Meet the Consultants

JACKIE SMITH, Director of Speak First, has had a diverse global career, as a psychologist, line manager, trainer and consultant. She has worked with individuals and organisations helping them transform the way they operate to improve their confidence, productivity and relationships. With an expertise in business communication ranging from skills training, facilitating teams, executive coaching, organising large scale events and change management, she brings pragmatism, creativity and fun into all her partnerships. Her current focus is on client relationship skills, consulting skills, conflict management and bespoke courses.

Jackie has a BA in Russian, a BSc Hons Psychology, an MSc in HR Management and is a trained Trainer of NLP. She has worked in Further Education, the building industry and with a Big 4 management consultancy as well as a smaller niche Organisational Development consultancy. She has a wealth of experience across many sectors and countries as a result of her  consulting background. More »

AMANDA VICKERS, Director of Speak First, has many years experience in training, coaching and management development. Within the banking sector she has held line management, HR and training roles. She has worked with a wide range of organisations and has expertise in communication, leadership, customer relationship management and individual and team coaching at senior management level. Amanda brings energy, compassion and fun to everything she does and has helped a vast amount of people increase their confidence and achieve satisfying results.  Amanda focuses particularly on Presentation Skills, Personal Impact, Influencing, Coaching and bespoke training.

She has a BSc Hons Psychology, is a Master Practitioner of NLP and a certified NLP Coach. She is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and The Institute of Directors.

Amanda is co-author of ‘Coach, Be Your Best and Beyond', ‘Teach Yourself Coaching’, 'Teach Yourself NLP' and 'Teach Yourself Presenting' More »

STEVE BAVISTER has worked for the last 10 years as a trainer, facilitator, coach and author after a successful career in publishing with a FTSE-100 media company. He has a passion for helping people and companies maximise their potential, and brings enthusiasm, creativity, energy and commitment to everything he does - always ensuring that clients get the best possible value.

Steve specialises in NLP and believes it to be one of the most powerful tools available for personal and professional development. He is the co-author of ‘Teach Yourself NLP’, ‘Teach Yourself Coaching’, ‘Coach, Be Your Best and Beyond’ and 'Teach Yourself Presenting'. For five years he was a Director of the Association for NLP (ANLP), acting as editor of its magazine Rapport for a period. His expertise lies in Presentation Skills, Personal Impact, Communication, Networking and Writing Skills.

Steve has a BSc Hons in Psychology, is a Master Practitioner of NLP and a Certified NLP Coach.  Sectors include Financial Services, IT, Government departments, Utilities and SME’s. More »

MARTHA BIRTLES specialises in Organisational and Leadership Development, Performance Improvement and Change Management. She works at senior levels to analyse the gap between strategic intention and the organisation’s capability to deliver. With a systemic focus, she is a catalyst for defining change management programmes, coaching the executive team to be the leaders of change and working with teams to implement it. She also helps functions transition to a consultancy role and staff to develop their consulting skills.

Martha has a Masters’ degree, extensive Senior Executive experience in blue chip organisations and was a Principal Consultant with European based consultancies. Industry sector experience includes: financial services, aerospace, electricity supply, chemical processing, transport, research and development, and pharmaceuticals. Martha is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and the American Society of Human Resource Management. She has worked in the US, Europe, the Middle East and extensively in both Asia and Latin America. More »

PATRICK BURKE has held senior positions with a number of large companies. His last corporate role was Director of Midland Personal Financial Services, part of the HSBC Group, where he had responsibility for implementing training and development for a large sales team.

Throughout his career Patrick has regularly spoken and presented at conferences, business pitches, training seminars and special events. He has produced and scripted corporate videos, has had responsibility for the organisation and direction of national sales conferences and is an accomplished speech writer. He has trained extensively in both the UK and Europe in Presentation and Communication Skills. More »

GIGI COTHIER has worked in executive training and development since 1995. Following 3 years in international corporate finance in London and Paris (1987-1990), she left banking to do an MBA at INSEAD (1990-1991). She has an MA (Hons) from Trinity, Cambridge and speaks fluent English, Italian and French. She has lived and worked in all three countries. Gigi specialises in Presentation Skills, Leadership and Coaching programmes.

Since 1995 she has retained her close links with INSEAD and regularly delivers strategy and finance simulations for their executive education programmes. She has also facilitated simulations for Harvard and Stanford’s MBA programmes.

