Training Consultants

Ahmed is a dedicated oil and gas consultant and trainer with passion for lecturing and course development. He has a BSc degree in Petroleum Engineering from Suez University as well as an MSc degree in Petroleum Geoscience from the University of Manchester. He also completed an Engineering Management diploma at City University London.
Through his engineering, geoscience and management backgrounds, Ahmed has developed a unique insight into the oil and gas industry covering all sectors from upstream to downstream. He has worked with major companies leading teams of geologists, geophysicists and petroleum engineers in multi-disciplinary oil and gas projects in the Middle-East and the North Sea. He is very familiar with large-scale projects, from investment appraisal and risk analysis through to project planning and execution. He also has valuable field and hands-on experience in a variety of roles in both onshore and offshore oil and gas fields.

Andree is a highly experienced, professional Coach, Learning & Development, and HR specialist with over 25 years in this field, and has worked throughout her career within fast-moving blue chip organisations. Over the past 14 years she has worked as a Freelance Coach and Learning & Development Consultant within a variety of organisations across all sectors. She has designed and delivered a wide variety of Coaching & Leadership & Management programmes with the aim to provide individuals with a suite of soft skills to aid the development of behavioural change. These new skills enable individuals to be more effective in building sustainable relationships and delivering results in line with organisational and/or personal objectives. Andree’s delivery style is engaging, interactive and fun. She delivers training and coaching interventions that complement one another and believes experiential learning is the key to success.

Ankia has considerable HR experience, predominantly in the Financial Services industry having worked for and with global and multinational companies including FTSE-100 firms. She holds a Hons BComm degree in Industrial Psychology as well as an MBA where her dissertation focused on Change Management and management perception of HR.

Ben is a Lecturer at Kingston University and a Visiting Professor at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy. He was awarded ‘Lecturer of the Year’ in 2013-14 and 2014-15. Prior to moving into the academic sector he delivered consultancy to more than 100 service organisations using Lean, Six Sigma, and TQM methodologies. He has since written a number of academic papers which have been presented at global management conferences, and published research findings in national broadsheets including The Times, The Independent and The Telegraph. He has engaged a number of high-performing organisations including Apple and NASA, and continues to deliver a range of executive education programmes around the world.

Bill is an independent business consultant and lawyer. He started his career working as a barrister in private practice in London, having been called to the Bar of England & Wales. Bill has a law degree from the University of Bristol and a Master of Science degree in Business Management from the Cass Business School, London. Bill is also a highly experienced training facilitator who frequently runs capacity building courses in the UK or abroad for public servants from developing countries on law, governance, contracts, procurement, business strategy and general management topics. Bill was for many years a senior manager with British Telecommunications plc (BT), the UK’s major telecommunications provider, where he worked with corporate and government bodies. After leaving BT Bill founded, led and managed the SPARKS Programme, a lobbying project on behalf of London’s local authorities. SPARKS was involved in developing the legal framework of cross-border law enforcement. Bill is also co-owner of the PEP Partnership LLP, a business consultancy.

Christian delivers training for blue chip investment and commercial banks across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East – ranging from specific one-off courses to complex programmes designed to fit corporate strategic objectives. Before beginning his training career, Christian worked as an investment banker and financial engineer in London and Hong Kong. His main responsibilities were to structure and sell new financial products to clients on both the issuer and the buy side. Christian has an MBA from INSEAD, France and a BA and a M.Sc. (Econ.) from Copenhagen Business School, Denmark. He speaks fluent English, Italian and Danish and takes in-class questions in French and German.

With 15 years experience in digital marketing, Danny is one of the UK’s top lead-generation experts, helping companies generate new business through their social media activity. He has a particular interest in B2B and in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, although he has worked with many other sectors too. As well as regularly delivering training courses, Danny is a sought-after speaker who regularly addresses conferences on how social media can be used for client acquisition. He has published widely on social media strategy, including The Social Media Marketing Strategy Guide, The Influencer Outreach Guide – How to convert brand influencers into brand advocates, The Youtube Marketing Guide, The Smarter LinkedIn Marketing Guide and The Managing Social Media Marketing Guide.

Darren Leiser is a freelance lecturer specialising in Financing, Budgeting and Management seminars. This includes Financial Reporting, Budgeting, Auditing, Quantitative Methods, Corporate Governance, Costing and Effective Management processes. Darren holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Mathematics from Leicester University in the UK. He is a Fellow of The Chartered Association of Certified Accountants and a member of the Pensions Research Accountants Group. A particular strength of Darren’s approach is the practical and pro-active advice that he gives. Students and busy accountants or managers do not normally want chapter and verse of new legislation and standards, rather practical and straight-forward advice on how to deal with the issues raised in the most efficient way.

