Discover how Blake Sweeting developed the leadership capability, strategic thinking and confidence to grow his business through Ioda’s Level 7 Senior Leaders Apprenticeship.
The story
At just 19 years old, Blake Sweeting joined Ioda’s Level 7 Senior Leaders Apprenticeship while running and growing his own marketing agency.
Having started freelancing at 13 before building his business full-time, Blake recognised the need to strengthen his leadership capability and strategic thinking to support future growth.
Despite early discussions around whether a Level 5 apprenticeship would be more suitable, Blake chose the Level 7 programme – a decision he described as “a gamble” at the time, but one he “hasn’t looked back since.”
Throughout the programme, Blake has been supported by Ioda’s Managing Director, Lisa and his coach Sarah, who challenged his thinking and supported his growth as a leader and business owner.
The solution
Through the Level 7 Senior Leaders Apprenticeship, Ioda helped Blake develop the leadership capability needed to lead a growing business with greater clarity and confidence. The programme is helping him strengthen:
- Strategic planning and business growth
- Leadership communication and change management
- Team culture and employee engagement
- Coaching and people management capability
Throughout the programme, Blake applied his learning directly within the business, introducing more structured leadership processes, improving communication and strengthening strategic planning across the organisation.
The result
The apprenticeship delivered measurable impact across both Blake’s leadership development and business performance.
By applying his learning directly within the organisation, Blake introduced more strategic operational and leadership processes, increasing operational efficiency by over 22%.
The programme also helped strengthen workplace culture, improve strategic planning and create greater alignment across the business, supporting sustainable growth and long-term success.
Blake Sweeting
Managing Director
“Ioda are always available for support and on the end of the phone whenever I need them. They go above and beyond and genuinely care. Since undertaking my apprenticeship with Ioda, our culture has completely changed. I’ve been able to use what I’ve learned in the courses to put strategies and plans in place and really drive the team forward. My development coach, Sarah, is absolutely brilliant and is always available for me to send things I’m working on for an outside view, which has been really valuable.”