CLARKMORGAN is the largest corporate training company in China and the 2007 training firm of the year. Established in 2001 and with offices in 8 cities across the country, ClarkMorgan is our partner in China and provides high quality training on our behalf. At Speak First, we take a global approach to training, ensuring that we provide quality and consistency for our clients with operations in China. As such, we’ve worked closely with ClarkMorgan to ensure their expert consultants deliver the same high quality courses you have come to expect from SpeakFirst. ClarkMorgan provide completely customised training solutions that pay close attention to our clients’ needs. This is coupled with their high level of knowledge and understanding of the Chinese culture and business environment. ClarkMorgan are specialists in Presentation Skills, Communication Skills, Business Writing, Team Building and Employee Assessment.

CLAIRE DOOLE As a former BBC journalist (reporting and producing), UN spokeswoman and Head of Press at WWF, the environment organisation, Claire is a highly experienced communications professional. More recently she combines freelance print and broadcast journalism with consultancy, training and teaching. Claire has a strong interest in helping the private and public sectors understand the media and deliver their messages more effectively. She has run workshops on communications strategy, media relations and interview skills, designed specifcally for trained businessmen, PR professionals and bankers, as well as the UN and NGO sector, in the art of effective communication. Her experience of being on both sides of the fence - interviewing and being interviewed - places her in a unique position to help organisations get across key messages with the media.

Aware of the need as a trainer to keep her journalistic skills fresh and relevant, she writes for the International Red Cross magazine, InfoSud, a development press agency, the World Health Organisation as well as broadcast for a part-owned BBC radio station in Geneva. She is fluent in French and German. 

QUENTIN DUNSTAN has worked with global blue-chip organisations, in the UK, USA, and across EMEA. He is an expert trainer, facilitator, and consultant, both in the design and implementation of management training initiatives and assisting in change programmes. 

He specialises in sales and cold calling skills, management and leadership, performance improvement, personal business skills including creative thinking, communication, facilitation and executive coaching. He focuses on achieving results through people in large organisations and making change happen.  Sectors include: automotive, telecommunications, banking and financial services, manufacturing, computing systems and networks, and senior staff in Government and NGOs.

Quentin has a background in education and as a successful interim manager turning manufacturing businesses into profitable enterprises or making the decision to dispose of them.  Quentin is a qualified Chartered Marketer and teacher.  He holds certification in Transactional Analysis, Belbin’s Team Role inventory and is trained in NLP.  More »

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SUNNY KOTECHA has been training, coaching and mentoring for many years. Having taught Oxford undergraduates and worked in leadership roles with young people, Sunny now works in the corporate world. Her psychology background is a perfect backdrop for this as she has a particular interest in individual differences, and the theory behind well-being and happiness at work. Sunny has extensive experience training with organisations including Microsoft and the Windsor Fellowship - and she has previously worked for Goldman Sachs and The Times. As well as corporate clients, Sunny has worked for London, Oxford and Cambridge Business Schools and also consults for various eductaional charities. She is often asked by the BBC to feature on the radio as an expert on topics ranging from religion and identity, to relationships and conformity.

Sunny brings energy, empathy and fun to all her training and believes that interactivity is the key to successful learning. She focuses particularly on presentation skills, personal impact, influencing, emotional intelligence and cultural awareness. Sunny holds undergraduate degrees in Experimental Psychology and Sociology from the University of Oxford. Her doctoral work investigated ambition and aspiration amongst different groups; some of her research is currently being published with colleagues from Harvard University.

MEETA LEE has nearly sixteen years experience in the Hospitality, Retail and BPO industry and is now the Managing Director of “Mapping Minds” a training consultancy based out of Hyderabad, India. Her specialisation is Business Communication, Leadership Training and Soft Skills.

Meeta has had a rich and fruitful experience of 8 years with the Oberoi Group of Hotels in Sales & Marketing, a couple of years in retail and 6 years with HSBC in Operations and Learning & Development. A Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a diploma holder in Hotel Management, she is currently pursuing her MBA from ICFAI.

Her hobbies include music, dance, learning different languages and learning about different cultures. She loves to travel and meet people and her mantra for people management is “Different strokes for different folks.” 

ALISON LESTER excels in motivating clients with her creativity, confidence, and communication skills training.  She has developed programs for companies in a diverse range of sectors, including banking, television, IT, and education.  Alison has lived in Asia for over 17 years, and is based in Singapore, although she serves clients around the globe.  An experienced improvisational comedian, she combines comic talent with interpersonal skills to guide clients toward more effective and more satisfying levels of engagement. 

Alison has a B.A. in Chinese and French from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana and an M.A. in Chinese studies and economics from the Johns Hopkins School of International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, D.C.  She speaks Mandarin, Japanese and French.

