A snapshot of some of our team members:
Mark Arnold
Mark Arnold is a successful organisation development, management training specialist (CMI and ILM qualified at all levels) and qualified executive coach with extensive international expertise. He trains and coaches people at all levels in Leadership, Facilitation, Team Building, Sales, Customer Service, Call Centre Skills, Influencing and Negotiation, Strategic and Change
Management, Creative Thinking and Problem Solving, Finance for Non-Financial Managers and Interpersonal Skills.
Mark’s international experience includes NGO senior management in Pakistan and Afghanistan, business development in Papua New Guinea, and consultancy in Southern Sudan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Thailand, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo. He has also worked in USA, France, Germany and South Africa.
With a lively, dynamic training style, Mark works with all cultures, creating an engaging and enjoyable forum in which every participant is fully involved. Also a successful music composer and performer, Mark has also developed a number of innovative programmes which make use of music and drama to create a fun, energetic and successful learning environment.
NLP qualified, Mark is an accredited Belbin practitioner and licensed to use MBTI and FIRO-B.
Training and Qualifications:
- Belbin Team Roles Accredited Facilitator
- MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) licensed practitioner
- FIRO-B licensed practitioner
- Diploma in Performance Coaching (Newcastle College)
- NLP Foundation Course (PPD Learning)
- Curriculum for Living (Landmark Education)
- Teamwork for Managers and Professionals (Coverdale)
- British Red Cross Overseas Delegates Course (DFID)
- Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) Diploma – Special Subject: Training and Development (University of Westminster)
- Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Roehampton University, London)
- BSc Economics Honours (Cardiff University)
Rob Hamblin
A professionally qualified and experienced HR specialist with extensive knowledge and skills in management and organisational development, Rob has over 20 years experience in managing human 
resource projects in lrge commercial and public sector organisations, both in the United Kngdom and abroad.
Rob provides an HRD consultancy service to directors and senior executives across a range of UK and international companies, working on areas of change and development need that relate to the achievement of the organisation’s strategic goals. He enables the design, development and implementation of HR strategies to support corporate objectives and manages teams of specialists delivering organisational development, leadership and culture change initiatives. He is a qualified executive coach and mentor. Rob has worked with many organisations including Exel Logistics, Innogy, Rank Leisure, Argos, Lex Services, T Mobile and Enterprise Oil.
Training and Qualifications:
- Master of Arts Degree in the Philosophy of Science (M.A.), University of Kent at Canterbury
- Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Social Science (B.Sc. Hons), University of North London
- Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
- PGCE – Post graduate Certificate in Education – University of London
- CIPD Diploma in Training and Development
- British Psychological Society – Accredited in the use of Psychometric Testing Levels A & B
- SHL- Qualified in the use of OPQ, MQ, IMC, PMC, MAS integrated assessment at Level 3
- Licensed in the use of Myers Briggs. Firo B, S & F and Hogan DHS
- Certified NLP Practitioner & Hypnotherapist
Karen Kimberley
Karen has 20 years experience in training, development and communication with major blue chip FTSE 100 international and UK companies. Clients include Shell, Alliance & Leicester, Standard Life Bank, Royal Mail, Centrica, Bedfordshire County Council and the NHS. Karen is a qualified NLP practitioner and holds a diploma in hypnotherapy and psychotherapy from the Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy. She is one of the first to achieve Chartered Marketer status from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. She speaks for the associations and networks such as the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), Association for Management Development (AMED), Communicators in Business (CIB) and Business Link Berkshire and Wiltshire.
Training and Qualifications:
Trained Lead Assessor for Quality Management Systems accredited to ISO 9000 Qualified in Basic Counselling skills Foundation course in Philosophy Chartered Marketer status – Chartered Institute of Marketing Qualified NLP practitioner with Bandler McKenna Training Qualified with advanced diploma in hypnotherapy and psychotherapy with Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy Qualified in mentoring with The Princes Trust Achieved ‘Competent Communicator’ status with Toastmasters International Awarded Fellowship of Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Awarded NLP Leadership Diploma (INLPTA)
Paul Gausden
Paul has over 20 years experience providing a broad management development portfolio to many client organisations, specialising in the delivery of high impact development events, which add value to both the individual and the organisation.
He has substantial experience of assessment and development centres, leadership and team development, executive coaching and culture change programmes.
Paul has worked with companies such as BAA, Somerfield, Argos, Dixons Stores, Mastercare, Eurostar, BSI, Going Places and EMC2.
Howard Exton-Smith
With degrees in Psychology and Management, Howard specialises consulting, training and coaching. He has particular expertise in strategy development and implementation, the management of change, and marketing communications.
