People Changers
David Adams
A business consultant specialising in the management of brainpower, David Adams has more than 30 years experience in financial services. A chartered accountant, he has been a stockbroker and corporate financier. Previously chief executive of Henry Cooke Group plc, a leading provincial house, (£2billion under management, 350 people, 4 offices) He was subsequently head of private clients at national investment managers, Capel-Cure Myers, based at the head office in London, responsible for 20 offices and £3billion funds).
He also facilitates think tanks for Chief Executives helping the members to outperform and to be better leaders. Here the mixture is entrepreneurs and corporate executives. The focus is Leadership, Strategic Thinking and Corporate Responsibility leading to outstanding growth. In addition to the UK , he has facilitated workshops in the USA and Eastern Europe . David has recently completed his year of office as President of the London Society of Chartered Accountants. He is a member of the Professional Speakers Association and the Association for Coaching. He is a director of the Hampstead Theatre.
Robin Alcock, BA, FCIPD, MAC
For the last ten years Robin has worked as a career coach, and for much of it, has been responsible for the work of other coaches. His recent roles include Managing Consultant of the City office of a leading Human Resources consulting firm. The majority of his work is coaching on a one-to-one basis. Robin’s interest in training remains and he runs group workshops when the chance arises.
Robin completed two years counselling training with Metanoia and he holds Primary and Performance coaching certificates from the Centre for Coaching, led by Professor Stephen Palmer. An enthusiast for lifelong learning, his coaching training is on-going. Robin holds a BA (Hons), is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and a Member of the Association for Coaching.
His business career began with several years in IBM, holding various management positions, including management development and as a training manager. He then changed sector and spent the next few years in Bankers Trust and Saudi International banks, responsible for recruitment, training, development and running HR teams. He delivered management development events personally and managed others, including three-month programmes in London for guest managers from all over the world.
Subsequently he worked for KPMG and Coopers and Lybrand (now PwC), carrying out recruitment assignments for clients.
Sharne Van Der Burgh
With a background developing and leading teams, in addition to personally delivering results, Sharne blends her passion for developing people with practical coaching and learning facilitation. As a business leader she has twelve years’ management and leadership experience within a Fortune 500 Marketing and Sales organisation.
Sharne has coached Executives and Managers at all levels, in a variety of organisations, from entrepreneurs to Corporate Vice Presidents in Europe and the US . She has delivered learning events in the UK , US, Eastern Europe, Iceland and Malta and has run mentoring programmes in the UK and North America . In addition to supporting her own clients.
Sharne has a passion, enthusiasm and boundless energy to inspire business leaders to create success with and through their people. She coaches leaders and managers to focus on utilising talents and building on strengths, enabling people to bring their “whole self” to work. This approach is designed to maximise personal and professional contributions – individually and within operational teams
Chris Chater
Chris Chater has a background in accountancy where he championed personal development programmes as a Chartered Accountant with Grant Thornton.
He then gained experience as a Management Consultant, where he extended his capability by working with clients to achieve business success through maximising the performance of their people.
He is trained as a psychometric test user to British Psychological Society approved standards - level “A” for testing and interpreting ability tests and level “B” for personality profiling. He uses the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, the 15FQ+ and FIRO-B to add a further professional dimension to his work. He brings a practical and sympathetic approach to solving people issues, reinforced by well established processes in people development.
He has run organisational development programmes for companies such as Perkins Engines, ICE Ergonomics, Champneys, Retail Motor Industry Federation and Carlsberg UK .
Chris is a Director and Past President of the Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce. For a number of years he was Chairman of the Investors in People Recognition Panel for Northamptonshire and was a member of the regional panel for the National Training Awards. He is a former Branch Chairman of the Chartered Management Institute in Northamptonshire.
Valerie Elliott
Valerie’s background includes 10 years as HR Director in Telecoms, lastly in Cable & Wireless, Media and Entertainment Industries - in environments of high growth, mergers and take-overs. Followed by 8 years in the field of leadership, coaching, change management and personal development.
Valerie works with individuals and teams towards the achievement of their business and personal goals. Her style is to work in partnership with clients in an insightful enabling way to develop effective programmes, which with the commitment of her clients and their teams, contribute to lasting change.
