at Future Green, it reinforced a few things:

• You only need to be a few steps ahead to guide others.
• We thrive in this blend of strategy, facilitation, and food systems visioning.
• This is exactly the kind of work we want to do more of — and we’re ready to scale it.

Next Steps, New Dreams

To truly embed sustainability, Compass now needs to:

• Assign ownership: Every job is a climate job.
• Upskill the teams: Carbon Literacy is a great start.
• Run design Sprints for each project: Strategy’s nothing without fully planned out execution.

And they must resource this work like they mean it — with dedicated roles, proper timelines, and a commitment to change.

To Close…

We ended the Sprint, fittingly, with sustainable cocktails from Devil’s Tea, Chef Tina Barrat’s vegan cheese, and biodynamic bubbles from Galilea. Because sustainability should taste as good as it feels.

To the Compass team: thank you. For your openness, your humour, and your trust. You’ve laid the groundwork. Now it’s time to build.

This Food Vision workshop draws from ‘Strategy Sprint’ and ‘Strategy Signal’ – Workshop Recipes designed by the fantastic AJ&Smart.

Want to go deeper?

Join the waitlist for our upcoming Food Vision Course — an immersive experience to lead the future of sustainable food.