Howard has worked with private enterprises, consulting companies, bilateral donors, Governmental organisations and NGOs in Africa, Central, Eastern and Western Europe, and North America.
Howard’s clients include Westminster Foundation for Democracy, Centre for Strategy & Communications, Learning & Skills Council, Opinion Leader Research, Mango and Africa Now.
Training and Qualifications:
- MSc. in Management with Distinction, The Arthur D Little Management Education Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
- BSc. Human Psychology with Honours, Aston University, UK
- SIMA (UK) Ltd, Oxford, UK, Who do you think you are?
- Centre for Strategy & Communication, London, UK: Training of Trainers
- ILO Technical seminar, Dakar, Senegal: Développement du Marché des Services d’Appui aux Petites Entreprises (BDS)
- Alliance Française, Dakar, Senegal: Diplôme d’Etudes en Langue Française (DELF), Premier et Deuxième Degrés
- USAID/TRG, Boston, MA: Technical seminar on Financial Restructuring
Lisa Smale
Lisa has over 14 years experience in providing a broad based management development portfolio to Managers at all levels. She has held many corporate roles including Training and Development Director, Personnel and Training Manager and has worked as a coach at Board level.
Lisa is a graduate in Hospitality Management and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. She uses her highly flexible approach to design and deliver innovative development solutions which are tailored to her clients needs. Her many clients include: Rutherford Appleton Laboratories, Gullivers Theme Parks, Environment Agency and the National Health Trust
Training and Qualifications:
BA Hospitality Management, Bournemouth University
- Chartered Institute of marketing Diploma, Bournemouth University
- Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD), Bournemouth University
- MBTI Practitioners certificate
- NLP Practitioner Course
- Firo B Practitioners course
- Emotional intelligence competency inventory certificate
- Landmark Education Curriculum for Living
- Accelerated Learning workshop
- NLP Master Practitioner
Michael Fryer
A specialist in training design and delivery and management coaching, Michael learned his trade working in large corporations managing senior roles in manufacturing, sales and hotels.
Michael has many years line management experience at a senior level, including four years as Customer Service Manager with Mars UK.
As a consultant, he still works with Mars UK and now also designs and leads training and development programmes for Intercontinental Hotels Group, Holiday Inns, Bass, Going Places, Sun Life of Canada, MHS Homes, Airways Housing Group and many other organisations.
Michael has developed a range of innovative packages which are used by first line managers and supervisors to train their own teams at their workplace.
Phil Hawthorn
With almost 20 years experience in major blue chip organisations, Phil Hawthorn established a successful track record as a National Sales Manager in the pharmaceutical industry. He is now an accomplished consultant and trainer in the areas of team building, people development, customer service and sales. Phil’s experience spans a variety of sectors including utilities, local government, IT, insurance, pharmaceuticals and charities. Organisations he has worked with include NHS, AA, Centrica, BBC, United Utilities, Osborne Engineering and Merrill Lynch. Phil is licensed to use a range of psychometric testing systems which he uses extensively in his team development work.
Organisations use Phil to develop their managers and help team members work together more effectively. He is licensed to use a variety of psychometric instruments, which he utilises to help unlock communication and build mutual awareness within and between teams.
Phil’s style is challenging, forthright, experience based and fun. He does not believe he has all the answers – his method is to use a range of techniques to help participants to come up with solutions themselves. This makes the training both memorable and highly practical.
Training and Qualifications:
- Research towards PhD
- MBA majoring in human resource development (graduated 1997)
- Postgraduate Certificate in The Psychology of Management (CIPD)
- BSc Honours Degree in Plant Science
- Member CIPD
- Member Association of Project Management (Examined)
- Science based ‘A’ levels – Physics Chemistry Biology
- British Psychological Society – Accredited in the use of Psychometric Testing Levels A and B
- Licensed in the use of Myers Briggs Type Inventory
Julian Dodson
Julian has a strong commercial background in consumer goods marketing – predominantly in brand and retail marketing in the drinks industry – and then as a director of a specialist management consultancy concentrating on business growth and the management of change. Working as an experiential learning facilitator for the past 12 years, he has achieved life changing results with individuals and teams.
Julian’s relaxed, confident and supportive style inspires delegates to push themselves into the stretch zone both physically and emotionally, and to believe that they can achieve and perform at higher levels.
Julian is passionate about the benefits of learning through active challenges, and draws his own energy and satisfaction from seeing people achieve things they previously thought they were unable to.
The majority of his programmes are focused on the fundamental issues involved in achieving results through people, and can be delivered in a wide diversity of indoor and outdoor environments at home and abroad.