Stuart has an extensive portfolio of business skills and experience that has been gained over the past 30 years working in both private sector and public sector organisations and running his own businesses. He has gained a wide knowledge base through a varied career in some of the top global technology companies and in economic development in the public sector in the following areas – account & financial management, sales & marketing, product & project management, training & team management.
Richard is a Production Engineer by training whose career took him into Technical Sales and General Management. Over thirty years he worked in South America, Africa and the UK leading growing businesses in the automotive sector and its supply chain for large corporates as well as family businesses. He moved into the business support arena first as an Adviser then as an Adviser Manager before setting up his own business – Altamira (Yorkshire) Ltd – in 2009 and becoming a founding director of CDI Alliance with Stuart McFarlane Bedford two years later.
Guy has spent over 30 years in the Creative and Digital industry and has gained business skills and experience working with many private companies. His career has taken him to the highest level of technical and operational management at ITV and Granada Television. He led the technology stream for the BBC, developing the operational and technology vision that is now MediaCity UK in Salford. He has worked with technology manufacturers assisting businesses to grow by gaining efficiencies through technological change and re-organisation. Royal Television Society award winner for outstanding achievement in the use of technology and for excellence in training.
Deborah has nearly 25 years experience of growing businesses through effective marketing. She specialises in marketing strategy through understanding target audiences and their triggers and motivations.
Deborah has worked as a consultant for 8 years. Prior to this she worked client-side, so understands the difficulties facing marketing departments and business owners. She is commercially astute and has experience in B2B and B2C environments. Deborah has a passion for direct marketing, with a background in mail order.
Deborah also runs workshop to help businesses make the most of their marketing potential. Deborah is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
Deborah has worked as a consultant for 8 years. Prior to this she worked client-side, so understands the difficulties facing marketing departments and business owners. She is commercially astute and has experience in B2B and B2C environments. Deborah has a passion for direct marketing, with a background in mail order.
Deborah also runs workshop to help businesses make the most of their marketing potential. Deborah is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
With over 12 years in administration and office management experience, Hannah started her Virtual Assistance business – North Yorkshire based Balance VA Services – in 2020. It probably comes as no surprise that she is passionate about productivity, organisation and creating and implementing systems and processes that enable business owners to work on their business, and not become overwhelmed by it.
Associates
Jeanette Allen is a qualified auditor with over 25 years of public sector audit experience. She has extensive experience in risk management and delivering internal and external audit services to the NHS and local government. She carries out financial and non-financial reviews, ensuring systems and controls operate as required by management.
Holly is a Learning and Development Specialist supporting businesses grow, retain, inspire and build their people through training and development solutions. From managing an L&D team at a Global Recruiter to building her own L&D business 5 years ago, Holly works with drive, energy and enthusiasm to create impactful solutions for businesses from SMEs to large Corporates.
Holly designs and delivers individual, group and company learning solutions from coaching to modular training to longer-term programmes. Alongside in-person training, Holly designs and delivers across a wide range of virtual platforms to deliver virtual workshops and training including her successful LEAP virtual development programme.
Holly designs and delivers individual, group and company learning solutions from coaching to modular training to longer-term programmes. Alongside in-person training, Holly designs and delivers across a wide range of virtual platforms to deliver virtual workshops and training including her successful LEAP virtual development programme.
A practical approach to value adding processes requiring continuously improving resource utilisation applying 20 years high pressure industrial experience and 15 years as an independent consultant. Used to being accountable for cross-functional teams in multi-site configurations across disparate businesses, disciplines and markets. Able to find the solution to the enterprise “capacity to meet demand” issues looking always to seek out cash and reduce cost through the optimisation of resources – hence tending towards “LEAN”.
Rachel is passionate about helping companies to unlock potential business opportunities and deliver their vision by taking a strategic, holistic approach to marketing, PR and communications.
With 30 years’ experience, she has worked for large corporates and hundreds of SME’s in both B2B and B2C situations. Starting her own communications agency in 2002, she has experience in running and growing her own business and understands the challenges that face business owners, directors and in-house teams.
Rachel runs a series of workshops to help businesses step outside their organisation, align their team and create a coherent plan which will reach and engage their target audiences. Specialising in PR, digital marketing and communications, and can help with internal communications and culture, branding, and creating and delivering a joined up strategic marketing plan.
She offers strategic advice, marketing planning workshops, coaching, mentoring and training.
With 30 years’ experience, she has worked for large corporates and hundreds of SME’s in both B2B and B2C situations. Starting her own communications agency in 2002, she has experience in running and growing her own business and understands the challenges that face business owners, directors and in-house teams.
Rachel runs a series of workshops to help businesses step outside their organisation, align their team and create a coherent plan which will reach and engage their target audiences. Specialising in PR, digital marketing and communications, and can help with internal communications and culture, branding, and creating and delivering a joined up strategic marketing plan.
She offers strategic advice, marketing planning workshops, coaching, mentoring and training.
Niche expertise in digital engagement, project management, digital transformation and digital experience optimisation. Recognised international expert in citizen centric technology. Fraser has been involved in high profile digital transformation projects for over 10 years. He delivered a future state analysis for Balfour Beatty and helped them move a number of legacy systems to the cloud, creating over £1m in savings. His speciality is improving digital experiences and he has recently worked with the Chinese State Council in Beijing to revamp their online service for engaging citizens with draft legislation. He is currently working on a social listening project for the European Commission which uses social media insights to inform policy development (http://deeplinkingyouth.eu).
