We leave the beaten tracks and forge new paths. We clear away the old and progressively move ahead, creating new frameworks for growth and development of people.
We are a tribe of facilitators and consultants who develop and deliver offerings which support an organisation in shaping and sustaining good culture. Our vision is to see human beings, the organisations they work for and the cities that they live in thrive.
Our BILT (Brand Individual Leadership Team) culture methodology provides a practical framework for an organisations culture-shaping journey. We partner our clients by developing end to end strategies or supporting their current efforts, by adding expertise into core areas that they are focusing on such as leadership development programs or conferences and campaigns.
Our delivery is transformational and founded on a strong connection to an organisation’s context, its leadership and its people. We are a diverse network and can include offerings from our partner brands who work alongside us to uplift our offerings or by bringing expertise and skills in areas which require deep work and a more in-depth strategy.
Partners
Explore the Partners
Founded on The Middle methodology, The Middle encourages and equips individuals and teams through ‘The Middle’, the territory we must navigate in pursuit of our goals.
STORY Sessions believes in shaping city culture through story. Their events and immersions bring together all who seek to be active participants in the writing of a meaningful city story.
Workshops In The Wild transforms your teams, leaders and organisations with powerful insights for leadership and culture from real life examples in the wild.
Catalyx is a social development agency that provides innovative design, project management, research, monitoring and evaluation services that address social developmental challenges.
The Sett is a coworking space in Durban offering workspaces, meeting and training rooms as well as space to disconnect from the office, drink good coffee and engage in quality thinking.
Insights Discovery is a simple psychometric tool built around the language of colours to help people understand themselves, understand others, and make the most of the relationships that affect them in the workplace.
Open Circles create the space for conversations which have the transformative power to lead to deep personal change as well as radical societal, systemic and cultural change.
EDIFY provides training resources to empower individuals and communities with resources focused on one’s mental and emotional well-being.
Birth of Appletree
Appletree was born on an around the world cycle tour which took place in 1999. Travis Gale and his friend, Stephen Bonaconsa, spent one-year cycling across four continents with the vision to raise R1 million for vulnerable children in KZN, South Africa. While on tour, Travis was inspired by the realisation that living into one’s potential requires a commitment to stepping out of the comfort zone and into the unknown. He penned a metaphor for life called ‘Life as an Appletree’ which encourages people to embrace life in a meaningful way. Following the metaphor, Travis penned a vision for an organisation that would one day be called Appletree. In 2003, this vision became a reality as a group of facilitators gathered under the Appletree banner. Today the Appletree Group brand continues to strengthen and grow.
Living our values
Our team is committed to living our values in working toward this vision:
Pathfinder
Courageous
We are fearless in stepping out of comfort zones. We show up when it matters most, choosing to stand before people with conviction and courage. We believe in activity over apathy.
Intentional
We don’t prepare to live. We live life now. We are intentional about living a significant story, believing that commitment and dedication ensure we are relevant and impactful.