Her recent coaching and organisational change assignments cover a broad span of businesses to include SME’s to larger corporate organisations such as Lloyds TSB, APACS, Vauxhall and KPMG - and industry sectors including Banking, Insurance, Media, IT, Management Consultanties and the Public Sector
Valerie’s credentials include : Business NLP Practitioner, Qualified coach, Licensed Assessor and facilitator in MBTI (Myers Briggs Type Indicator), S&H OPQ (Occupational Personality Questionnaire) and TMS (Team Management System). She is a full member of the CIPD and the Association of Coaching. Valerie is also trained in Image and Personal Impact.
Sonia Gavira
Sonia is an exceptional multi lingual executive coach, trainer and group facilitator. She has over 15 years experience of working across a number of sectors spanning both manufacturing and service industries.
Sonia graduated from Ashridge Management College with an MBA in 1999. She also holds qualifications in Marketing, a degree in modern languages and has achieved Certified NLP European Coach status with International Teaching Seminars. Sonia is a member of both the Association for Coaching and the International Coaching Federation and is working towards accreditation by the ICF. She is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. She coaches in English, Spanish and French by telephone and face to face.
Sonia’s interests lie in the development of high potential individuals and teams and the impact that has on the organisation as a whole. Her coaching style has been described as challenging and commercial whilst also warm, empathetic and fun. She also believes that coaching is an important organisational tool which can enable the company as a whole to grow and do so in more creative ways.
Sonia is married to Simon and they have two young boys.
Bob Gorton
Bob started out as an engineer and developed his passion for business through the financial management of multi-million pound technology projects in many countries. He subsequently started his own manufacturing and installation firm with zero investment capital and grew it to £12m turnover in ten years. As a business practitioner, well used to the vicissitudes of company fortune, he consolidated this experience with an MBA in 2001 and was elected a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing in 2002.
Bob has developed unique techniques for linking the marketing, operational and financial models that drive profitable business growth through several assignments as a troubleshooting Managing Director. These have proved to be unfailingly successful at meeting the objectives of demanding growth and turnaround challenges in companies with turnovers ranging from £500k to £30m. His book, Boosting Sales on a Shoestring was written to make these techniques available to the wider business community.
A visiting lecturer at universities and business events: Bob has latterly been helping fellow business owners to crystallize their growth opportunities and resolve their crisis situations through his business builder programmes.
Richard Hawkes MCIOB
Richard has been providing coaching support in a corporate environment for the last ten years, through his role as the Chairman of a Think Tank of Managing Directors. He has been trained by the CEO coaching company Vistage in San Diego and through this group he works with a network of similar professionals, studying traits of successful businesses and what makes individuals successful.
As the managing director of his own construction company for 20 years Richard knows the pitfalls of business life and uses this knowledge to help the people with who he regularly interfaces. With his coaching skills as well this makes him an excellent career coach for managers and directors. Richards character has helped many CEO’s through some tough times, with consistent successful results.
Richard is also an experienced facilitator. His style has helped many businesses understand more about themselves and as a result develop and grow them and their people.
Colin Hudson
With over 20 years senior executive experience in Operations and General Management in the UK and Northern Europe , Colin is an enthusiastic and dynamic leader with a focus on results.
Colin’s experience is with large corporates include time with British Gas where he held board level post for 3 years, he also has international experience in Europe . In his corporate roles he has managed extensive operational activities with up to 4000 staff.
Colin believes that today's managers do not get enough support in understanding their role and the responsibility they have to their organisation. His passion is for people and the delivery of business results through the engagement and commitment of the staff within a business. It is this attention to staff, valuing their role and contribution to an organisation that turns average organisations into high performers.
Change is a fundamental facet of today's corporate world, and the ability to drive change and lead others to new outcomes is what differentiates. Today's management task is to find new ways to address age old problems and to meet new challenges as they arise.
Colin offers his experience and vision, coupled with a common sense, no nonsense approach.
