Supporting the growth of organisations, teams and individuals.
Holding human compassion at the heart of all we do. Coaching
Meet the Management Team
Our core values
There are 9 members of the Fields of Learning team. Click on a photo or name below to find out more:
John Fairbrass
Managing Director
I spent more than 30 years in the Royal Navy and telecommunications industry.
As Services Business Director for Nokia in the UK, I successfully delivered some of the biggest,
time critical, mobile telecommunication programmes in Western Europe. I am a professional
Mountain Leader, a graduate of Senior Executive Leadership Programmes from London Business School
and London School of Economics and was on the staff at the UK Joint Services Command and Staff College.
I am also a qualified Executive Coach, a Systemic Team Coach and a Prince2 Practitioner.
Background
At heart, I am a Programme Manager who relishes delivering successful programmes, that not only exceed budget, quality and time requirements, but also ‘grow’ the individual and harnesses the ‘collective brilliance’ of the wider team. I am also an executive and board-level coach, focusing on individual and team development. I support leaders to develop their skills and their teams to drive transformation and enhance business performance. My particular area of interest is in building resilience; understanding how to maintain self and team performance in an often complex, ambiguous and matrix environment with unaligned objectives and confusing priorities. I have a wealth of experience, and mentor leaders who operate in complex environments and need to ensure solid commercial profitability whilst maintaining positive stakeholder and board level engagement.
Qualifications
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Chartered Engineer
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Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)
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PRINCE2 Practitioner
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ILM Level 7 – Executive Coaching and Mentoring
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Member of Association of Coaching
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Certified Systemic Team Coach with the Academy of Executive Coaching
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Total Strengths Deployment Inventory (SDI) Practitioner
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Professional Mountain Leader (ML)
My Experience
Programme Management
A Prince2 qualified Project Manager, John has successfully managed some of the most complex and time critical programmes across Europe, including :-
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18 month refit of a major warship – involving the coordination of over 1400 distinct work packages with critical time, infrastructure and resource dependencies
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2-year UK wide 3G Telecommunications swap out for two leading UK operators – meeting all budget, quality and time requirements.
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Delivery of 3 x 9-month Achieving Leadership Excellence programmes for NCIA – involving modules in The Hague, Brussels, Arnhem and the Pyrenees
Coaching
I believe coaching to be the most effective style of leadership and have coached successfully throughout my 30-year career in business, the military and the mountains. I create a trusting and honest relationship in which we can explore motivations, values and desired outcomes. I have recently coached ;
• a newly promoted Operations Director for a major telco who was looking to create impact from Day 1 and form a new team around him,
• a female NHS Director who was launching a Trust wide transformation programme and wanted to ensure she got the buy in and commitment from colleagues, board and staff.
Team Development
As a team coach, I first try to understand the underlying team dynamics, including interpersonal relationships, the level of trust and openness between the team members and the level of commitment to team success. Even well integrated teams need to function cohesively, I use a systemic approach to analyse the level of team cohesion, their understanding of team and corporate objectives, the clarity of internal processes and the quality of internal and external communication. Like finely tuned race engines, all teams need a regular service and maintenance – I put in place a mechanism for self-review, so that teams can regularly check on their own cohesion, functioning and effectiveness and make adjustments and improvements as necessary.
Jacqui Fairbrass
Product Portfolio Director
I am a leadership coach, facilitator and trainer who helps leaders and their teams think differently.
I support leaders to develop skills to engage and align people around them to drive business performance.
Background
As an education officer in the British Army for 18 years before becoming a coach, I worked with soldiers
and officers in a variety of leadership roles as well as working in multi-national operational environments
and high-profile staff officer roles in the Ministry of Defence. Outside work I bring my desire to empower
girls and young women to develop their confidence, adventurous spirit and full potential by volunteering with Girlguiding and am the District Commissioner for the guiding units in my community.
Style
I bring warmth, vitality and attentiveness to all my clients helping them develop the knowledge, capabilities and mindsets to embrace and sustain positive change. My approach is supportive, challenging and intuitive. I help leaders create personal objectives and recognise the importance of authenticity, accountability and adaptability. I like to use creativity and the outdoors in my coaching and training to help create perspective, resilience and connection and I use approaches from NLP, behavioural psychology, neuroscience and a range of leadership tools.
