For Chief Marketing Officer Taylor Fox, the power came from having everyone “getting away from the day to day, into one place”, speaking openly “about the wins, the hard lessons and the exciting road ahead.”

More than 20 WHITEFOX leaders flew into Queenstown, gathering on Sunday evening for dinner at Flame Bar & Grill before the work began.

Before sunrise the following morning, the group met at Watershed for a sauna and cold plunge. Heat, cold water and a sharp start, followed by a four-hour leadership session with performance coach Danny Kennedy.

Known for working with professional athletes, entrepreneurs and high-performing teams, Danny focused on mindset, consistency and the habits that sustain performance under pressure. Director of Advocacy Nicholas Morrison called the session “absolutely spot on”, praising Danny’s ability to deliver clear, meaningful takeaways that could be carried directly into the work.

By the afternoon, the lens had widened from individual performance to the direction of the business. A company update set out what lies ahead, while a series of Directors Conversations gave leaders the opportunity to share the strategies, challenges and lessons shaping their individual markets.

Every office operates within its own conditions. Clients change. Competition changes. Pressure points change. For Paddington Sales Director Clay Brodie, those differences were precisely what made the exchange valuable.

“We might all work in similar roles, but the way people approach things can be very different. Hearing those perspectives opens up the way you think and reminds you that there are always other ways to achieve a result.”

Clay left Queenstown with ideas from the Melbourne and Perth teams that he intends to implement in Paddington. Different techniques, shared freely, with the same objective: a stronger result for the vendor.

One session moved beyond strategy and asked the group to share the experiences that had shaped them. Leaders spoke about the challenges, relationships and defining moments behind how they think and lead. Managing Director of Perth David Murray said the stories gave everyone “a much deeper understanding of one another.”

Tuesday traded the meeting room for Coronet Peak.

Skiing brought its own mix of competition, encouragement and shared laughs before the group continued to The Woolshed at Ayrburn for lunch, then returned to Queenstown for a final dinner and drinks at Soda.

David described the skiing and shared laughs as “a huge part of it”, creating genuine friendships between people who might otherwise know one another through offices, calls and screens.

The summit also placed newer leaders alongside those who had already navigated many of the opportunities ahead of them.

Only months into his role as Sales Director of WHITEFOX Dunedin, Nick Beard attended his first Leadership Summit. Hearing what others across the group had achieved, he said, “makes you realise that we can do the same.”

For Managing Director of Queenstown and Wānaka Kate Fairmaid, the gathering offered a different perspective on the same growth.

When Kate joined WHITEFOX, Queenstown was the brand’s first office outside Melbourne. This year, she stood among new and established Sales Directors representing an expanding network across multiple markets and countries. An experience she saw as “an amazing reminder of just how much we have grown.”

Growth can be difficult to recognise while you are moving through it. This Leadership Summit made it visible.

WHITEFOX now spans more offices, markets and countries than ever before. Queenstown brought that growth into one place and gave it direction. Leaders returned to their markets with new ideas to apply, stronger relationships to draw on and a clearer view of the standard ahead.

The summit may have ended in Queenstown, but its impact is only beginning.