There are sessions that inform – and then there are sessions that truly inspire. On the Organisational Culture stage at the recent Employee Engagement Summit, the energy was electric as Nick Holmes from Avalere Health took us on a memorable journey into how mission, purpose, and people can redefine organisational culture from the inside out. For anyone passionate about engagement, cultural transformation, and embedding purpose at work – this one was a masterclass.
Nick Holmes, Vice President of Learning and Culture at Avalere Health, opened with warmth and honesty, sharing his journey from actor to culture leader, and new fatherhood’s influence on his view of purpose. For him, work isn’t just about having a job or a career – it’s about answering a calling. That calling has shaped everything he’s done to evolve Avalere’s culture amid major change.
At the heart of the story was Avalere’s powerful mission: “Every Patient Possible.” Nick explained that this isn’t just a tagline but a way of working that permeates the company’s fabric. “Every” symbolises ambition; “Patient” signals inclusion and access; and “Possible” embodies breaking down barriers in healthcare. Across Avalere’s global teams, this mission acts as both compass and catalyst – helping people find meaning in their contributions every day.
What stood out most was Nick’s refusal to reduce culture to generic buzzwords. Instead, he offered a striking metaphor: culture is the “collective brain” of an organisation – constantly learning, adapting, and responding to emotional experience. Like the human brain, it remembers what moves it. Borrowing from Disneyland, he described how the most emotionally charged moments – not the procedural ones – leave a lasting imprint.
Avalere’s cultural renaissance didn’t happen overnight. Nick spoke candidly about navigating years of leadership changes, restructures, and mergers – a period familiar to many in the room. What got the company through was clarity: helping employees understand the “why”, defining the “how”, and designing an achievable path for sustained behaviour change.
Rather than quick wins, Avalere’s transformation centred on “drumbeats” – consistent, repeatable cultural practices. Among these were the internal value proposition “Every Person Possible”, a career conversation framework celebrating both “the gap and the gain”, and a leadership initiative called “Manager Impact”. Together, these created rhythm and momentum, embedding purpose into everyday moments.
Psychological safety and flexibility also took centre stage. Nick described how Avalere chose not to mandate office returns but instead built inviting, purpose-driven spaces across cities like London, Manchester, and New York – places designed to spark connection and creativity. In-person gatherings became their own kind of “Disneyland moment”, reawakening emotional ties to the company’s mission.
Nick wrapped up with a framework as practical as it was inspiring: SPARK. By Sensing signals, Priming the brain, Activating emotion, Rewiring behaviours, and Keeping it alive, organisations can ignite purposeful, sustainable culture change.
His final reminder? “Culture isn’t a campaign – it’s a living, evolving system.” For those who believe in making work matter, this was a rallying cry to keep purpose at the centre of everything we build.
Ready to hear every insight and story from Nick’s session? Tune into the full podcast episode from the summit and rediscover how mission can truly make culture.
To register your interest for the 2026 Engage Employee Summit click here: https://www.engageemployee.com/engage-employee-summit-registration