David is an experienced management trainer and organisational development consultant. A motivated professional with over 18 years hand-on working experience of the private, public and voluntary sectors in the UK economy and globally. David works with and support diverse businesses and organisations including statutory bodies and government agencies in making informed decisions on the options open to them in managing the processes involved in reviewing, developing and implementing existing and desired training and development initiatives. David’s sectoral experience is coupled with the ability to work with young people and adults in formal and informal settings as a management trainer, coach and facilitator. He is a trained diversity trainer committed to the principles and practices of equal opportunities and inclusion in any organisational set up, therefore he is able to work effectively with people from diverse socio-economic, education, cultural and racial backgrounds.

Professor Ioannidis is a Governance, Risk, Compliance and Legal expert with over 23 years of experience in Financial Regulation, Trade Finance, Private Banking and Asset Management. His specialisms include Economic Crime, FCC, AML, TBML, Auditing, CTF, and AB&C. He is a former Senior Counsel and a Member of the Criminal Bar Association of England & Wales. He has held high-level appointments including Specialist Adviser to an Egmont Group Financial Intelligence Unit and has held Senior Management positions for US and EU law firms, financial institutions, and defence procurement companies. He holds a Doctorate from the SAS/IALS, University of London, a LLM in International & Maritime Law (UH); a MSc in IR, LSE, a BA in IR (USIU); a CEE from Harvard University, JFK School of Government and 55 Professional Certifications. He has authored legal textbooks and has produced consultatory opinions for international institutions.

Geoff’s career has spanned accountancy, working as part of the executive in the London Stock Exchange’s derivatives market and as the Director of Financial training for a specialist international development organisation. He is now an independent consultant. With more than 20 years’ experience of training in the UK and in many countries throughout Africa, The Middle East, the Former Soviet Union, Asia and the Caribbean, Geoff brings a wealth of multi-cultural experience to his training which is always lively, creative and participative. The portfolio of subjects that he trains ranges from all aspects of pensions in developing and reforming economies, capital markets, corporate governance in both the public and private sectors and leadership and marketing skills. He is an inspirational trainer with strong interpersonal skills which enable him to facilitate at all levels of in public and private sector organisations. He is an Associate of the CIPD.

Gerald McGregor is a Combined Honours Graduate in Government and Geography, Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Applied Psychologist, and qualified Personal Appraiser. His commercial career includes consultancy on Privatisation policies for UK and other governments, supporting the Oil and Gas Industries in development and production, and the Airline and Travel business with training and development courses in every continent. He also has vast experience in Public administration. His career includes professional support and business development across Africa and South Asia funded both by medical charities and NGO’s and directly by the Commonwealth secretariat for fiscal, financial and audit delivery. Elected Councillor in London in 2004, he held budget responsibility for a £1.2 billion annual gross spend between 2006 and 2010.

Grace has years of experience helping organisations find the best talent and helping individuals to make the most of their careers. Grace has worked for a variety of organisations in the UK including well-known companies such as Pearson Education, Blackberry, Thomson Reuters and Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG). With a solid educational background – an MSc in Organisational Psychology from the University of Nottingham and a PhD in Business Management from Brunel University –Grace brings to LCT practical and academic knowledge of how to attract, select, empower and retain the best organisational talent. Grace is a chartered psychologist and member of the British Psychological Society and the Association for Business Psychology. Additionally, she holds test user certifications for several psychometric tests used for both selection and development. She lectured for over 2 years in business management where she developed her craft for training delivery and design. She loves to provide flexible and informative courses to empower and motivate individuals. She specialises in leadership, development, management, coaching, assessment and selection.

Hitesh’s expertise in ‘Influential Communication’ is forged upon a successful career in Sales & Management amidst the telecoms industry of the 1990’s, and fine-tuned with 10 years of training delivery with global training providers. Having walked the walk of ‘real-life’ business success in sales, leadership, presentation and Influencing, Hitesh is able to lace content with relevance and context that ensures participants absorb, retain and most importantly, apply their learning successfully in their personal & professional lives. Hitesh’s highly interactive ‘learning-by-doing’ methodologies immerse participants in an engaging, challenging and fun-loving atmosphere that maximises learning impact. Delivery experience in the US, Europe and the Middle East ensures appropriate cultural awareness and diplomacy is observed at all times. If you need more than a short profile to appreciate Hitesh’s potential to exceed your expectations, his numerous client testimonials reflect the proof-of-pudding value that clients have been happy to share with their professional network.