Chris Hughes
Chris has 30 years of widespread business experience, having held senior and Director marketing positions with such as Mars and Pillsbury UK . Combining his love and involvement with matters sporting with his business experience lead Chris to start up Prince Sports Goods in the UK . This business he ran for 10 years before selling to Benetton and striking out on his own.
Since 1995 Chris has undertaken a wide range of consultancy and interim management projects across most parts of the business spectrum. At the core of this work lies his relationship with TEC (The Executive Committee) the world’s premier organisation dedicated to increasing the effectiveness and enhancing the quality of life of MD’s and CEO’s. In this role he employs a wide range of facilitating, mentoring and coaching skills, first instilled in him, he believes, through a number of years working with The Samaritans and in Youth Courts.
Chris combines a blue chip business background with both an understanding and knowledge of coaching and mentoring practices and principles and an empathic approach to people. This, he holds, is born both of a real interest in people and their potential, and hard won understanding that businesses prosper only when they recognise the importance people play in developing their business - and act accordingly.
Rebecca Lemon BA Hons L.C.H Dip
Rebecca has a Diploma in Life Coaching received from the Achievement Specialists and has been running her own Life Coaching business for 3 years, focusing on defined goals, achievement and producing measurable results. Her latest work has moved her into the business environment working in a number of small businesses helping individual management staff with milestone achievement and improving efficiency.
She is a Practioner in Neuro Linguistic Programming having trained with the most influential people in the industry. She is also interested in and studies Emotional Freedom Technique. As a development specialist she believes in non-intrusive questioning techniques and experiential learning to get the best out of people.
Rebecca’s background is predominantly in marketing for companies including The London Tourist Board, Rosemary Conley and Hachette Filipacchi Uk Ltd in a wide varieties of different roles including project and team management and development.
Rebecca also has a BA in French and Italian
Linda Orchard
Linda Orchard is an accredited Life Coach having trained through the European Coaching Foundation, and she has been running her practice in Northamptonshire since 2004. She is also a qualified Careers Adviser with 13 years experience of working with teenagers and employers and has acted as a mentor and assessor for trainees.
She especially enjoys coaching people around issues of communication and is involved in the Government Pathfinder Schools Project where she provides coaching and support to young people working through Business Enterprise challenges. She concentrates on improving self-esteem and personal development as well as entrepreneurial skill building and fully believes that ‘you can if you think you can’. Linda also coaches within small businesses, particularly those in the healthcare sector enabling chiropractors, dentists, opticians etc to create their ideal practice. She has just been commissioned to write a regular lifestyle column for a Northamptonshire newspaper and is looking forward to raising the profile of Development Coaching through the local press.
Linda also holds a graduate diploma in foreign languages for business and speaks fluent French.
Liz Pinfold
Liz Pinfold is an training and development consultant based in London , who has a particular interest in working with organisations operating in an international context. Her expertise, based on twenty years experience in a broad range of HR roles in a multinational oil company, centres on the development of continuous learning policies, processes and programmes which enhance both business competitiveness and individual potential.
She specialises in organisational development and continuous learning policies, processes and programmes, such as introducing competency frameworks and 360 feedback tools into organisations. She combines strategic thinking ability with the drive and communication skills to ensure the practical delivery and implementation of initiatives. Liz also works as an associate Executive Coach on Leadership Development Programmes run for Senior Executives by the Centre for Creative Leadership (Brussels) and INSEAD.
Liz studied French and Social Sciences at Reading University and is a postgraduate of the London School of Economics in Industrial Relations. She is also qualified as a Barrister in Law and is a Chartered Member (MCIPD) of the UK Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Jacky Pratt
Jacky is a qualified life and executive coach accredited by the European Coaching Institute as a Practitioner Coach. Jacky’s focus is in helping people take action to do the things they want to do but which don’t seem to get done. She strongly believes people should avoid regrets tomorrow for lack of action today.
She spent 23 years in IT consultancy, and has much experience of project management, e-learning development and systems design, gained at companies such as British Airways, BP, PricewaterhouseCoopers and GE Capital. Jacky is also a licensed Firework career coach, with an extensive toolkit available to help people at a crossroads to understand what they really want to do next in their life and work
Jacky specialises in working with company owners and directors, acting as their sounding board, helping them to move forward pro-actively and effectively. She has a particular passion for helping people to value the differences between each other, leading to improved relationships.
