Ruth Morris – Lead Trainer and Business Coach Ruth is an accomplished and highly experienced ‘people developer’ who began her training career in 1990. She has since worked with a vast range of industries in the UK, Europe, Scandinavia and the Middle East, using her strong 21 year corporate background with Thomas Cook and Anglian Water to relate to the issues and challenges facing organisations today. Ruth has extensive experience in the design, delivery and evaluation of quality, tailor-made courses and uses a variety of methodologies to deliver learning points to bring about change. Sensitive, open and flexible in style, she provides challenge, energy, direction and support throughout the change process, ultimately resulting in the realisation of goals.
Ruth is a qualified Coach, NLP Master Practitioner, a licensed Psychometric Profilind Consultant and specialises in Management, Team and Leadership Development; Personal Awareness, Effectiveness and Growth; Attitudes, Behaviours and Motivations; Confidence and Self-esteem issues; Psychometric Profiling and Performance Coaching. Away from work Ruth enjoys walking in the hills, camping in the rain, playing classical piano, fast swimming and slow Tai Chi – but not all at the same time!
Debbie Green – Management Trainer and Business Coach Debbie is a professionally qualified Coach & Development Consultant who provides uniquely flexible and personalised learning experiences in an encouraging and safe environment which allows individuals to flourish. She is a truly passionate individual who is totally committed to empowering, inspiring and supporting individuals along their development journey.Debbie has a wide breadth of experience and skills having worked within the Human Resources and Learning & Development arena for over 25 years – including manufacturing, retail, telecoms, broadcasting, NHS, private health care, motoring and education providing her with first-hand knowledge of some of the challenges that businesses face in this ever-changing environment. Debbie ensures sessions are delivered in a relaxed and informative way, which allows individuals and teams to learn at their own pace whilst still focussing on achieving the end goal. Her practical and solution-focussed approach allows businesses to improve performance, develop their teams and increase contribution and motivation.
Debbie has worked with a wide spectrum of businesses including Hovis, Marks & Spencer, American Express, Avis Rent-A-Car, Associated Newspapers, Premier Inn, Blackwell Books, Virgin Media, Connexions, Flightstore-UK and Coco’s Hair Design.
Peter Westbrook – Business Consultant Peter has been a consultant and trainer since 1988. Assignments have led him into a wide variety of industries, services and activities. This breadth and depth of experience allows him to quickly establish a good understanding of clients’ needs and his excellent communication skills and enthusiasm enable him to develop early and have continuing rapport with all he meets.
Before moving into Consultancy, Peter was the ‘de facto’ Manufacturing Director and Quality Manager of Russell Hobbs Tower (Domestic Appliances) and held a series of quality management appointments with Lucas Industries. He gained an Honours degree in Bio Medical Electronics from Salford University and has since augmented this with various management, quality and business qualifications. He is now a licensed facilitator in the EFQM Excellence Model and is highly rated by the SELECT ASSURE database of consultants. His particular expertise is in manufacturing, computers, Government, professional, construction, travel, recruitment and telecommunications and he has liaised and worked with the highest echelons of management down to every level and type of grade or skill.
Emma Linford – Personal Development Trainer Emma is passionate about helping people to develop themselves and maximise business learning through experience-based activities that stretch individuals’ capabilities. Her wide range of experience delivering management training, personal and graduate development programmes and outdoor education extends worldwide and her solid organisational skills and attention to detail allow her to perform a variety of roles: programme planning and design, project management, facilitation and coaching, safety cover, outdoor technical training and support and logistical backup. She has worked with wide ranges of client, from MBA students to young offenders; apprentices to middle managers and thrives on the challenge each brings.
Wearing her other hats, multi-talented Emma is also a qualified designer responsible for the design and execution of various marketing campaigns, an outdoor specialist and a worldwide expedition leader; her most recent venture seeing her as a leader of an arctic expedition through the north-west passage! Away from all that hard work, Emma enjoys adventure racing, travelling and eating well - slow down girl!
Jenny Bowen – Personal Development Trainer
Jenny has worked in the varied industry of corporate development for several years, incorporating her flair for high-level communication with her enthusiasm for experiential learning and mental stimulation. She has worked alongside numerous companies, exploring all facets of the organisation in order to improve business potential, efficiency and output. Specifically chosen tasks steer towards an in-depth review process designed to assist clients to work more cohesively and effectively after the event.
Jenny’s specialism’s include leadership and management programmes (ILM level 3), team and personal development and she particularly enjoys drawing on adventure challenges to enhance the strengths and highlight the development areas within the client company. Away from corporate life, Jenny is a keen and mean tennis player, has a passion for expedition travel in wild environments and has an astonishing knowledge of African wildlife!
Dave Bates – Training Consultant and Coach
Despite extensive commercial experience in sales, marketing and general management with sports and fashion companies such as Amer Sports (Wilson, Salomon, Suunto and Atomic), Nike, Puma, Icon (NordicTrack, Reebok, Weider), Slendertone and VF Corp. (Lee, Wrangler, Vans, The North Face), it is the creation, development and leading of teams and individuals from which Dave derives the greatest pleasure. With an engaging, fun and yet challenging style Dave is able to tailor his approach and format according to the needs of the audience. With a calm, yet enthused, 'adult to adult' approach, delegates quickly feel at ease and relaxed.
Dave’s qualifications include: MBA, BSc, CAM, Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and accreditation for Belbin Team roles. He is a Fellow of Institute of Sales and Marketing Management and Chartered Institute of Marketing (Course Director & Member).
Mick Earle – Experiential Learning Guru Mick is a management development facilitator who specialises in developing people and teams through challenge and adventure. He has worked alongside Ruth for many years, often providing an activity programme to support and complement her workshops and structured learning interventions.
Mick is passionate about developing effective leaders in business and considers leadership a skill which can be learnt, coached and developed rather than something a gifted few are born with.
He has devoted a great deal of his 20 years experience in the corporate marketplace to developing effective collaborative working, within and between teams, and believes that issues around trust and consideration for cultural differences are often paramount in the process of conflict resolution and developing collaborative teams. Mick specialises in a practical ‘experiential’ approach to people development using challenge, problem solving and trust exercises as a foundation for deeply embedded learning, and has on many occasions taken this approach with great effect to Scandinavia, mainland Europe, the US, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
Christine Sherwin – Training Support Christine heads up our Training Support, responsible for all course logistics, venue bookings, training schedules, pre and post course administration, invoicing, the compilation of training materials and resourcing of specialist equipment. She has been our dedicated support since 2002 having formerly worked in the city in customer liaison and secretarial roles for a Merchant Bank, Accountants, Solicitors and even a past Mayor of London.
Although usually busy behind-the-scenes, we do occasionally let her out to assist on training events, so she can appreciate the bigger picture! In her leisure time, Chris enjoys the theatre, countryside rambles, dining out, travelling to sunny climes and sharing quality time with her four grown-up children.