Qualifications
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Master Executive Coach with the Association of Coaching
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Certified Systemic Team Coach with the Academy of Executive Coaching
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NLP Practitioner
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Certified Transactional Analysis 101 practitioner
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Accredited MBTI Step I and Step II practitioner
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Total Strengths Deployment Inventory (SDI) and SDI 2.0 (Core Strengths through Relationships) master practitioner and trainer to trainers.
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MBA (Defence Administration) and MA Defence Studies
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Graduate of the Joint Services Command and Staff College
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Bachelor of Education
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Member of the Chartered Management Institute, the Association of Coaching and the European Mentoring and Coaching Council
My Experience
Leadership Development
I have designed, delivered and coached on a series of bespoke 9-month leadership development & coaching programmes for a NATO agency giving leaders personal awareness, interpersonal skills, tools, practice and confidence to sustain positive change in their leadership behaviours. I designed a cultural change programme for 120 leaders and ‘change champions’ within a global IT organisation to encourage commitment and engagement to business transformation.
My roots in Army education have focused on leadership development throughout my career, whether designing and delivering training for leaders’ promotion programmes (including accreditation with CMI and ILM from QCF Levels 2 to 7 for the 3 branches of the Armed Forces), practical resilience and confidence development for leaders of all levels or mentor and coaching support for individuals.
Coaching
I have 1000+ coaching hours and coach leaders across various levels. Leaders I have worked with:
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want to become more effective leading high performing teams and organisations and be able to provide greater inspiration and motivation to their people
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want to be able to manage poor performance
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are dealing with pressure and complexity at work and are finding that this is having an impact on their wider life
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wish to create the most effective start to the new role they have just stepped into
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feel that they are ready to take the next step to advance their career
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have always been successful but some reason now feel blocked
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want to increase their presence and impact and raise their profile in the organisation
Outside the leadership world I also provide, return to work coaching, career change and career start coaching for individuals, graduates and school leavers.
Team Development
I have coached a range of functional teams using a systemic team coaching approach that help teams explore issues through a series of lenses: self, team, organisation and the wider world. Recent examples include:
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A Financial Director with her two branch chiefs over a four-month period who were struggling with an issue of trust and differences in leadership styles.
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A new HR director and his senior management team of 6 to unravel a confusion of roles, responsibilities, tasking mechanisms and interpersonal friction.
I have run many team development and team building programmes to help teams to build trust, connection and values alignment, and to help teams to transition through wider cultural change initiatives. Both independently and as part of wider development programmes, I have run dynamic and mentally and physically challenging outdoor coaching programmes with teams in forests and mountains including programmes in the Pyrenees.
Kim Foster
People Director
I am an experienced coach and trainer with an extensive background running management
and leadership programmes. I work with leadership teams within organisations to develop
their mindset and capability, before working to develop the culture across the organisation.
I am passionate about new and innovative ways of working, always pushing for results and ROI.
Background
I started out in retail working my way up through the “HR” ranks, specialising in talent, development and engagement. In 2016 I transitioned across in to consulting where most recently I was People and Change Director. Having worked across many organisations in a number of sectors, and with a vast range of leaders with different goals, behaviours and ways of working, I believe that people and their engagement is fundamental to the success of any organisation.
Style
I am told I have a warm and approachable style, bringing energy, experience and commitment to any projects I undertake. I pride myself on high quality, thought provoking and credible delivery, creating an environment where challenge and support are equally balanced. As someone who works and interacts with a variety of people, I know the importance of communication, collaboration and engagement in the workplace and I enable others to be their best and recognise the power of a people focused culture.
Qualifications
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Post graduate certificate in Business & Personal coaching
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ICF associate coach
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Accredited Core Strengths Practitioner (SDI)
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Voiceprint accredited practitioner
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Member of National Council of Psychotherapists
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Postgraduate diploma in HR Management
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Member of Chartered institute of personnel and development
My Experience
Leadership Development
Throughout my career I have designed and delivered many leadership and management development programmes. Most recent examples include:-
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Worked in partnership with the talent team at CA technology to roll out a development programme to their high potential EMEA sales leaders. This was 6 training modules delivered over 10 months supported by team and individual coaching, online content and networking groups and received exceptional feedback.
