Dudley, England, United Kingdom
Senior education leader and Professional Skills Manager with over 20 years’ experience developing people, strengthening teams, and leading high-performance learning environments across the UK and internationally. My career has taken me from Director-level leadership, managing £1M+ contract portfolios and high-performing teams, to lecturer, assessor, and senior coach roles supporting leaders at Levels 3–7 across health, business, logistics, and professional services sectors. This blend of strategic leadership and hands-on people development has shaped my management approach today: calm under pressure, people-centred, commercially aware, and focused on measurable performance. I have a strong track record in: ✓ Managing and developing teams in fast-paced education and apprenticeship environments ✓ Leadership & personal development coaching, including senior leaders ✓ Designing and improving high-impact learning programmes, resources, and delivery models ✓ Achieving contract and performance targets, including ESFA/ESF-funded programmes ✓ Building partnerships with employers, universities, and international organisations ✓ Turning around provision, raising quality, and creating cultures where people thrive ✓ Leading creative projects and events that develop confidence, skills, and opportunity for learners Past roles include Director of Business Development, founding and scaling national and international youth programmes, and producing live educational events, all of which strengthened my ability to lead people, navigate complex environments, and deliver results under pressure. Today, I’m focused on leading teams, shaping culture, and developing coaches, while contributing to the strategic aims of forward-thinking organisations. I thrive in environments where high standards, innovation, and people development come together - and where strong leadership enables others to grow. Current areas of focus: • Professional Skills Team Management • Leadership & Management Development (L3–L7) • Team Performance, Coaching & Culture • Continuous Improvement in Learning Delivery • Stakeholder Management & Employer Engagement
Currently leading a team of 9 Professional Skills Coaches and shaping the systems, routines, and culture that drive consistent high performance. Contributions include embedding a 28-day accountability framework cycle to track learner outcomes, improving progress and feedback cycles, and supporting coaches to grow in confidence and capability. My focus is on building a strong, motivated team and laying the foundations for long-term quality and learner success.
Delivering quality coaching for Level 7 Senior Leader apprenticeships
In my current role as a tutor with LSP (Learning and Skills Partnership) I'm ‘getting back to my roots’ in the private sector, specifically with the personal interest I’ve recently discovered in project management and having the possibility of learning and progressing within the construction sector alongside my role in business and automotive sector tutoring. I prepare Team Leader/Supervisor (Level 3) and Operations Department Manager Apprentices (Level 5) for End Point Assessment along with the development of course materials and resources for these programmes.
Due to outstanding performance and group teaching ability, I was promoted to a full time lecturer position for leadership and management related apprenticeships across the group of colleges with a base at Sutton Coldfield College, but primarily delivery webinar-based lectures across the region. >Subjects included the teaching and assessing ILM Team Leader/Supervisor (Level 3) | Operations Department Manager (Level 5) >Led the business and professional services team through the pandemic as one of the first members of the team to adopt and champion webinar-based/remote lecturing and assessment to support the continuation of learning during this time. >Nominated by my direct report and won the college's 'Out of the Box Thinker Award' for my innovative use of technology during the pandemic.
After an intense career of nearly 15 years as a manager and director of a specialist vocational training organisation, I moved from Suffolk to the West Midlands to spend time with family, pursue personal goals - and with the opportunity to diversify my career experience by working for a major regional college. Role/Skills Summary: >Teaching/Assessing ILM Team Leader/Supervisor (Level 3) | Operations Department Manager (Level 5) > Experience in Assessment of Assistant Accountant (Level 3) | Professional Accounting/Tax Technician (Level 4) | Diploma in Marketing (Level 3) | Business Administration (Level 3) >Contracted in partnership with Aston University for the delivery of a People Management & Marketing Foundation Degree >Continuous development of private/bespoke webinar-based courses in management for a range of employers, specialising in project management and time management. >Highly IT competent and with an in depth knowledge of remote/digital assessment and the use of e-portfolio platforms.
Following a range of successful programmes, I found that I had a talent for sales and marketing. I was promoted to Director of Business Development alongside the launch of a new brand, designed to support young people starting their career in international trade and logistics.
Following the strategic closure of the 'U-Phorm' sports and fitness division, which was primarily launched to support a series of short/medium terms bids and ESF funded programmes, I moved into a new role with the responsibility of managing the core business of ITS Training. The role primarily involved the development of strategic partnerships and managing adult apprenticeship and bespoke training programmes across the international trade and logistics sector.
Following a brief but accomplished career as a fitness manager of the Gold's Gym Los Angeles Group, I was approached ITS Training to initially be involved in a research and development project. As an outcome, I was invited to teach sports and fitness within schools across East Anglia and London which led to being offered a role as a company director - and the launch of a new sports and recreation training division to support young people who where not engaging with traditional education (14-18 year olds) alongside the development of a fitness apprenticeship programme (16-25 year olds) for aspiring fitness instructors and personal trainers. I led the organisational strategy, curriculum design, and coordinated the delivery team.
After the success of the 2009-2011 Fitness Britain Tour with events in St. Albans, Manchester (England), and Stirling (Scotland), I was invited to produce Britain's first branded "European Commonwealth" Championships which saw top competitors travel from across selected European regions to complete for the ultimate prize! The final event was the most successful of its kind at the time and saw over 100 athletes compete in front of a sold-out audience. The event continued over the coming years through nominated event managers across several European locations.
Alongside my role as Director of U-Phorm and in cooperation with Los Angeles-based American Sports Network, I launched one of the UK's first live fitness stage events which was sponsored by some of the biggest names in the fitness industry, while providing athletes with a platform to showcase their talents. U-Phorm students gained a real multimedia work experience by managing/operating all aspects of the event, which was aired on SKY TV's Active Channel.