Jessica Anne is an image and brand consultant. She has a weekly feature as a style and image expert on SkyTV the series ‘A Different Kind of Woman’ – a show empowering women to be unique. She is also a regular contributor for ‘The Winning Edge’ magazine aimed at sales and marketing professionals. Jessica has mastered the art of creating visual success and impact. She advises and consults with politicians, leaders and celebrity clientele – as well as brands such as NIKE, TAJ Hotel, and Queen Mary University. Jessica adores training delegates and aims to deliver highly interactive training which provides participants with actionable strategies they can apply straightway with implement within their personal and professional careers.

John Atkinson is an independent business consultant and trainer specializing in procurement and supply chain, finance, leadership and team dynamics. John’s corporate experience spans some 30 years at a senior level and he has been responsible for both global procurement strategy creation and delivery plus international supply chain management for large retailers. John has also held senior roles within Barclays Bank corporate and led a wide and diverse range of teams, both locally and globally. John is also a certified instructor in delivering emotional intelligence training and has extensive international experience, including: Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, KDR, China, Germany, France and Sweden. For course delegates, John believes that people learn in a variety of ways; therefore all courses incorporate a mixture of theory and practical exercises reinforced with real world examples to embed the course materials. Thus ensuring both client and delegate achieve measurable training benefits.

John has had a business career with achievements in fast moving entrepreneurial businesses often working closely, at both operational and board level, with high public profile owners and directors. John is a Fellow of The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, an Associate Member of the Institute of Professional Financial Managers and holds teaching and NLP practitioner certificates. He is an experienced manager with high level skills in key business functions including strategy setting, business planning and financial management. John has found his qualification as a NLP Practitioner invaluable in establishing rapport, helping in developing delegates’ confidence, dealing with negative attitudes and creating well-formed learning outcomes. Outside of training John runs a consultancy which gets businesses “finance ready” through a process of commercial due diligence and business planning. In his spare time he is a trustee of an animal charity.

John Sherratt is an experienced Information Architect and has been responsible for leading edge IT products. Through his accountancy and engineering backgrounds, and distinctive approach, he has a unique insight into business requirements. He designs innovative enterprise information solutions for business intelligence, data synchronisation, records management, and has experience of relevant technologies. He applies his practical engineering approach to the challenges in business: resolving information and data anarchy, and designing elegant and resilient solutions that have stood the test of time. He has led a number of Activity-based management initiatives that have resulted in process improvement. He has also jointly authored papers on strategic management systems, e-Government and corporate governance, and has lectured and conducted training courses. He also has a private pilot’s license.

Jon is an international trainer and business psychologist with nearly forty years’ experience of developing people from a wide range of industries and sectors. Jon specialises in all levels of interpersonal skills training, and regularly trains managers and technical staff from around the world, with a particular emphasis on those from Africa and the Middle East. As an ex-training manager, he has direct and considerable experience of skills auditing; training and development interventions; recruitment and selection strategies; talent management; and performance appraisal systems. Jon’s approach is variously described by delegates as ‘dynamic’, ‘energetic’, ‘enthusiastic and knowledgeable’, and he has developed a training style that makes full use of his skills as an NLP practitioner and fast-learning techniques such as NLP and Neuro-Semantics.

Keith Hayes has wide experience as a journalist, PR consultant and trainer, implementing media, PR and training projects in more than thirty overseas countries. He was a senior journalist with BBC, Reuters, CNBC and CBC, London Anchor & Bureau Chief for PBS (US) daily coast to coast TV programmes Morning & Nightly Business Reports and News Director at CJOR Radio Vancouver. He has been a PR adviser to British Airways, Price Waterhouse Coopers, RHM Foods, Harland & Wolff IT and Shorts Brothers, now Bombardier. He has designed communications training programmes in the Baltics, Balkans, Russia/CIS, Africa and the Middle East. He trained government spokespersons in Kosovo, Jordan, Ukraine and Ethiopia; managed a €2 million public awareness EU Anti-Corruption project in Romania and a €2.5 million European Integration Awareness programme in Bosnia. He is the author of two training books and numerous communications manuals for civil servants, governments and business organisations.

Kirsty Allison is an award-winning journalist, producing for the BBC, Slack Alice Films and writing for The Sunday Times, The Guardian, and many fashion, music and culture magazines. She advises and consults internationally, and has managed publicity campaigns and edited sites for festivals, films, people, charities and brands, as well as being employed as a creative director and stylist for brands such as Apple. Her creative work has featured on the airwaves, screens and pages across the globe, social media being an inherent element. She loves training and consulting with LCT, whose established environment for corporate learning benefits everyone fortunate enough to join in. Kirsty began guest lecturing in London in 2005, and has since reared a raft of multi-media communicators in workshops and courses, working to post-graduate level.