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Ran a year long programme for the UK&I SAS Executive team, including 4 development modules, team and 121 coaching. This then developed into further 2 day modules for the rest of the organization running on an ongoing basis covering topics such as resilience, high performance mindset and coaching.
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Delivered a management development programme for Avalon Media, running ongoing cycles throughout the year for their middle and senior managers. This was 4 modules covering management fundamentals.
Coaching
I am an experienced coach who is passionate about behavioural change and achieving outcomes. I work with individuals to reach their full potential, helping them to look at challenges from a different angle, explore all opportunities and provoke fresh thinking and insight. Recent individuals I have worked with are: -
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Head of Finance within the NHS, helping them to improve their management style and impact within the organisation.
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CEO of a consulting organisation, working with them to manage their transition into the role and be the best they can be.
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Vice president of a technology company to develop communication style, impact and influence.
Team Development
I have a passion for developing and delivering team days that really make a difference, scoping requirements through 121 interviews, designing the day and coaching the team throughout a facilitated workshop. Recent examples include: -
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Organisation Design focussed sessions at Glen Dimplex, helping them to strategically work through a new organisational structure.
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Work with the Lofbergs Management and Sales teams to enable better communications and ways of working.
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Facilitation and team coaching with the TUI Crystal Ski EMEA leadership team to help them improve team impact and collaboration.
Sue Macmillan
Director of Coaching and Coach Training
I am a narrative coach, facilitator and trainer who specialises in using neuroscience to help
leaders better understand themselves and others. Enabling improved communication and
behavioural change to enhance their own performance and that of the teams they lead.
Background
As a senior physiotherapist in the NHS for 20 years I developed my own communication skills
in terms of the numbers of different people I saw from a multitude of backgrounds and cultures. I experienced first-hand how connected the mind and body are in illness and this has informed my multidisciplinary approach to personal development. My strong belief in individual equality was given more intellectual rigour when I undertook a Human Rights Masters in 2005. As a product of that degree course I was involved for over 10 years with an arts charity in Bosnia, making numerous trips to work using music and drama with young people from Serb and Muslim communities in Republica Serbska where the tensions of the Bosnian conflict of the 1990’s are still strongly felt. This developed my interest in connecting science with the arts, moving towards more creative and holistic models for inclusion. Outside of work I trained as an actress and storyteller and hold an equity card for performance. Some of the elements of performance helped me gain the ability to step into another’s shoes, as well as work with individual leaders on confidence and impact.
Style
I bring open connection, humour and attentive energy to all my clients, helping them develop their own self-awareness and motivation to embrace change in order to improve and develop their effectiveness as leaders. My approach is to listen to their personal and career narratives with empathy; to help them develop objectives and outcomes and to empathetically challenge with questions that help clients gather new perspectives and the ability to adapt their styles in order to improve their performance. I seek to draw out today’s key leadership skills of authenticity, compassion and adaptability.
Qualifications
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Master Executive Coach with the Association of Coaching
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Certified Narrative Therapist – level 2
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NLP Practitioner
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Accredited Advanced VoicePrint Practitioner
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Accredited Core Strengths Practitioner (SDI)
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Masters in Understanding and Securing Human Rights, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, SAS London University
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Diploma in Acting at Hertfordshire Drama School – Actors Equity Association
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Qualified Physiotherapist MCSP SRP
My Experience
Leadership Development
I have designed and delivered a range of 6 month leadership programmes for Senior Management Teams in public sector organisations over the last 5 years. In 2019 I led a programme with the Islamic World Bank equivalent in Saudi Arabia supported by a 12 month coaching package for their high potential leaders which continues into this year. In the private sector last year I ran the ‘Infinitus’ programme to European high potential leaders for a large tech organization. I have a special interest in women’s leadership and have designed and delivered programmes in Europe and SE Asia for female leaders and most recently I was excited to work with the Met Police on a large new initiative to support young female leaders through their maternity experience.
Coaching
I have over 400 coaching hours and coach leaders across various levels. Leaders I have worked with:
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Want to bring their authentic self to the office - home and work
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Want to be able to talk about themselves and their families
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Are struggling with their self-belief
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Want to be able to manage more effectively in a VUCA world
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Want to make a better impact on those around them and their organisation.
