Levelling Up at the 2026 Cezanne Kick Off

Levelling Up at the 2026 Cezanne Kick Off in summary:

---

In the glamorous surroundings of the Liverpool Hilton, the entire Cezanne team came together for our annual Kick Off meeting.

And when we say everyone, we mean everyone! Over 160 colleagues from our London, Glasgow, Ireland and Brazil offices gathered in one place – to connect, reflect, celebrate and set the tone for the year ahead. For a business that’s grown so rapidly in recent years, getting the whole team under one roof felt pretty special.

So, what happened over the two days? What were the key takeaways? Who wore the best fancy dress? Here’s the full lowdown…

Day 1: getting down to business

Day one was all about strategy, culture and alignment. Over the past few years, Cezanne has grown rapidly – expanding our product offering, scaling our customer base, and strengthening our position in the HRIS software market.

We’ve also welcomed Occupop into the Cezanne family, adding new expertise, new colleagues and new opportunities into the mix (and not to mention a pretty damned awesome recruitment software platform!). But, with that level of growth comes change. And with change comes the need to pause, reset, and make sure we’re all heading in the same direction. That’s exactly what day one set out to do.

Things got going with an opening keynote from our CEO Simon Noble, who set out the core purpose of our meeting, what we achieved in 2025 (spoiler alert: lots!), and set out his vision for the future of Cezanne. One of the key points Simon discussed was going from ‘Good’ to ‘Great’ – and to do that, how the business needs its people to be disciplined in their thoughts and actions.

As Simon mentioned, Cezanne’s core mission is to be the most loved and trusted HR software & payroll solution on the market today, so our standards of excellence and discipline aren’t optional… they’re the benchmark. Moving from good to great means consistency. It means holding ourselves accountable, and it means recognising that every single interaction – whether it’s with a customer, a partner, or each other – shapes the Cezanne story now and in the future.

2025: a transformative year for Cezanne

Following Simon’s introduction, members of our Development, Customer Success and Security & Compliance teams highlighted some of Cezanne’s fantastic achievements and projects completed in 2025; including:

• Achieving nearly 40% company growth over 12 months
• The acquisition and integration of Occupop (now Cezanne Recruitment)
• The successful launch of our brand-new suite of AI tools
• New UX improvements across the Cezanne HRIS system and Mobile App
• Our biggest and best Cezanne Connect customer event yet
• The launch of our new ESG initiatives and the Cezanne Green Team

But day one wasn’t just about waxing lyrical about the business, its successes and ambitions (although, let’s be honest, that part was pretty good).

Bringing our values and culture to life

The Cezanne Kick Off gave us all the opportunity to focus on the culture and values that sit behind that success. After all, growth doesn’t just happen. It’s built. And it’s sustained by the behaviours, standards and mindset we show up with every single day.

The second half of the day shifted gears slightly, bringing the whole business together for a little competitive chaos in the form of Cezanne Taskmaster. It was a real hit; equal parts hilarious and surprisingly revealing, and it gave us all the perfect way to have fun while shining a light on the collaboration, creativity and team spirit that drive Cezanne forward. But it didn’t stop there!

Rounding off the day was our HR Moments quiz, where our customer success team quizzed us all on how the Cezanne system has been used, and what value it’s brought to our customers over the past year. For example, did you know that over 2.08 million absences were logged in Cezanne in 2025? And the most popular day for booking off? Friday. Makes sense I suppose…

The Noble Prizes

With the day wrapped up, it was time for the evening festivities and the now legendary Noble Prize awards. With the theme being ‘Levelling Up’, there was also a large contingent of Cezanne-ers dressing up for the occasion as their favourite gaming characters. From Street Fighters to Minions and even the odd Hitman, there was certainly an eclectic bunch on display roaming the streets of Liverpool. My personal favourite? Definitely our Head of Customer Success Peter, who looked simply delightful as Princess Peach.

The prizes themselves gave us all the chance to recognise and celebrate the people who’ve gone above and beyond over the past twelve months, with awards for Cezanne’s Rising Star, Game Changer Team, Culture Champion and Innovator of the Year.

But it wasn’t just about the accolades. It was about the stories behind them – the late nights, the big ideas, the quiet acts of support, the moments where someone chose to raise the bar rather than settle for “good enough”. The awards were a reminder that our success isn’t abstract. It’s built by real people, doing real work, every single day.

Day 2: evolution and inspiration

Day 2 started with a few fuzzy heads (mine included) and litres of caffeine. Despite celebrating long into the evening, the Cezanne crew was back – bright eyes and bushy tailed – for a day which focused on our vision, growth & future readiness.

The morning session gave us a chance to look at what success in 2026 looks like, and how – as a business – we’re going reach our goals. This is where everyone had the opportunity to get up close with our product roadmap, our vision for supporting employee growth & development, and what we’re doing as a business to help support the wellbeing of our entire workforce.

The second half of the morning saw an inspiring talk from record-breaking mountaineer, bestselling author and motivational speaker Bonita Norris.

Sharing stories from her journey to becoming the youngest British woman to summit Everest, Bonita spoke about resilience, mindset and what it really takes to achieve something that feels impossibly out of reach. Her message was simple but powerful: big goals aren’t achieved in giant leaps they’re built through small success, by focusing on what’s in front of you, and not fretting about the scale of the challenge. And, by recognising that success isn’t just about being great yourself, but about lifting others up along the way.

Bonita’s talk was inspirational and awe-inspiring in equal measure. It was the perfect way to round off the morning sessions, leaving everyone energised, reflective and quietly determined to think a little bigger – and act a little braver – in the months ahead.

Embracing AI and the view from our newcomers

Our final sessions of the day looked at how Cezanne is embracing AI, and how we’re using it to help lower effort, but maximise impact across the business. But, this doesn’t mean jumping on the latest buzzword or replacing people with robots… far from it.

For us, AI is about augmentation, not automation for automation’s sake. It’s about removing friction. Streamlining repetitive tasks. Giving our teams – and of course, our customers – more time to focus on the work that actually matters. Whether that’s making processes smarter, surfacing better insights from data, or improving how quickly we can respond and innovate, the goal is simple: work smarter, not harder.

Rounding off the day was a fireside chat with some of the people who’ve joined the business over the past year, and hearing from them about their experiences and challenges. It served as a powerful reminder that growth isn’t just about numbers on a slide; it’s about people choosing to join us, build with us and shape what comes next. Hearing their perspectives brought fresh insight, honest reflection and, in more than a few moments, a real sense of pride in the culture we’re creating.

And just like that, the 2026 Kick Off drew to a close. Two fantastic days of big thinking, honest reflection, shared ambition… and more than a few laughs. A chance to celebrate how far we’ve come, and to get clear on where we’re heading next. If there was one feeling everyone left with, it was momentum. Excited about the opportunity ahead. Energised by the standards we’ve set. And united around what it’s going to take to go from good to great.

So, roll on 2026. We’re more than ready.