Transforming a department or unit is not difficult if the conditions are right. The difficult part is ensuring that the transformation is not merely a “flash in the pan”. A one-off transformation will not be sustainable if the department or unit does not believe in change. I was fortunate enough to be afforded the opportunity to turn around departments and units three times so far in my career. All were successful transformations in that the changes that occurred were not transient. However, in truth, the credit really belongs to the department and did not rest purely on the efforts of a single individual. The continued success of a department that has successfully transformed itself can be attributed to the strength and resilience of a department that has gone through thick and thin reinventing itself. Despite the many benefits of transformation, risks and potential pitfalls still remain and a department needs to continuously guard against these and plan for the future. The inaugural lecture is about the journey in one of those transformations and the realisation of the dream of that department.