Lee Woodrow is an extremely motivated and knowledgeable Instructor who has gained vast experience working in the international Oil and Gas Industry since 2003. Has expert knowledge of both upstream and downstream sectors having worked in over 22 countries within North America, MENA, SSA, APAC and many projects in the North Sea. Has previously instructed Shell Senior Engineers on drilling High-Pressure High-Temperature wells using MPD technology. Vast engineering experience coupled with 8 years of Military experience as an Instructor has led to an accomplished professional who constantly carries forward the think safety attitude and strives to improve team performance. Has successfully been involved with over 61 international Oil and Gas projects and has covered such roles as Production Supervisor, Process and Pipeline Supervisor, Well Site Supervisor, Managed Pressure Drilling Engineer, Project Manager, Operations Manager and Instructor. Core Competencies cover Production Operations, Unconventional and Conventional Drilling Operations, MPD, UBD, HPHT and Offshore Wind Energy.

Leo Lourdes is a certified corporate trainer in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). He has coached and mentored his clients in streamlining their communication and defining and implementing their success strategies. Alongside management training, Leo is an executive coach in prestigious Harley Street which makes his training style interactive, engaging and memorable. Although based in UK, he has worked internationally in Central Asia and Far East, Middle East, Europe, Africa, South and North America having visited over 50 countries. He has run projects with clients such as Disney, JP Morgan, Warner Bros, Channel 4, Sky and to name a few . He is known for his insight when it comes to creating unique solutions to ongoing problems for organisations. His ability to preserve what works and has stood the test of time alongside embracing ideas that are forward looking and growth focused makes him a useful consultant trainer to any company. His passion is in encouraging individuals and organisations to use both creativity and pragmatic thinking as part of their growth. He is also a keynote speaker advising both individuals and organisations on personal development, innovation and creativity.

Manjit is a qualified CIMA & CGMA accountant with over 20 years of work experience. He has been delivering training and consulting since 2008. He started life as an auditor with Coopers & Lybrand Deloitte. He has had a number of roles working for Lloyds TSB, AMP UK Financial Services, Central Television, Hays Plc.Manjit has had extensive training in the Thompsett Project Management program, Quality Management Techniques and Customer care implementation. He ran a successful business for 4 years when after selling it moved into consulting and training.
He delivers courses on all aspects of Accounting, Finance & Business including Finance for Non Finance Managers, PPP, IFRS, IPSAS, Risk Analysis & Strategy Management, Forensic Accounting & Auditing, and Corporate Governance. Manjit has conducted courses in Europe, Africa, USA, Malaysia and the Middle East.

Max Felstead started his career as a junior civil servant in H M Treasury. He progressed to advising Government Ministers and ran and subsequently purchased with colleagues the Government’s main Payroll bureau. The business was sold in the late 1990s generating substantial shareholder gains. Since 2000 he has been running his own business consultancy, Max Felstead Associates, focused on improving financial performance and service delivery. In addition to his consultancy, Max has lectured widely on business performance and Public Sector reform issues. He is a directing partner of Stone Mountain Training Development LLP and is also a trustee director of a company Pension fund. He has over 30 years of financial and management experience.

Zakirul Haque in an independent Procurement and Supply Chain Management (SCM) consultant. Over the last twelve years he has worked in many industries such as manufacturing, petroleum, food, FMCG, textile and the automotive industry. Having MCIPS, MSc in Global Production Engineering, IPSCM, and Mechanical Engineering degrees, Zakirul has contributed towards innovative solutions at organisations around the world. Zakirul has worked in UK, Germany, Bangladesh and China to define supply chain structure, translate corporate goal to departmental one, managing KPI, operational efficiency, continuous improvement, requirements, costing, purchasing strategy, negotiation strategy, and process redesigning and effectiveness. Zakirul is WTO/ITC enlisted SCM corporate trainer since 2004, has provided training organised by agency, has done research and taught subjects like SCM, Operations Management / Research, Quality Management and International Projects in Universities and Colleges. Zakirul has proven track record in translating modern theories to create competitiveness and provide measurable business benefits who has trained internal and external corporate professionals.

Micheline Antonian is a freelance training consultant with over 20 years’ experience . She holds a University degree in languages as well as CMI Diploma in management and Leadership. Micheline delivers professional and tailor made training courses in Management and Leadership skills, Counter Terrorism and Intercultural Differences between the West and Arab region. Micheline has worked with a variety of organisations across all sectors including Management focus, Kwintessential, Volkswagen and Centrica. Micheline has a lifetime experience of living and working in North Africa, the Gulf countries and the Middle East.As a native Arab speaker, born in Egypt, she has considerable experience in management and leadership with an impressive working relationship bridging from Morocco to Kuwait to Lebanon. Micheline has a particular interest in women’s empowerment and has mentored many young women across the Arab region to develop their leadership skills and reach their fullest potential.

