Immediately after leaving school, not having decided my career path I set up my own business selling dairy products from a van leased from a friend. The business did well but when I took on the responsibility of marriage and a mortgage it was time for a “proper” career. Following one or two selling roles, I joined the American Greetings Card giant, Hallmark Cards. In hindsight, this was the start of my career proper and was to uncover my vocation.

Even though I had not considered myself to be a natural salesman, I quickly found that I was quite good at it. In fact, during my first 3 years with the company, I won every sales achievement award going. Boy was I on a roll! I learnt very quickly that the reason for my success was not because I was particularly good at using the multitude of selling techniques I had been taught, but more because I was good at building relationships with my customers. What impressed me most about Hallmark at the time was the training provided to its sales people, it really was second to none. I realized that the concept of the ‘natural born salesperson’ was actually a myth and that to ‘be born’ with all of the necessary skills is highly unlikely.

After 4 very enjoyable years pounding the streets and knocking doors, I gained my first promotion into the department where I just knew my future lay, Training, and my vocation was discovered. I loved this job and found I learned more about selling in this role than the previous 4 years on the road.  I was able to see exactly why a sales person failed to get the order … most of the time it was simply because he or she was not listening to what the customer was telling him or her.

My first venture into senior management came with promotion to UK Training Manager, providing a wonderful experience both in my own personal learning and progression, but also in the scope of the role. I was now able to influence the company’s approach to training and development.

I left Hallmark in 1994 and this very special period in my life was to shape my future, in fact, the rest of my life as I now had the training and personal development bug! I formed my own training company in 1994 and have since worked with over 50 large corporates and SME’s both in the UK and abroad.

Today I work as a Leadership Development Consultant and Coach. I design and create bespoke training courses in a variety of soft skills subjects such as Sales and Negotiation, Customer Care and Communication.

I regularly work in partnership with The Oxford Leadership Academy www.oxfordleadership.com – delivering and facilitating their excellent Leadership Development programme, Self Managing Leadership – and The Performance Solution www.theperformancesolution.com who specialise in accredited Executive coach training and organizational development.

In the leadership work I do, I work with senior executives across the globe in a variety of industries within the private and public sectors. Most recent projects include major cultural change programmes at AkzoNobel and Telefónica o2 and Coach Training programmes at Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and Redbridge Borough Council.

My qualifications

• Certified Master Practitioner in Neuro Linguistic Programming
• Diploma in Business Coaching
• Advanced Certificate in Executive Coaching
• Advanced Certificate in Psychology for Trainers
• DISC Extended Psychometric Profiling Tool Licensed User
• iWAM Psychometric Profiling Tool Licensed User

 My passion

Although the word ‘passionate’ is too common and over used these days, passionate is probably the best word I can think of to describe how I feel about the work I do. I am incredibly fortunate to feel this way as it provides me with the drive and the enthusiasm to continue my own learning and development.  I am as excited today learning about human potential as I was 18 years ago when I read my very first self improvement book, ‘Bring out the Magic in your Mind’ by Al Koran, a book that quite literally altered my view of life over night.

Over the last few years, I have worked with some fantastic people from all over the globe and for me the thrill of seeing my clients achieve their dreams is as powerful and rewarding today as it was when I began in 1996.

My work

As an Executive Coach, I work in close partnership with my clients. I make it my business to get to know my clients business and their personal situations just well enough to be able to be objective to their goals whilst sympathetic to their challenges. My intention is to help my clients to achieve the results they aspire to reach and to help them to achieve their full potential.

My purpose

My Purpose is ‘to bring positive change to people and organisations in order to, in some small way, help make the world a better place to be.

My Family

Although sadly my Mum and Dad are no longer in this world, I am blessed with a wonderful family. I have three beautiful daughters, an equally beautiful partner, a brilliant brother and sister in law and three great nieces … of course the greater family does not end there. My ex wife and I are still very good friends and although parting after 20 years was tough, it was made easier so much easier by our pledge to support each other both for ourselves and of course our girls. As I said, I am blessed!

My values

• Creativity… to take something and make it better
• Openness… to be as open as it is practical to be
• Respect… for others and for the environment
• Understanding… avoiding judging others by my own standards
• Compassion… for those that are not as fortunate as me
• Passion… for what I do in the knowledge that I am serving society

My Bucket List

• To cycle from Lands End to John o Groats
• To visit Machu Pinchu
• To run leadership retreats in the UK and abroad
• To help build a place of learning in a 3^rd world country
• To leave the world a better place than I found it