POLLY MCDONALD is an experienced Executive Coach with a background in building high performing multi-cultural teams. Prior to becoming a coach Polly was MD of an award winning television production company. She now works in many different sectors including financial services and engineering as well as in the media.  She coaches at management and Board level and has particular expertise in coaching challenging people or those who want challenge. Her experience of nurturing people, yet delivering to tight deadlines for demanding clients, often in a stressed environment, makes her the ideal coach for those who need to take their teams and business to new levels of achievement.
Polly holds a Diploma in Coaching from OCR and is a qualified Clean Coach.  She is a certified NLP Master Practitioner and Trainer, a Business Mentor for the Prince's Trust and member of the International Coach Federation.

NEIL MCNEIL has trained thousands of people, from junior executives to the Directors and Managing Directors of blue-chip multi-national companies, to present themselves and their organisations effectively, both in internal meetings and to the press, radio and television. Neil also specialises in handling crisis media situations.

His career began as a reporter and producer with the BBC and commercial local radio. Since then he has worked in Saudi Arabia, presenting and producing programmes for both radio and television. In London he presented and produced programmes for LBC Newstalk before moving on to present a holiday programme for satellite television.  His focus is now on training others in presentation and media skills. Neil has a B.Sc.(Hons) in Psychology and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Radio and Television Journalism. More »

NICOLAS MITCHELL has eighteen years experience as a trainer, facilitator, executive coach and Master Practitioner in NLP. He has worked with senior managers and professionals from a diverse range of organisations from the private, public and voluntary sectors. An expert in leadership, change management (both individual and organisational), facilitation and communication, Nic brings a considered, supportive approach to his work, enabling people to achieve their goals.

He is also qualified to use both the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and Extended DISC. He has a BA (hons) in Social Psychology and is a member of both the International Coaching Federation and the British Psychological Society.

AMANDA MURRAY has worked with executive teams in multinational organisations to identify and review top leadership talent and develop a vision, mission and strategic plans. She has assisted intact teams to enhance their business impact.  Amanda has managed large scale global rollouts, incorporating assessment centres and training, as well as the overall logistics for Xerox at three Olympic Games.  Her tenacity and passion for people have guided her executive coaching to CEO’s, Directors and Sales Managers within Fortune 500 companies in Australia, UK, USA and EMEA.

Her areas of specialisation are Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Sales, Presentation Skills, Personal Impact, Influencing and Conflict Management.   Amanda is an exceptional motivator, hosting her own radio show in Australia and the Cisco Systems global sales conference for 2002, 2003.  She was keynote speaker for the 2004 Xerox Olympics Conference.

Amanda has a Masters degree and is a Master Practitioner and Trainer of NLP.  She is a member of the International Coaches Federation and is studying for her Doctorate in Clinical Hypnosis. More »

BERNADETTE O'MAHONY is an executive coach, consultant and trainer with over 15 years’ experience.  She has assisted clients experiencing major change in the financial and professional services arena, facilitated strategy development workshops and designed and run programmes in career development, leadership, management and interpersonal skills.  She has coached entrepreneurs to determine strategic direction and vision for their business, as well as senior managers and directors on personal impact, leadership and business planning.

Bernadette is an innovative and pragmatic coach, combining strong communication skills with commercial acumen.  This enables her to work closely with clients to accurately define their needs and provide solutions that compliment their culture, personal needs and work commitments.

She is a certified NLP coach and Master Practitioner and a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.  She is licensed to run Career Counselling sessions and use several psychometric instruments. More »

JOHN OWENS, previously a Senior Training Manager with HSBC, specialises in design and delivery of Customer Service, Sales, Sales Management and Advanced Level Negotiations Training. John has organised large customer service events, scripted training videos and managed successful training teams.

Throughout his career John has worked with and trained sales teams on business improvement initiatives including relationship management initiatives. He is culturally sensitive having had extensive experience training people in most parts of the world. John has facilitated Client Relationship programmes for corporate bankers in the UK, United States, Hong Kong and Cyprus resulting in an effective strategy for developing key relationships, leading to an increase in more profitable business and a reduction in competitor encroachment.

John has conducted Project Management and Change Management Programmes, working with all levels of management to ensure effective communications and facilitate successful outcomes. More »

SILKE PIPPERT has a broad business and management background in Finance and Human Resources having worked for Coca-Cola Germany over many years.

She is an expert trainer, coach and consultant, both in designing and delivering management initiatives on a national and international basis. Her main areas of expertise are Leadership, Team, Communication, Self-management and Coaching.
She works for a variety of sectors including FMCG, Health Care, and New Technologies.

Valuing diversity and knowing how to get the most out of it is, for Silke, one of the most important success criteria of any organisation. Silke brings energy, empathy and a positive atmosphere to all her training. She believes in interaction and experience sharing as the key to successful learning.

