The Sanctus Group today announces the appointment of Dr. Eugene Hughes as Group CEO, marking a decisive step in building a category-defining people and culture business for the modern world of work.
Dr. Hughes—founder of Artgym and a leader in culture and leadership development for over three decades—will lead the group’s next phase of growth, bringing together its integrated capabilities across Artgym, Sanctus Coaching, and PushFar to help organizations translate human potential into measurable business performance. Hughes succeeds Stephen Read, who is retiring after successfully leading the group through its formation and initial growth.
Building a new category of people and culture business
Backed by Scale Up Capital, the Sanctus Group brings together three pioneering organizations, each category-defining in its own right, to address one of the most pressing challenges facing leaders today: the growing gap between strategy and execution. Across industries, organizations are facing declining engagement, widening capability gaps, and transformation efforts that consistently fail to deliver. At the same time, AI is rapidly reshaping how work gets done, raising the stakes for how organizations develop, adapt, and perform. While the world of work has changed, many approaches to culture and leadership development have not kept pace.
The Sanctus Group is building a new model: one that integrates learning and development, coaching, and mentoring into a single, coherent system for high performance. This approach is underpinned by behavioral science, powered by technology, and delivered through deeply human expertise—enabling organizations to harness the full potential of an increasingly AI-enabled workforce.
Artgym has spent two decades shaping the field of leadership development and culture transformation. Sanctus Coaching has redefined how coaching is accessed and experienced at scale within organizations. PushFar has established itself as a global leader in mentoring technology, powering more than 1.5 million hours of mentoring worldwide. By bringing together these three pioneering businesses, Sanctus Group is uniquely positioned to help clients turn human potential into sustained business outcomes.
Together, the Group operates with a global team across 40 countries and 13 languages, and a client base including adidas, AXA GO, Centrica, Criteo, GlobalLogic, Hyperoptic, Kering, Nissan, and Rexel.
Shaping the future of work
Dr. Eugene Hughes, Group CEO, Sanctus Group, said:
“Most organizations are still trying to solve today’s challenges with yesterday’s models, and it isn’t working. The reality is that performance today is not driven by traditional performance management processes, but by how effectively organizations can unlock the collective mindsets, behaviors, and practices required to thrive in the ever-changing, AI-enabled world of work.
At Sanctus Group, we are building a new category of people and culture business—where enterprise learning, leadership development, coaching, and mentoring are no longer separate initiatives, but part of an integrated system to create high-performing cultures that drive sustainable results. This isn’t an evolution of the human capital category. It’s a step change our clients demand, and that the team and I are excited to lead it.”
About Dr. Eugene Hughes
Dr. Eugene Hughes founded Artgym in 2004, growing it into an international, award-winning people and culture business. Over a 30-year career, he has worked with global organizations including adidas, the BBC, EY, Sony Music, AXA GO, Kering, Criteo, and Spotify, helping leaders and teams drive transformation and performance at scale.
Hughes is a recognized voice in human development and leadership. He is co-founder of Lead Like a River, a pioneering nature-based leadership program recognised by The Times as a top-20 life-changing experience. His not-for-profit work includes volunteering as a psychotherapist for mental charities and producing award-winning documentaries to champion the unheard voices of marginalized communities. He has also guest lectured at the University of Oxford, the London School of Economics, and Thomas Jefferson University.
Hughes holds a Ph.D. in Psychology, an M.Sc. in Psychology, and an M.Sc. in Psychotherapy. He is also the author of several books, including The Creative Enterprise: How Human Creativity Can Shape the Future of Work.
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About the Sanctus Group
The Sanctus Group, backed by ScaleUp Capital, unites Artgym, Sanctus Coaching, and PushFar to form a global partner for culture, coaching, and mentoring. It’s mission is to help organizations unlock human performance at scale.
About Artgym
Artgym is an award-winning leadership and culture transformation consultancy working across 33 countries. Using its behavioral science methodology, it drives measurable organizational change.
About Sanctus Coaching
Sanctus Coaching equips leaders and teams with the mindset, resilience, and behavioral capability required for personal and organizational growth, connecting human development directly to business performance.
About PushFar
PushFar is a world-leading mentoring platform, enabling organizations to build impactful mentoring relationships at scale through award-winning technology.