I am the Course Director for Fields of Learning's accredited 6-month Coaching Mastery Programme which works with leaders to develop their coaching skills and their leadership style. Delegates must write case studies, reflective learning logs and take part in supervision. The skills gained are invaluable in their lives and careers.
Team Development
I have coached teams using a systemic team coaching approach – ensuring a robust diagnostic process from which key themes arise in order to work on the specific and targeted needs of the team.
Recent examples include:
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I am currently supporting a range of NHS teams to deliver solutions that are bespoke to the needs of their team and their workplace challenges.
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A CEO and his SMT who had significant issues of trust resulting in unhelpful team dynamics. We worked on the basics of what trust really looked like and from that how to challenge and hold team members to account in a safe way that encouraged commitment and a focus on results.
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As part of wider leadership development programmes, I have supported the learning that can be achieved from mentally and physically challenging outdoor coaching programmes with NATO teams in the outdoors in the Pyrenees for the last 3 years.
James Macmillan
Sales and Marketing Director
I have over thirty years of business experience, the last twelve of which have been spent working
directly as a coach. I was a senior portfolio manager with the largest global asset management
firm, leading teams and interacting daily with the top management teams of global listed businesses.
Background
I have over 600 hours of coaching experience predominantly at executive level, working on a 1:1 basis and enjoy bringing challenge and new insights to a variety of clients. I have a particular fascination with language, as it can often reveal hidden meaning below the surface structure. I have significant third sector experience as NED and COO over the last 12 years.
Qualifications
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Member of the Association for Coaching
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Accredited Master Coach
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Accredited MBTI Step I & II facilitator
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Accredited Core Strengths Practitioner (SDI)
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Advanced VoicePrint Practitioner
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NLP Practitioner
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MA in Modern Languages (Trinity, Cambridge)
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Member of the CFA Institute
My Experience
Coaching
I have over10 years coaching experience at executive and C-Suite level. The majority of my work has been 1:1 while I have done some group MBTI and SDI feedback sessions. My approach is pragmatic, combining the experience I gained as a portfolio manager with tried and tested coaching strategies using a variety of models. These are designed to place the emphasis squarely on the individual being coached, focusing on the outcomes to be achieved. I typically start my engagements with an MBTI Step II assessment or a VoicePrint questionnaire which we will refer back to regularly during the course of the coaching. Clients include a wide range of multinational and national corporations, charities and global consulting firms.
Claire Thorpe
Operations Manager
Background
I am a professional HR consultant and coach with more than 20 years’ experience working on all things people through partnering with senior leadership teams in large and complex multi-national organisations across many sectors including, Retail, Banking, Financial Services, Construction, Automotive and latterly Healthcare. I have expertise in organisational design and development, including transformation and change management, leadership development, coaching and facilitation, engagement and culture building, people strategy development and employee relations. I am a member of the Association for Coaching and Chartered Institute of Personnel Development and am passionate about developing cultures of trust, where colleagues feel proud to be themselves, are engaged and valued and perform at their best.
Qualifications
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Diploma in Coaching, Fields of Learning
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Member of the Association for Coaching
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Member of the CIPD
My Experience
Coaching
I have recently qualified as a coach having been a delegate on the FOL Coaching Mastery programme graduating in the summer of 2023.
Amy Havenden
Client Relationship Manager
I am a personal and professional development coach, facilitator and trainer passionate about
enabling people to reach their potential. I help those I work with to develop self-awareness and
insight to fully understand how to harness what works for them and how to change what isn’t working.
I specialise in supporting individuals and teams to meet the demands of their roles in ever changing and advancing environments.
Background
My career started in the voluntary sector, here I was involved in the development and delivery of a number of projects aimed at improving the experience of those living and working rural communities. One of my roles in this early part of my career was to co-ordinate patient and public involvement in health forums and it was this experience that sparked an ambition to move into healthcare leadership and management. The time I had working in operational management in healthcare allowed me to develop the skills necessary to deliver high quality services within very busy and pressured environments. Overwhelming during this time what I learnt and enjoyed the most was the opportunities to develop others which is why I now find myself working as a facilitator, trainer and coach.