Jacky is a business mentor with the Prince’s Trust and her spare time is spent cycling, golfing, walking, reading and enjoying music.
Mike Roberts
Mike is a Negotiating Coach and Consultant with a wealth of high level experience and success. He has worked with CEOs, Directors and senior management from across many and varied business and government sectors. He has trained and coached well over 6,000 senior staff over a 20 year period. His experience has taken him to assignments in The Far and Middle East, across Europe and to Bermuda and North America .
Before coaching, Mike’s career as a Director, Consultant and Trouble Shooter covered a variety of significant high level negotiations for large multi site and multi national enterprises, often in highly complex situations. His experience, leadership and powerful influencing skills were fully tested during the coordination of a major disaster recovery exercise. His work managing significant technological change, negotiating breakthrough productivity deals and overseeing tough merger and acquisition projects give him real authority.
Mike uses a fascinating range of proven and trusted techniques in his development work as a coach and mentor. The human factor in organisational success is critical, and through identifying potential, building knowledge, confidence and experience Mike achieves deep understanding and sustainable performance from his clients; and he instills the motivation to continually push for more.
Jenny Sergeant
Jenny spent 20 years in retail, holding senior executive positions with blue chip organisations including Vice President of Planning at TK Maxx and Director of Merchandising at Freemans.
She has a comprehensive range of skills and her functional, project management and multidisciplinary experience is immense. Jenny has a thorough knowledge of most product areas and supply chains having led teams in both fashion and non-fashion related areas.
Throughout her career she built a reputation for driving change and building highly motivated and successful teams where people were empowered through positive belief and fulfilment. She has enormous energy and her absolute passion for people is clearly visible.
Jenny has developed Leadership Programmes which are accredited with the Institute of Leadership and Management which provides an additional benefit to the training outlined in this proposal.
Christopher M Smith D.Hyp MHF GQHP L.C.H Dip
Chris Smith is a London based professional coach and hypnotherapist, with clinics in Harley Street and Holland Park . He has trained with Dr Richard Bandler and Paul McKenna in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and with Ursula Markham of the Hypnothink Foundation in clinical hypnosis.
As a member of the General Hypnotherapy Register, Chris holds a general qualification in hypnotherapy practice (GQHP) and is accredited by the General Hypnotherapy Standards Council (GHSC), assuring clients of the very best levels of care and professional standards.
To compliment his therapeutic skills, Chris has trained with one of the UK 's top Life Coaches and holds a Practitioner of Life Coaching qualification, accredited by the European Coaching Institute.
Chris is passionate about working with clients who have addictions or suffer from anxiety states and stress. Chris brings a unique level of determination, compassion and empathy to all of his client sessions.
He has a rich experiential background in business management and coaching with over 23 years of experience, predominantly in the travel and IT sectors.
David Thomas
David is a highly experienced broadcaster, manager and trainer. He has been involved in journalism and broadcast production for more than 25 years, mostly with BBC local radio and the BBC World Service. He specialises in delivering development work for business people who have exposure to media such as television and radio.
Previous roles include running journalist training education production areas for BBC World Service. He has also been a presenter of international current affairs magazines. His expertise has taken him all around the world, from Eastern Europe and China to Africa and the Caribbean . He has also set up distance learning websites and a monthly radio podcast for the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association.
David has a reputation for reliability and sharp strategic thinking and is an excellent communicator. He is an Affiliate Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, a member of the Radio Academy.
Steve Thomson
Steve Thomson has been a full time presenter and producer at business and leisure events around the UK for 17 years, and continues to enjoy the role today. Whilst working in this business he realised he could help people develop their own presentation skills. And so he began providing training to business professionals in the arts of presentation and communication, it is this area of work that has captured his imagination and to which much of his time is now devoted
Clients include Scottish & Newcastle, Reuters Consulting, Epsom Downs Racecourse, Cheltenham Racecourse, World Snooker Storm Communications and Mobile Media.
Originally trained as a photographer Steve lives in London with his wife of 20 years. His love of travel has resulted in him having clients as far away as Vancouver and Sydney.