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Our Team

Mark Evenden -
Managing Director

Mark is the Managing Director of the business and has considerable experience of maximising individual, team and business performance. He has worked with a wide range of organisations in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, has worked internationally for businesses such as Lenzing, Novartis and Cable & Wireless, and has personally helped to develop over 500 managers.

Prior to working for Developing People, Mark was Operations Director with both Ladybird Books and with the global chemicals company Johnson Matthey PLC, where he was responsible for manufacturing, logistics and customer services. Mark also spent 6 years consulting with Coopers & Lybrand, supporting FTSE 200 companies to improve their performance and profitability.

Mark does not preach, lecture or prescribe the answers to his clients. He works in partnership with them to provide the solutions they need. Ultimately he wants to make a difference to his clients in a demonstrable and measurable way.


Dave Marchant -
Director

Dave founded Developing People in 1993, following a successful Commercial Management, HR and Training Management career with organisations such as IBM, Mars, WH Smith, Dunlop and Radio Rentals. He then went on secondment from IBM to WH Smiths to take on the role of Group Training Manager, where he acquired a new range of skills based around facilitation, change agency, cultural awareness and most significantly 1 to 1 coaching.

These new skills, experiences and approaches gave him the confidence to set up DPL, offering a range of HR, Learning and Development, Organisational Development and Coaching services to clients. Some of these clients came from his previous links with organisations like IBM and WH Smith, but most of these clients have been newly acquired.

The work is fascinating, varied and enjoyable, and adds value to the organisations of our clients. Some of our clients have been using our services for more than ten years!

Dave is a devoted family man, married to Frances and being guided by their three children for over 30 years! He is a keen sportsman, works hard at keeping work and home life in balance, and feels that coaching people and facilitating teams to solve real work issues to maximise their satisfaction and performance is his raison d'etre.


Alex Phillips -
Trainer and Consultant

Alex walks her talk. As a skipper in the 2000 BT Global Challenge, known as "The World's Toughtest Yacht Race", she developed a group of amateurs into a high-performing team and led them to victory against the odds through some of the harshest conditions on the planet. Her extensive ability and experience gained by working with amateur teams throughout her seventeen years at sea has been readily transferred into the business world.

Since moving into training and development in 2003, Alex has worked with a wide range of clients in both private and public sectors. She specialises in the design and delivery of training, facilitation, one-to-one coaching, and has worked with individuals and teams up to Director level. Her main areas of focus are leadership and management, team development, interpersonal and communication skills including presentations, influence and negotiation, coaching and personal development.

Her relaxed, flexible yet focused approach enables her clients to translate the lessons learned in the safe and supported environment of the training room to practical application in their working lives. She brings models and theories to life using real-life examples and stories from her own personal experience.

Alex is a sought-after motivational speaker and presenter, enthralling audiences with her experiences and the lessons she learned leading her teams around the world.


David Skipsey -
Trainer and Consultant

David is a training and development specialist with 16 years of experience in delivering training, coaching, mentoring and consultancy work to a wide range of clients across the public, private and charity sectors. Much of his work has been in relation to strategy and change as well as leadership, management and business skills development.

David has worked at all levels of large organisations from shop floor operators through to executive top teams. He has also worked closely with owners and managers of a range of smaller organisations.

David has a large presence, and is noted for his infectious enthusiasm which he brings to his training and events. His practical and participative style encourages the application of learning back into the workplace.

Prior to his work with Developing People, David was Managing Director of a national training consultancy. Prior to his career in consultancy, he held financial, commercial and marketing managerial positions at Babcock and GEC Companies in the North East of England.


Margit Jones-Hochstrasser -
Trainer and Consultant

Margit is a qualified Performance and Results Coach who engages predominantly with leaders of international organisations, teams and businesses - especially female executives - to develop and maximise their impact in a natural, effective way, resulting in high performance, sustainable motivation and innovation. She has worked with large financial organisations (such as AXA Sun Life International, Threadneedle Investments, etc), academia (Birkeck College London), the private sector (SMEs) and the leisure industry as well as international manufacturing sector companies like Lenzing AG.

A native Austrian and bi-lingual in German and English, Margit has lived, travelled and worked in Europe, the UK and the USA. Margit operates a dynamic, intuitive, considerate coaching style that is underpinned with strong relationship, transition and project management skills. She has experience in leading large teams to deliver improved service, performance and transformational change as well as cultural change.

Margit's skills, experience and training have given her a solid foundation and inspiration to do what she loves most - developing partnerships in organisations and with their people, realising their full potential, increasing performance, and implementing lasting, positive change.


Stuart Graham -
Trainer and Consultant

Stuart specialises in developing communication skills within teams and individuals, in particular helping organisations to develop a "service culture". For over 20 years, he has designed and delivered service development programmes involving writing service strategies, setting service standards (measuring them using mystery shoppers) and training managers and frontline staff in service handling skills and techniques.

He has a reputation for "making a difference" in any situation where people have to interact and build rapport with others - either on a one to one basis or influencing in a group presentation.

Stuart has an impressive client list within the service sector, including amongst others the National Trust, the British Museum and the Royal Albert Hall. He has delivered programmes as far afield as the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar. Previously Stuart has worked for National Garden Festivals, The Mersey Ferries, and management consultancies L&R Leisure and Scher International.