Nicola is an accomplished people manager with over 20 years’ experience gained in the investment banking industry. She has a business background of building and leading global teams, breaking down barriers and developing effective cross cultural communication. She incorporates this experience in her interactive and practical training programmes, where she is committed to make significant improvements to individuals and as a result, also their business. She is passionate about people’s development and empowering them to extend their comfort zone, increase their self-confidence and reach their targets. She specialises in management, leadership, team building and self-development, with experience of delivering to both corporates and SMEs.

After he started his career in accountancy and working in industry, Mr Wyatt become a lecturer at a UK university before moving into a career in consultancy, specialising in financial and management training and coaching. He personally has delivered in-house training to hundreds of different organisation across a vast range of industries. He has lead training events for one person through to over one hundred. He is the author of “The Financial Times Essential Guide to Budgeting and Forecasting” (published July 2012). Mr Wyatt delivers training and consults widely with major organisations internationally in Africa, Europe, Middle East and Asia. He has worked with hundreds of major “Blue Chip” organisations and trained thousands of managers at every level.

Nirmal is an experienced training professional with demonstrated success in developing, delivering and evaluating face to face UK Government Finance training interventions. He is a well-motivated individual who constantly strives to exceed personal and client expectations both in terms of value for money and performance. With 24 years invaluable civilian service in Central Government, he believes passionately in striving to make a difference and in working to develop and grow existing staff to succeed to their full potential. Nirmal is an Associate member of CIPD and has a wide portfolio of skills attained through his extensive service; procurement, strategy, policy implementation, change management, budget management, claims management and transformation initiatives.

Odile is a CMI Chartered Manager with a CMI Diploma in Business Support. A Multi-award winning entrepreneur and a Trainer with 18 years of occupational competency in Business Administration, Advice and Guidance, Mentoring and Coaching, Marketing, Customer Service, Leadership & Management, Digital Media, Retail, Warehousing, International Trade & Logistics. She is a former UK government Business Advisor to hundreds of start-ups and existing businesses in London. As a former University Lecturer in Leadership, Management, Marketing and Intercultural Communication she currently delivers work-base professional training in Business Administration, Customer Service and Management. Fluent in French she studied Spanish, Portuguese and German and now Arabic. Educated at Doctoral level with two Masters from UK Universities one in Professional Business Communication from University of London. A regular blog contributor covering topics like Logistics and Marketing she has published Academic papers and is a listed Author with Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Paul is an experienced corporate and academic manager, having spent 12 years in line and project management across southern Africa; seven years in Human Resources in multinational corporations; nine years in management consultancy and 12 years lecturing undergraduates and postgraduates in four UK universities. He has spoken at over 60 UK and international conferences and consulted with numerous public and private sector clients. Paul headed a department of 60 staff, recruiting, appraising, objective-setting and developing and enhancing their teaching capabilities (‘training the trainer’). Paul’s expertise also spans managing post-acquisitional consolidation, corporate change, organisation behaviour, business benchmarking, activity cost analysis, running graduate management-training schemes and career development. Paul holds a BSc (Geology), MSc DIC (Mineral Exploration, Imperial College London), MBA (Henley Management College) and CLTHE (teaching qualification, South Bank University). Paul is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Management, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and the Higher Education Academy.

Paul is a training consultant with more than 15 years of international training experience. Paul has trained thousands of clients in more than 7 different countries in five different languages. Paul’s career has included nine years working in the City of London for some of the best known Global Brokerages and then went on to become an award-winning entrepreneur and financial market trader and trainer. Over the years, Paul has designed numerous training packages in areas such as Financial Market Psychology, Trader Development, Leadership, Motivation, Sales, NLP and Digital Marketing and Offline Marketing. Paul’s training programs are designed to not only provide cutting edge techniques from a theoretical point of view but to also include real life applications to provide maximum value to his clients.

Pav Jedrusiak is an experienced people management specialist and executive coach who, over the past decade, has developed his skills through working in some of the most innovative organisations in the UK, US and Asia. He holds a masters degree in Human Resources Management from London Metropolitan University. He is a CIPD Associate and Member of the Association for Talent Development. Pav is a certified practitioner of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator instrument and The Academy of Executive Coaching’s graduate. He has developed and delivered a wide range of programmes, including onboarding, talent development, organisational development, stress management, conflict handling, time management, leadership coaching and team building. His sessions are fun and dynamic, with a healthy balance between theory and practice – he believes in learning by doing. Pav is highly energetic with a healthy dose of natural empathy, which makes him a very accessible and effective trainer.