Qualifications
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MSc in Leadership & Management in Healthcare
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BSc (Hons) in Psychology
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Diploma in Coaching accredited by the Association for Coaching
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Accredited Core Strengths Practitioner (SDI)
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Motivational Maps Business Practitioner
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NLP Practitioner
My Experience
Facilitation
I have designed, delivered and evaluated a number of team development programmes. These have taken the form of both planned activity over a specified period of time and activity that has evolved as teams have developed, changed and grown. I have a number of core clients that I regularly work with and have formed long standing supportive relationships with them.
My work with teams is based on the needs they and I identify and often includes:
- Enabling people to get to know each other and appreciate each other’s strengths and value
- Building trust and a sense of unity
- Generating useful insight into the dynamics that exist in teams
- Facilitating a productive approach to addressing friction and conflict
- Ensuring teams identify their vision and goals and commit to actions
- Coaching teams to harness their recourses and develop solutions
- Sharing and teaching evidence based methodology
- One to one support for team leaders
Coaching
I have utilised team coaching in many of the team development activities I have delivered and coach team leaders to harness their insight and improve performance. Team coaching outcomes have resulted in:
- Better working relationships
- Agreement on purpose, values and objectives
- Assessment and knowledge of team dynamics and how this information can be applied
- Identification of strengths and work opportunities being aligned to strengths
- An acceptance of differences and the value that variety brings to a team
- Implementing an approach to address friction and conflict
- Commitment and achievement of objectives
- One to one support for leaders
I have also coached individuals through self or organisational referral and as part of wider management development programmes.
Rebecca Naegeli
Finance Manager
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Background
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I bring a wealth of professional experience to my role, having been an integral part of Trafalgar Personal Development since 2013, and subsequently expanding my impact with Fields of Learning since 2020. With a proven track record in ensuring the seamless operational execution of management and coach training programs, I have cultivated strong support values that resonate with a diverse clientele, including prominent entities such as NATO, NCIA, and various NHS Trusts.
My adept ability to establish meaningful connections has not only fostered a harmonious work environment but has also translated into a balanced support system for both team members and clients alike. My commitment to excellence is evident in meticulous attention to detail, ensuring the delivery of high-quality services. Collaborating with the TPD & FOL teams, I play a pivotal role in upholding the highest standards in programme delivery and team development.
In addition to my pivotal support role, I leverage my extensive financial background to serve as the Finance Manager for both organisations. My proficiency in financial management and strategic oversight contributes to the overall success of Trafalgar Personal Development and Fields of Learning, with plans to further enhance my role as the new company advances.
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Residing in Cambridgeshire, I am a dedicated professional with a passion for personal development. Beyond my work commitments, I enjoy an array of interests, including cooking, reading, exploring history, walking, travelling, and immersing myself in diverse cultures.
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Qualifications
1992 SFA Foundation Certificate
1997 International House London Certificate in Business German
2006 NVQ in Health & Social Care
2020 Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Course (MBSR)
2021 Becoming An Even Better You (BAeBY) course
2021 SDI Certification
2022 AAT Accountancy qualifications
Various courses completed whilst raising a family in relation to community volunteering with young people.
My Experience
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My professional journey began in banking, starting on the high street with Barclays Bank and progressing to more challenging roles in London, including Swiss Bank Corporation (now UBS). My expertise in Interest Rate Derivatives, spanning both back and front office responsibilities, showcased my versatility. Transitioning to the Credit Department, I broadened my skill set before spearheading a temporary project in Jersey, resolving initial setup issues within Operations & Payments.
Returning to London, I continued to make significant contributions, working for Deutsche Bank in a support role for the Equity Derivatives Team. My professional trajectory reflects my resilience and adaptability in diverse financial environments before I took a career break to focus on raising a family.
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Michelle Bayliss
Administration Manager
About Me
My career has been in Purchasing and Procurement teams where I’ve spent most of my career as a
Buyer in the Automotive industry procuring a range of commodities including Professional Services,
Training providers, Event Services and Office supplies.
In 2021 I completed my diploma in Reflexology, I’m passionate about using holistic therapy as a tool to calm the mind and body in today’s world which fits with my own values of being there to help others.
My role at Fields of Learning and Trafalgar PD is to support the management team and our associates to deliver all the resources needed in the work we do with our clients.
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