Experience

• 

  Cheltenham & gloucester plc

  Jun 1997 - May 1999

  Mortgage marketing officer
• 

  Egg

  May 1999 - Nov 2000

  Business development manager - home finance

  Business planning, marketing, market research and competitor intelligence for new developments and potential new projects within Home Finance.

• 

  Chelsea building society

  Nov 2000 - Apr 2010

  Divisional director (marketing and strategy)

  Responsible for: - the Chelsea brand, and customer experience - all aspects of Chelsea’s marketing including product marketing, retail funding, direct mail, advertising and promotional activity, branch display, Chelsea’s website and an annual budget of over £5m - the Corporate Communications team including all external communication (media and public relations), internal communication, Corporate Responsibility, community support and events. customer experience- Chelsea’s Corporate Plan and Business Development Plan, reporting directly into the CEO for this aspect of my role. - Chelsea’s Programme Portfolio Management team, who managed the portfolio of projects and programmes for Chelsea, ensured resources were appropriately allocated, initiatives had balanced business cases and were properly prioritised in line with strategy.I was Secretary to the Chelsea Management Committee during 2008 to 2010. Show less

• 

  Ecotricity

  May 2010 - Jun 2015

  Retail director and executive board member

  As Retail Director at Ecotricity – the world’s first green energy company – my role combined the two key traditional roles of Sales & Marketing Director and Customer Services Director. I led those teams through a huge growth period, quadrupling customer numbers in the five years I was there.My responsibilities included customer acquisition and retention strategy, maximising customer experience, minimising cost to serve, brand, people development and culture.I had responsibility for over 400 people across:• Marketing, affinity partnerships, PR and internal communications• Domestic and business sales (including sales through brokers, and new connections) • All contact centre teams, including Teleservices, E-services, Reception and the Head Office switchboard• All customer services teams, including registration processing, billing, metering, payment processing and debt management • Our Customer Champion team.I created and had responsibility for the Ecotricity Academy, which provided training and development support across the Group. I also had responsibility for: • Ecotopia – their online eco-shop providing real alternatives for people preferring to ‘shop their principles’ when buying the everyday essentials from laundry products to energy-saving light bulbs. • The Green Britain Centre – Ecotricity’s visitor centre in Norfolk – a showcase for renewable energy in action with a conference centre, an education facility and tourist attractions. Show less

• 

  Bristol energy

  Sept 2015 - Mar 2017

  Director of sales & communications and executive board member

  In 2015, I was part of the team who set up a retail gas and electricity company for Bristol City Council – creating a £27m turnover business with 110 staff and 55,000 customers in 18 months. Bristol Energy were a gas and electricity company with a difference – they were one of the UK’s first municipal energy companies, and were set up to be a ‘force for social good’ to support Bristol City Council in its economic, social and environmental goals. They were a national company set up to make a positive impact on the city of Bristol, and on their customers wherever in the country they lived.I was instrumental in just about every aspect of setting up the company: from translating the original business case into a practical plan, carefully recruiting the right people into each role across the business, developing the brand and the communication strategy, liaising with external stakeholders to rolling up my sleeves and doing anything else that needed to be done. I was part of the Executive team, I sat on the Bristol Energy Board as an Executive Director, and I reported regularly to the Holding Company and the Shareholder. I had direct responsibility for the marketing and communications teams, the domestic sales teams, the B2B retail team (responsible for the end to end journey for SME, industrial and commercial customers), and the people development team. Show less

• 

  Gillharrisjames

  Apr 2017 - Mar 2019

  Management consultant

  GHJ provided strategic business consultancy for the specific needs and challenges facing ambitious businesses. GHJ helped their clients achieve significant, sustainable growth while maximising the value of their business. In my role, I helped GHJ's clients to develop people strategies that increased their productivity, efficiency, profitability and drive growth. People are one of the biggest costs in any business, and their engagement and behaviour impacts directly on success. I helped senior leaders, Board members and business owners ensure they have the right culture, organisational structure and people focus to help attract, retain and motivate the best talent. Show less

• 

  Gloucestershire women in business network

  Mar 2019 - now

  Founder/host

  I run and host regular networking events for businesswomen from around the county – connecting and developing relationships for mutual benefit. I typically host 8 in-person events in Cheltenham each year - 6 lunches and 2 evening drinks events. If you’re interested in joining our group - let’s have a conversation. There's no commitment and no joining fee - just come along to as many events as you'd like; and we don't run these to make a profit - we split the costs across the attendees.I’d love to hear from you - give me a call on 07774 926082 or email me at [email protected]. Show less

• 

  Canny conversations

  Mar 2019 - Apr 2024

  Consultant | trainer | workplace mediator | leadership, communication & people development

  I help senior leaders to improve organisational performance through better quality conversations.1️⃣ Training & DevelopmentI design bespoke training and development programmes to help people to have better quality conversations.Things like:👍 Leadership development (the role of a senior leader basically boils down to being able to communicate more effectively)👍 Sales training (in a relationship building / non-salesy way)👍 Speaking with confidence (e.g. speaker prep for your company conference)👍 Handling difficult conversations (feedback, complaints, performance, conflict, etc)2️⃣ FacilitationI can design, structure, and facilitate any workplace conversation that you may need independent support with.Things like:💡 Strategy away days (bringing people together with a longer-term focus e.g. trustee/non-exec colleagues together with the senior leadership team)💡 Team building sessions / Away Days (helping teams to get to know each other better or to build a behaviours charter)💡 Bringing a client and their supplier together to discuss contract changes💡 Board-level workshops – often diving deep into a topic in a structured way3️⃣ One to one support🤝 My one-to-one support can be anything from coaching programmes, consultancy or business advice to bespoke training and development.4️⃣ MediationAs an accredited Workplace Mediator, I can help you make those difficult conversations a bit less tricky!I can help with:🤼 relationship repair,🤝 conflict resolution😐 stabilising emotional situations.I facilitate safe conversations where emotions are running high, and colleagues are in conflict – and can work with teams, as well as with a pair.⭐ And whatever I do for you, it’s always bespoke – no two conversations are ever the same. ⭐If you think you could be getting more out of yourself or your people – let’s have a conversation. I’d love to hear from you - give me a call on 07774 926082 or email me at [email protected]. Show less

• 

  Gloucestershire hospitals nhs foundation trust

  Aug 2019 - Aug 2022

  Non-executive director

  Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest acute hospital trusts in the country, and the largest employer in Gloucestershire. Positions of responsibility held: - Board member - Chair of the Charitable Funds Committee - Vice-Chair of the Charitable Funds Investment Committee - Member of the Quality & Performance Committee - Member of the Remuneration Committee - Member of the Trustee - Non-Executive Lead for Sustainability

• 

  Tandem consultancy

  Apr 2024 - now

  Founder/director

  A consultancy with a difference. We work with organisations to improve performance and create a culture of change by using tried and tested methods that deliver results. Here’s how we can help transform your business: 1. Strategic PlanningThe right plan and priorities provide direction and a clear road map to success. Whether you need a full strategic review of your business, a laser-focus on a key area or a planning day – we can help you see the wood for the trees, prioritise and align delivery to your growth or exit goals. 2. People & CultureProductive people and a can-do culture are often the secret to success. Whether you need to develop the right people strategy to improve performance, focus on leadership development or improve communication - we can help you create the cultural change that’s right for your business. 3. Operational EffectivenessBehind every successful organisation is efficient business operations. Whether you need to enhance your ways of working, develop KPIs and reporting to deliver success or optimise processes - we can help you to put your plan into action, drive productivity and ensure consistent client delivery. Show less