Case Study: Royal Navy modernizes leadership selection and development with SHL

The Royal Navy Modernizes Leadership Development and Selection with SHL

The Royal Navy, which operates globally and relies on frequent leadership movement and succession, needed a more objective way to identify the right senior officers for appointments and promotion. Instead of depending mainly on annual appraisal reports, it wanted a clearer view of each leader’s strengths, motivations, and suitability for different roles. SHL supported this need with psychometric assessments, including the Occupational Personality Questionnaire, the Motivational Questionnaire, and Verify Interactive G+.

SHL helped the Royal Navy assess 350+ senior leaders and create a more data-driven process for selection, succession, and development. The assessments gave appointing boards a fuller picture of each individual, helped mitigate promotion risk, and enabled the Royal Navy to build stronger talent pools for rapid mobility. SHL also supported a bespoke leadership development report, helping officers reflect on their behaviors and motivations, and the approach has since been extended beyond senior leaders to commanding officers with plans for broader rollout.

Royal Navy

Mike Young

Captain , Leadership and Assessment Development Advisor