Award winning social marketer, communicator and researcher with significant experience working at a senior/ board level delivering social research programmes and creative and effective marketing strategies for household brands, government departments and public sector clients.
Chief Executive at Social Change UK – a social research and marketing agency working across the UK and in Europe, specialising in behaviour change campaigns, purpose, sustainable marketing and communications, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and social business aims.
Ian Lockwood is an independent digital marketing consultant, trainer and founding director of Boom Online Marketing, a Google Premier Partner agency specialising in digital marketing and web design, delivering services to companies and organisations across the UK. Ian specialises in search engine optimisation, pay per click advertising, Google Analytics and conversion rate optimisation.
He has worked in the web and internet industry since 1998 and founded Boom in 2010, now managing a staff of 20 digital marketers and web developers. He has delivered digital marketing workshops to well over a thousand businesses over 17 years.
Penny is a qualified coach, mentor and trainer, she has delivered many workshops and 1:1 training. She has business, management and administration experience, having spent many years working in tourism and passenger transport, managing /supervising teams and dealing with the public/customers.
She is a musician, song writer and performer in the Yorkshire music scene. A member of ILM -Institute of Leadership & Management, Equity and Musicians Union
Natalie has board level & strategic HR, Operational advice and management. Business to business and individual clients. An Organisational Development consultant with expertise in delivering team development and effectiveness. Including change, performance and leadership sessions.
Experienced and highly recommended career coach. Recognised inspirational speaker especially empowering females and breaking down barriers. A natural ‘people person’ with ability to build rapport very quickly and excellent working relationships. Track record of influencing for results within businesses and with external companies.
Andy has been working in digital for two decades and has completed more than 200 interactive projects in that time for brands such as Vodafone, Intel, National Army Museum and many more.
He has established a reputation for taking projects from concept to launch and has experience of a wide array of creative and technical disciplines. His business, New Moon Studios, was started in 2008 and in the last ten years have worked across game design, multi-user environments, computer vision, virtual reality and augmented reality and smart cities technology. Andy specialises in making new and emerging technologies work for enterprise, cutting through jargon and focussing on pragmatic solutions to real world problems.
He has established a reputation for taking projects from concept to launch and has experience of a wide array of creative and technical disciplines. His business, New Moon Studios, was started in 2008 and in the last ten years have worked across game design, multi-user environments, computer vision, virtual reality and augmented reality and smart cities technology. Andy specialises in making new and emerging technologies work for enterprise, cutting through jargon and focussing on pragmatic solutions to real world problems.
John has had a broad range of experience, having previously worked for Business Link for 10 years as the senior ICT & E-Business Adviser in Lincolnshire and Rutland. Prior to this, he worked in the mainstream IT industry for 15 years in a variety of roles with a broad range of clients, from blue-chip companies and national charities, through to business start-ups. His particular areas of expertise and interests include business and web business strategy development, e-Commerce, online marketing, project management and training.
David brings 24+ years broad commercial and management experience across organisations including startups, scaleups and established SMEs. Adept at facilitating strategic development and planning, he has a track record of delivering business support programmes, working with leadership teams to improve performance and create sustainable growth. David’s expertise covers strategy, business development, business coaching & mentoring.
Skilled in the study of online data to identify problem sources. Expertise in conversion optimisation, audits and Google Analytics to fix problems and promote growth as well as planning activities that generate revenue and grow businesses long-term. Track record using big data to help set goals and test and improve websites to drive achievement of business objectives and through conversion rate optimisation, enabling them to harness its capabilities so they understand how, and why, it can work for them.
DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, I have worked in communications and business development for over 15 years, managing marketing operations, events and social media across tourism, construction, technology and professional services. With a passion for both traditional marketing and social media, my company Doo was created to act as a marketing partner for businesses without the marketing resource, too busy to do it themselves.
Jo is the owner of an advisory led accountancy practice who solve real problems and needs for their clients. Understanding that clients want more from their Accountant than an end of year history lesson, Jo has created a business model which looks to satisfy many more of the needs of SME businesses than just submitting tax returns. Jo spent 20 years working in big Blue Chip FMCG businesses, supporting decision making and improving profitability, so bringing these skills to SME businesses was a logical step. Many small and medium sized businesses lack clarity around their financials, so Jo spend a lot of her time building business plans, management reporting systems and cash flow projections with business owners. Jo is also a professional trainer and one of only 13 trainers who are contracted to provide Quickbooks certification training to Accountants in the UK. She also trains business owners in how to get the best out of Cloud Accounting.
Malcolm worked for 10 years at Arts Council England in Yorkshire as Creative Industries Officer, leading on business support for creative and cultural businesses helping develop the creative economy. Having run his own businesses and also worked as a senior manager and chief officer in different local authorities, he has a wealth of policy, strategic, operational and business support experience most recently in the creative, cultural, digital and new media industries.
Julia is an experienced Business & Finance Consultant with a demonstrated history of working in the management consulting industry. Skilled in Business Planning, Commercial Lending, Banking, Commercial Banking, Credit Risk and Business Development. She is passionate about helping businesses find the funding and support they need and she has the skills and experience to find and package funding requests to secure a positive decision taking the headache and hassle away from business owners.
Coral specialises in working with driven, innovative and ambitious business managers and owners who are determined to realise their high growth potential. She has a broad business knowledge base and particular expertise in grant applications, marketing (online-offline), relationship building, connectivity, project management, event management, coaching and mentoring.