His programmes are fun, involving and practical.


Claire Williams -
Trainer and Consultant

Claire has worked predominantly for large organisations but also has experience of delivering HR services to smaller autonomous organisations such as SMEs and charities. For the past 7 years, Claire has worked as an HR Consultant. Her experience is broad and includes development and implementation of HR strategy, HR performance and quality management. Having had functional responsibility for recruitment and selection, assessment, appraisal, employee relations, management development and training, equlaity and diversity, pay and change management, Claire has significant experience from which to draw her consultancy.

Claire's approach to HR issues is practical and business focused, based on excellent technical experience and top flight interpersonal skills. She is known for delivering business results quickly whilst managing complex and difficult HR issues with professionalism and sensitivity.


JJ Lynch -
Trainer and Consultant

JJ Lynch specialises in motivational leadership, people development and organisational change. His focus is to devise, deliver and facilitate leadership training programmes, leadership workshops and keynote leadership talks. JJ has wide experience as a Leadership Consultant, delivering leadership and business skills training to businesses and organisations of all sizes across Ireland and the UK. He has a particular expertise in the area of personal skills training.

JJ gained his MSc in Leadership and Management in 1997. He has been widely involved as an Assessor in the appointments process for senior leaders in the public sector and has extensive experience of working in assessment centres. He is currently writing a book called The Difference Between Winning and Losing, and is presently in negotiation with a major UK publisher.

As a senior consultant, JJ has been delivering training programmes for the past 15 years to a wide cross-section of businesses and organisations, ranging from start-ups to family businesses to multinational organisations. The training programmes delivered by JJ have ranged from half-day workshops to year-long programmes to audiences as small as 5 and as large as 300.


Di Taylor -
Trainer and Consultant

Di is an experienced HR professional. She served as Chair of the local branch of CIPD and has achieved Chartered Fellow status. She also holds a recognised Coaching certificate.

She has worked with public sector, private sector and voluntary organisations, gaining considerable experience of enhancing communication throughout organisations, especially at times of change. This is particularly useful when a takeover or redundancy situation is envisaged.

Di has worked independently for 10 years, dealing with a wide range of HR related circumstances. Prior to this, she led one of the largest TUPE transfers on the south coast, and was instrumental in establishing a not-for-profit Housing Association. She has also managed her own entertainment agency and staff bureau.

Di aims to work with the culture of the business, speaking in a language devoid of jargon, clarifying required outcomes and timescales throughout.


Graham Terry -
Trainer and Consultant

Graham is an adaptable and accomplished trainer with strong communication and training skills. He is experienced in delivering and developing bespoke training programmes using facilitative learning, mentoring, coaching and debriefing competencies. His enthusiastic approach is based on the premise that the customer knows best, and he helps them explore ways that their learning can be practically applied to their workplace, and to their own particular style. His portfolio of clients includes the public and private sector, both nationally and internationally.

As a senior manager, Graham was responsible for the leadership training and personal development of newly recruited managers. The worldwide reputation of Royal Air Force College Cranwell, where he designed, delivered and managed the teambuilding and leadership programmes, underpins his pedigree as a learning and development specialist.

Graham's key talents lie in helping individuals and groups to reach their full potential. He is able to listen and adapt to each individual's needs, and above all, he keeps training enjoyable.


Diana Clarke -
Trainer and Consultant

Diana has over 25 years of experience in executive development in Spain, as HR and Communications Manager for a multinational company in Madrid, for an HR consulting firm, as a partner of a training company, and more recently as the founding partner of Managers Studio (2005), a consulting and training firm focused on developing learning solutions for organisations.

Diana is a graduate of London University, and is a certified practitioner in NLP applied to coaching and training.

Diana gives workshops and conferences on diversity and multi-cultural teams, on leadership and change, and she lectures in several universities and business schools on the subject of leadership and organisational behaviour.

She is the author of the Spanish-published book "La Nevera Vacia" - Gestion de Personas en Tiempos de Incertidumbre ("The Empty Fridge" - Leading People in Uncertain Times).


Karen Williams -
Trainer and Consultant

Karen has extensive experience of working in Human Resources Management and Training over the last 15 years. She has worked for a range of organisations in both the private and public sectors, including the Marriott Group, NTL, Fleet Support Ltd and Chichester College.

As well as being a Chartered Member of the CIPD and a Member of the Association for Coaching, Karen is a qualified Personal Performance Coach and NLP Master Practitioner. She works with both individuals and teams to help them to reach their full potential. She specialises in career development to enable her clients to have confidence in their own abilities.

Karen takes a coaching approach with her clients, and works in partnership with them to help them to discover their own solutions and achieve the results they desire. Her experience and qualifications allow her to balance coaching with business expertise.


Lucy Cadman -
PA / Office Manager / Online Marketing

Lucy began her career at Developing People as PA to Mark Evenden, and by ensuring the smooth running of the Staffordshire office. Her role has since grown to encompass all elements of Online Marketing for the business, and she is responsible for the company website, and for all the Social Media presence for the business.

Prior to working at Developing People, Lucy had a varied career which included a range of PA, administrative and secretarial roles, primarily in the legal sector. She also has an amount of business experience, having started up and developed two highly successful businesses as a Sole Trader.

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