Pete is a highly experienced consultant, trainer and executive coach with a strong passion for inspiring people to peak performance. Over the last 12 years Pete has continued to enhance his own skillset in a number of soft skills areas and now is considered to be one of the go to consultants in the areas of emotional intelligence, sales and presentation skills. Pete’s background has seen him work with an array of industries including luxury cruise liners, finance, government, media, education and many more. Qualified in NLP, Life Coaching and TAP certified, Pete is also the author of a number of e-books including his latest release ‘Master your Mindset.’ He is a regular speaker on the business circuit discussing topics on boosting sales, empowering team members and leadership. Finally, his approach and philosophy to consultancy and training is that you have to have energy, focus and in order to inspire people you must first be inspired in yourself.

Mr. Peter Doyle is an ex Military Logistics Officer having served 19 years in the British Army, an international master trainer and delivers courses and seminars on a world-wide bases in the field of Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Contract Management, Procurement, Project Management, Risk Management, Change Management, Leadership and Human Resources. He is a Visiting Lecturer for five UK Universities and he is a UK Government approved and registered Business Growth Coach and Business Mentor. In addition, he is a recognised Bid Writer and is engaged by the UK Government to evaluate complex bids. With over 25 years’ commercial experience, having held senior board and Vice President appointments for global companies and running his own successful companies, Peter is a Subject Matter Expert in: Business Strategy, Executive Coaching, Leadership, Team Building, Logistics, Contract Management Procurement, Bid Writing, Project Management, Cost Reduction, Negotiation and People Performance.

Pippa is an international consultant in leadership, management, business development and marketing. Pippa has worked for more than 120 international and UK organisations, including government bodies, professional service firms, global corporates, not-for-profit organisations and charities, since 1985. She has written more than 80 articles and her most recent books are “Law Firm Pitches and Tenders: Presenting to Win” published in October 2014, and “Networking for Lawyers: a pocket guide to building business relationships” published in October 2011. Pippa started her academic life as a Mathematician; then she studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics, and graduated from the University of Bristol in Politics, followed by a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education in History also from Bristol University. Pippa is a Freeman of the City of London.

Venkat is a strategy, general management and finance consultant with thirty-one years experience in the oil and gas industry. His flair for training and sharing knowledge made him a unanimous choice for all in-house training when he was part of the corporate sector, and it is no surprise that he has now made consultancy and training his major occupation. Venkat designs, develops and delivers courses that cover a wide range of subjects, from basic finance and accounting, through business environment and risk management to policies and financial modelling, for a variety of sectors and organisations, both as open programmes and customised industry specific modules. These include oil & gas, power, telecommunication and banking, to name a few. A fully qualified Chartered Accountant (ACA), Venkat’s sessions are highly interactive and practical, enabling delegates to apply their learning straightaway in their work situations.

Raja Sekar is a Chartered Accountant with extensive international senior finance experience in multiple industry verticals. He is adept in devising financial strategies and has been successful in driving organisation and process changes across diverse cultural backgrounds. Raja is highly experienced in all aspects of business planning, financial analysis and management including treasury products and foreign exchange management. He has hands-on experience in designing and implementing ERP systems, costing systems and controls. Expert in regulatory compliance and risk and security management including internal audits and controls, he is also proficient in providing financial analysis and reporting to the various levels of operations and senior management, including the board of directors. Highly skilled in training finance and non-finance executives in the principles and practice of financial management and cost control, Raja also is an expert in providing incisive analysis and reports to external stakeholders.

Saket Modi designs and facilitates workshops for organisations globally. He has trained finance professionals from over 25 countries. Saket specialises in matters relating to Financial Reporting and Analysis (IFRS/IPSAS), Financial Instruments, Corporate Finance and CFA® exam preparatory courses. His workshops cover a wide range of topics from analysis of financial statements to specific issues around measurement of assets, valuation, acquisitions, consolidation, joint ventures, financial instruments including derivatives and hedge accounting, and corporate finance. He is also a consultant providing effective solutions to businesses with their finance strategies, and has been associated with Lloyds Bank, Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Saket is a qualified accountant, holds IFRS certificate from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and IPSAS certificate from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. He has an MSc in Multinational Accounting and Financial Management from UK and is a CFA® charterholder.