She has a post graduate degree in economics.  She is a certified systemic coach and trainer and has been certified to use international psychometric tests such as the Success Insights. She lives in Germany and conducts workshops throughout Europe in both German and English.

TJALLING SIERSMA is one of Speak First’s trainers for the Netherlands. He has had a diverse career within various international and national Business to Business companies. He has worked as Line Manager and Managing Director in several industries, including export and import companies and temporary employment agencies.

For 12 years he has been working as a Communications Trainer and Personal Coach, with expertise in Personal Development, Spoken Communication, Conflict Resolution, Personal Leadership, Commercial Expertise and Negotiation. In this time he has helped develop individuals, business units and companies to improve their confidence, relationships and output.

He brings insight, pragmatism and inspiration combined with fun and humour to his training sessions and business relationships.

MALCOLM SMITH has a modern and cutting edge knowledge of manufacturing industries, working at Director, Divisional and Board Level for Dow Chemical, Low & Bonar, Courtaulds, Rexam, and Inmos.  He has a proven and demonstrable track record in profit turnaround in medium to large PLCs.  His European experience is extensive, having made acquisitions in Denmark, Germany, France, Holland, Spain and Italy and having managed large and complex multi-national groups.

More recently Malcolm has mentored senior managers on strategy and personal performance, as well as training and coaching in the soft skills of running a business.  He specialises in Presentation Skills, Client Relationships, Negotiation Skills and Influencing at a senior level. Malcolm also manages and speaks at corporate events. More »

ROBERT STEINHOUSE is a coach, consultant and trainer with over ten years’ experience, including three years at senior executive level coaching.  He has coached clients in the financial and professional services arena experiencing major change, and designed and run programmes in career development, leadership, business operations,  management and interpersonal skills; ranging from one-day courses, to a 20-day, five-module NLP Practitioner course in Paris.  Coming from an entrepreneurial background, he has worked with large organisations as well as entrepreneurs and owner-managed businesses to determine their strategic direction and vision for their businesses. He provides coaching to senior managers and directors on personal impact, leadership and business planning.

He is a certified NLP Coach, Master Practitioner and Trainer, and is certified in various other techniques, including Transactional Analysis and Success Factor Modelling. More »

BRIDGET STRONG has worked as a coach, facilitator and trainer with multi-national companies in Europe for 14 years. She specialises in the development of communication skills, personal effectiveness and relationship building for individuals and groups. Bridget has experience of a wide range of sectors including the financial, IT, manufacturing and public sectors. She combines humour with commitment and enthusiasm to create an effective, dynamic and fun-filled learning environment.

Bridget has a degree in psychology, a background in sales and a postgraduate teaching qualification. She is a Master Practitioner of NLP and a certified NLP coach. Consequently she introduces both traditional and state of the art perspectives into her work.  She speaks Spanish, German and French. More »

PAM TREDWIN is a highly experienced training and development professional who specialises in strategic development, change management, management development, leadership, executive coaching and team building. She has many years experience working at executive level with individuals and teams to enable personal and business transformation. Pam has expertise as consultant, trainer, coach, mentor and facilitator and has worked in a range of organisations.

She brings energy, enthusiasm and fun into the learning environment. Pam is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, a Business Practitioner of NLP, and is registered as a qualified user of a number of profiling instruments. She has worked in Europe, Asia Pacific, Canada and Latin America.More »

CLARE WILLIS has immense experience of working with individuals and small groups to improve their business communication skills. She has designed and run courses and seminars for small partnerships and large multi-national companies.

Her specialist areas include Presentation Skills, Personal Impact and Effective Meetings. She has effectively encouraged partners, executives and managers prepare for presentations, key-note speeches, conferences and sales pitches, and has particular experience in working with teams on competitive tenders. Her work with teams has substantially improved their success rate in winning pitches. Clare has a BA Hons from London University in German with Swedish and her early background was in publishing. More »

ANN YOUNGS works across many sectors, including financial services, IT, insurance, defence and publishing in the UK, Europe, Asia and USA.  She held senior management posts in Nelson UK and was Director of the corporate university of Thomson Corporation, responsible for Europe and Asia.

Her expertise includes developing leadership competencies and personal effectiveness in individuals, working with leaders to help them facilitate change effectively and helping intact teams develop to their optimum. It is her firm belief that people can only be truly effective when they understand themselves and their impact on others; this philosophy underpins the work she does.

Her programmes are highly interactive and practical and her support of delegates often extends beyond the classroom. Ann has a Bachelor’s degree and a Diploma in Education. More »

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