Kexxel Group

Date

6-7 October 2025

City

Dubai

Venue

TBA

96 days left

Overview

Welcome to the "Simplified Strategic Planning" event, an intensive and practical workshop designed to streamline your strategic planning process. This two-day event, held on the 6th adn 7th of October in Dubai, will equip you with the tools and insights needed to develop and implement effective strategies swiftly and effectively. In today's rapidly changing business landscape, the ability to formulate and execute a robust strategic plan is more critical than ever. Simplified Strategic Planning masterclass offers a unique opportunity to learn from Robert Bradford the leading expert in strategic planning.

What you will learn:

Why Most Companies Fail at Strategic Planning
How to Create a Great Strategic Team
How to Dominate Your Market
How to Get Information You Need
How to Measure Key Success Factors
How to Find Your Unique Strategic Competency
How to Make Good Assumptions
How to Select and Exploit Your Best Opportunities
How to Protect Your Company From Potential Threats
How to Determine Your Strategic Focus
Get From Where You Are To Where You Want to Be
How to Best Allocate Your Resources To Meet Your Objectives
How to Most Effectively Use Your Strategic Plan

Who should Attend:

This seminar is SPECIFICALLY designed for C-level executives who are tasked with determining the best course and direction for their companies.

Chief Executive Officers (CEOs)
Chief Financial Officers (CFOs)
Chief Operating Officers (COOs)
Directors of Operations
Sales Directors
Marketing Directors
Chief Information Officers (CIOs)
Chief Technology Officers (CTOs)
Directors of Engineering
Human Resources Directors
Corporate Strategists
Planning Managers… and any key members from strategic planning teams.

Rave Reviews:

“It gives our company a good perspective on how we structure our strategic planning. You get to learn and listen to the practical ways of doing business. I encourage people to take this chance and attend this course”

Hazeem Sultan Al Suwaidi - Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Borouge (UAE)

“Sign up for it, if you’re in that position, executive role or senior management role where you’re being asked to execute strategies. Brilliant event, very well organized, and very well facilitated.”

Linda Tarazi - Head, Special Projects, Admin. & Strategy, Corporate & Investment Banking Group, Mashreq Bank (UAE)

“I strongly recommend taking this course in the future, not only for people who are working in planning as it is useful in making the right strategic decisions. The preparation process for Strategic Planning is well articulated in this manual.”

Mubarak A. Al-Mulhim – Executive Vice President, Planning and Performance Monitoring, Saudi Electricity Company (Saudi Arabia)

“A very insightful approach to strategic planning. Content and tips given were the main strengths of the program”

Patrick Heuze – CEO, Emaar Hospitality Group LLC (UAE)

“Speaker and material given were the main strength of this training.”

Mohammed Al Harbi – Section Head, Business Strategy, SABIC (Saudi Arabia)

“The trainer has so much knowledge and experience on the subject. He is really a good communicator. The process presented by the trainer was the main strength of the training.”

Mohammed Al Yousif – Director of Strategy, Zamil Industrial (Saudi Arabia)

"This training teaches us how to line our management team onto strategic competencies and capabilities of the organization while identifying the direction the company can expand towards. This is a good opportunity to understand the importance of strategic planning, how to prepare and perform it in a less formal approach in order to direct the company towards more value.”

Taha Khalifa – Regional Manager, MENA, Intel Corporation

“Robert provided a well-structured and organized presentation throughout the course. Being in the same field, I believe he has great knowledge and experience."

Sadeq Nayef Sadeq Saleh - General Manager, Agrimatco

“The trainer was an amazing speaker. He kept us engaged and focused considering the large content of the course. Kexxel Group is well organized, has content and time is respected.”

Karima Derbal - Manager, Strategy and Corporate Planning, Dubai International Financial Centre Authority

“Trainer provided a well-structured and organized presentation and his roadmap is useful in dealing with complex tasks.”

Maisa Shunnar - Head for Strategy & Implementation, Bahrain Islamic Bank

“Mr Robert had showed good knowledge & hands on experience on the subject answering questions from different industries.”

Fatemah Alwazzan - Manager, Strategic Projects, Kuwait International Bank (Kuwait)

“A very inspirational trainer. A highly stimulating refresher session on strategic planning.”

Maya El Kadi - Assistant Managing Director, BLOM Bank Egypt

COURSE FACILITATOR

Robert Bradford

CEO of the Center for Simplified Strategic Planning and co-author of the Simplified Strategic Planning Manual and Simplified Strategic Planning

About

Robert Bradford is the CEO of the Center for Simplified Strategic Planning and co-author of the "Simplified Strategic Planning Manual" and "Simplified Strategic Planning: A No-Nonsense Guide for Busy People Who Want Results Fast!" With a degree from Princeton University and an MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration, Robert has also completed postgraduate work at the London Business School. A member of the National Speakers Association and a Certified Speaking Professional, Robert is renowned for his ability to convert complex management theories into practical, real-world applications. With over 19 years of experience, he has assisted numerous clients across various industries, delivering outstanding results through engaging and insightful seminars. Robert's unique blend of broad knowledge, humorous insights, and practical examples makes his sessions both lively and highly effective.