An accomplished global facilitator and training consultant, Salma specialises in the areas of programme design, unconscious bias, inclusion and diversity, psychometric testing, executive/performance coaching, and leadership and management development. She has extensive experience working with blue chip companies, public sector and charitable organisations both in the UK and globally. Salma has a track record of success in facilitating sustained behavioural change in organisations using a range of approaches and interventions. She firmly believes in learning by doing ensuring her sessions are interactive, challenging, fun and engaging. Academically, she holds an MSc in International Business and a First Class BA (Hons) in Business. Professionally, Salma is a licensed practitioner of BPS Level A and B, EQi, and numerous psychometric instruments. Her belief in human potential drives her to deliver thought provoking programmes which challenge fixed mindsets and encourages open minds to truly flourish!

Serena has 25 years of professional experience in research & development. She is the Managing Director of FIN1 The Consultancy of Corporate Governance and Compliance (CCGC) LTD, UK, and she is responsible for corporate governance, group-wide financial and tax compliance, and data protection as DPO. She is fluent in English, French and Italian, and she holds 30 specialist professional certifications amongst which: AML, Anti-Bribery and Corruption, Data Privacy, Information Assurance and Cyber Security, Communication for Governance Reforms, Parliaments and Anti-Corruption, and Collection of DNA Evidence & Property Crime Scene Investigation (CSI).

Mr. Shady El-Rammah, M.Sc., B.Sc., is a Senior Petroleum Engineer with extensive experience within the offshore and onshore Oil/Gas industry. His specialisation covers Production Technology, Reservoir Simulation, Reservoir Management, Enhanced Oil Recovery, Production Optimization and Waterflooding. He is further an expert in petroleum software such as ECLIPSE, MBAL, PROSPER, GAP, Saphir and PVTSIM. He has worked as an Operations Manager of a prestigious consultancy company in Egypt overseeing all major operations within the field development plans, production optimization and reservoir simulation. During his career, Mr. Elrammah has delivered more than one hundred courses in petroleum engineering for major oil companies in the Middle East and Africa like ARAMCO, ADCO, ADMA, KOC, CHEVRON, SINOPEC, NPDC and others. Mr. Elrammah has Master and Bachelor degrees in Petroleum Engineering from Suez Canal University and is currently completing his Doctorate degree in Petroleum Engineering in Imperial College in London and Suez University in Egypt.

Shaun has recently presented Risk Based Approach to AML and CFT training in Riyadh Saudi Arabia and Kuwait City.He has international experience working in AML Remediation projects, external Audit, Financial Crime projects in Global Banking. He has delivered AML / CFT training and has implemented Suspicious Activity Reporting procedures in Ireland, UK and Sweden. Shaun has been a key player in Audit / Sanctions / PEP assessment projects in Tier 1 Banks in New York, UK, Hong Kong and Ireland. Shaun Has an ICA International Diploma in Anti Money Laundering and is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist CAMS. His areas of specialty include Financial Crime (AML, Sanctions and PEP assessment), AML/BSA/OFAC/sanctions, Transaction monitoring, audit and Financial Crime technological approaches.

Simon Bernardino is an experienced presenter and management development specialist based in the UK. His background includes teaching to post graduate level, academic research and corporate business life. He has researched, trained and consulted in the field of Leadership, Presentation skills and Team Building development for the past 10 years. Throughout his professional career, Simon has established close partnerships with clients and demonstrated an ability to develop and deliver effective interventions that, with the commitment of clients and their teams, contribute to lasting change. He has been able to translate training and development to impact where it matters most: business performance. At the strategic level Simon has worked with executive Board teams and individuals, helping them translate corporate vision, mission and values into practical actionable objectives, through organisational culture and climate surveying, to leadership coaching and development. In all his activity he has helped organisations to get their people from what to how through applied learning.

Simon brings a wealth of operational and leadership experience to his practice as a Learning & Development Consultant. As a retail specialist, Simon worked with Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer and Asda/Wal-Mart across a career spanning 18 years. He has a wealth of leadership experience, having led teams to success in operationally challenging and high-pressured roles. From the buzz of successfully recruiting, leading and growing his people, he discovered his passion for developing talent and joined the Asda Skills Development team in 2010. Simon moved into Senior Projects and Store Format Development roles in 2011, and continued to shape and deliver game-changing learning programmes across Asda. He qualified with a Certificate in Human Resource Development from the CIPD (Level 7) in 2013. His engaging, enthusiastic and interactive style brings learning to life for participants and motivates them to put their learning into practice.