Achievements

CEO of the Center for Simplified Strategic Planning.
Co-author of the "Simplified Strategic Planning Manual" and "Simplified Strategic Planning: A No-Nonsense Guide for Busy People Who Want Results Fast!"
Graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Military History.
Earned an MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration.
Completed postgraduate work at the London Business School.
Member of the National Speakers Association.
Certified Speaking Professional (CSP).
Nationally acclaimed speaker known for engaging and insightful presentations.
Over 19 years of experience in converting management theory into practical, real-world applications.
Delivered outstanding results for numerous clients across a wide variety of industries.
Author of articles such as “Re-thinking the SWOT Analysis”, “Understanding the Competitive Value of Your Brand”, “Dealing with Powerful Customers”, “Understanding Value”, and “What Does Your Company Mean”.
Renowned for his ability to stimulate strategic thinking and provide practical, actionable steps for seminar participants.
Has worked with clients like Exxon Mobil, Verizon, Hormel Foods Corp., and the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.

Has Worked With

Trainer Videos

Book(s) Published

Agenda

Simplified Strategic Planning

This course will teach you both the concepts and the step-bystep logistics behind the Simplified Strategic Planning process, a comprehensive approach to creating a complete, workable strategic plan in about 7 days of meetings. The focus of the course is on reaching a robust strategic conclusion quickly and driving from that conclusion to effective implementation plans.

Session 1: External Situation

Markets

Key data to collect on markets for strategic planning
Customer behavior and strategy
Market segmentation

Competition

Key data to collect on competitors
Where to get competitive data
What matters most about a competitor

Other external factors

How technology can make or break strategy
Supplier Market dynamics
Economics and strategy

Session 2: Internal Situation

Financials

The role of the balance sheet
Assessing your income statement

Measures of performance

Measures you should use to think about strategy
Why financials aren’t enough
How to select the most important measures

Profitability analysis

Using the profitability analysis to spot strategic issues
Why profitability shouldn’t dictate strategy

Session 3: Strategic Capabilities and Competencies

Quick strengths and weaknesses

Defining your capabilities quickly, without fuss
Pitfalls in using strengths and weaknesses in strategy

Strategic competencies

Understanding competencies, and why you should invest in them
Identifying your strategic competency

Group Exercise:

An example of strategic competency in a multi-unit company

Session 4: Assumptions

Market assumptions

Projecting changes in your markets
Key data to assess in formulating strategy

Competition assumptions

How to see how you will stack up against the competition in the future
Understanding how you can change your competitive position

Opportunities and threats

Brainstorming the best opportunities
How to separate the best opportunities from the good ideas
Highlighting the most critical threats to your strategy

Industry scenario and winners’ profile

Projecting the more distant future
Using the far future to guide your strategic thinking

Day 2

On day two, we draw upon the data and ideas from day one and combine them to produce strategies, objectives and execution plans. The focus of this day is on devising well-integrated strategies that create competitive advantage, and managing execution.

Session 1: Strategies

Strategic assessment

Identifying market attractiveness
Identifying your competitive position
Using your position to begin strategic thinking

Strategic issues

The one strategic issue every company must address
How to identify and resolve most of your strategic issues

Strategies

Defining strategies for market segments
Capturing your vision about your strategic focus
Building a set of capabilities to support your vision

Session 2: Goals and Objectives

Mission statement

Why you need a mission statement - and why you don’t
How to get your mission written down in 30 minutes

Goals

Defining corporate goals
Relating goals to measures of success
How goals can drive execution – and how they shouldn’t

Objective setting

How to set objectives for optimal execution
What to do with objectives that you don’t select for execution

Session 3: Action Plans

Action plan writing process (group exercise)

Formulating action steps
Sequencing action steps
Allocating resources to action steps

Rules for better execution

Tips from companies that achieve 100% of their objectives
How to build better execution into your processes and culture

Session 4: Budgets

Cash flow budget

Using the cash flow budget to protect your company

Investment budget

How to prioritize spending on strategic initiatives

Five year projection

Testing your strategic plan as a hypothesis
How to quickly use your strategic plan to create a five-year budget forecast

Session 5: Schedules and Agendas

Time budgeting process

Understanding the role of time in strategy execution
How to allocate time and schedule execution for better results

Schedules

Putting the whole strategic planning process together – what to do and when
How to modify the process to fit your company

Monitoring process

How to keep your strategic planning dynamic and alive
How to assure excellent execution by monitoring

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TESTIMONIALS

Check out the testimonials from our events

Najiha Hambali

Manager of Group Strategic Communications

Petronas

Simplified Strategic Planning

“The facilitator has wide and vast experience. We were able to relate to case studies/samples beyond theories as the insights, case studies and examples that are given are resourceful and enlightening.”

Kelly Ngo

Head of Controlling

Unified National Networks Sdn Bhd

Simplified Strategic Planning

“Great Course! I have a clear understanding of some of the important approaches during the strategic planning process which I have never thought of before. This program was very nicely arranged, it left me with many useful tools and knowledge such as how to measure performance, how to maintain schedules that fit the company and how to prepare action plans.”

Mohamad Fitriyadi

Group Head of Budget & Corporate Planning

PT Bank CIMB Niaga

Simplified Strategic Planning

"The Simplified Strategic Planning course really helps me to prepare strategic planning in a systematic and efficient way. The strength of the event was the practical knowledge, which is easy to implement."