Steve is a successful and versatile graduate calibre Senior Manager with a broad range of experience, including 24 at board level, delivering high performance with a strong commercial focus and a proven track record of significantly improving profit and performance. Steve has undertaken a wide range of management functions, from leading large divisions of over 750 staff to the creation of a new business. He has successfully managed multi-million pound budgets, led significant major projects – delivered on time and in budget and is proficient in operating within challenging financial parameters. He has a sound knowledge of modern cost effective management systems, customer service standards and general management. Steve has been enthusiastic about developing the potential of individuals throughout his career, having led and directed numerous training initiatives. In addition to his role as a directing partner in Stone Mountain, has run a successful training and consultancy business for more than a decade.

Toks has worked for some of the leading European and US Fortune 500 companies in the world in roles that have included sales, marketing, training and general business management at operational management and leadership level over two decades. As a trainer, facilitator and business coach he is dynamic, passionate and energetic with unique insights on business, leadership, marketing, management, capability and skills development and has worked across the world in China, Singapore, South Korea, the USA and of course Europe. Toks has worked with individuals and a variety of groups and departments on a range of assignments in the public and private sector from different professions inspiring them to develop the insights, skills and abilities to drive change and improvements across their areas. Toks has an MBA from Warwick Business School.

Tony is an entrepreneur and senior consultant, who has founded and managed ICT companies and information consultancies in Europe and USA. Tony lectures from direct experience of accountancy and finance in various sectors. His early experience was substantially on the Treasury side with Shell. This led to a career which covered: working on mergers and acquisitions; working within investment banks and venture capital organisations; and then running his own ICT businesses. Both as manager and professional adviser, he has shown considerable flair in aligning information and ICT to business strategies. As a consultant, he has generated analytic solutions to specific operational, business and marketing problems. Throughout his career, he occasionally lectured and wrote on topics, and has always regarded lecturing as part of the natural arc of his career. Tony qualified as an Associate Member of CIMA, and has an MBA from Lancaster University and MA from Oxford.

Tony has many years experience as a board level director in the UK, including HR director where he developed and managed the full range of strategic HR systems and processes as well as the detailed work of people management particularly recruitment, training and development. Tony is a qualified project and programme manager and has performed the role of project executive for a number of major change programmes in communications, highways and public infrastructure. Tony is highly skilled at getting the best performance from operational teams and delivering total quality management standards through strong leadership, coaching and training. Tony has very recent and strong experience of delivering training courses and coaching sessions to both public and private sector delegates from UK and countries across Africa and the GCC.

Venetia is a qualified Chartered Secretary, a Member of the Association of International Accountants and a CEDR accredited Mediator. Until recently, she was on the UK and International Councils of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators and its Audit and Risk Committees. Although having recently resigned from Council, she remains on its Investigations Committee. Initially she worked for listed companies in the insurance sector, including Aviva in its legal and company secretarial department, and was also a Manager at KPMG offering company law/company secretarial services for its clients. Since then, for more than 20 years, she has run her own Chartered Secretarial Practice advising company Chairs, CEOs and Directors and supplying company law, corporate governance, company secretarial and related services, including board appraisals. These services have been to organisations ranging from stock exchange listed PLCs and private companies to charities and companies in the voluntary non-profit making sector, and in a variety of business sectors including the financial sector, the services industry, the music industry and various institutes. She also runs occasional mediations, is Chair and Trustee of a charity and a Director of a company in the not for profit sector. She has specialist knowledge of company law, corporate governance, company secretarial needs and regulatory and compliance requirements for businesses and charities. Venetia offers training in business related subjects, including in-house directors’ training, company secretarial training, company law and corporate governance. She runs courses on regulatory and compliance matters for PLCs, private companies and charities. She runs seminars for the Law Society of Scotland and for various accountancy bodies. She also edits the company law section of the CCH on-line business guidance publication and carries out training on behalf of London Corporate Training.

Vick Krishnan is a highly driven and motivated multi-disciplinary Principal Lecturer in Law & Governance, with over 21 years of being called as a Barrister to the Bar of England & Wales. With over 20 years of teaching experience in the public and private education sector, he is a service-orientated professional and insightful training consultant. He possesses a solid academic and practise background in the areas of Law, Business, Management, Corporate Governance & Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, International Relations and the Oil & Gas Industry. He is an Executive and Life Coach as well as a practitioner in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). A thorough and effective communicator, he is looked upon as an immediate source of motivation and inspiration amongst delegates. Vick carries strong personal values and is very passionate about leadership. He has been delivering training programmes for the last 15 years both in the UK and overseas.

Warrick Harniess is an entrepreneur and experienced business executive. Warrick started his career at Pearson Education, and over the course of ten years worked in a variety of roles covering communications and training, digital product development and marketing, and strategy and change management. During this time he built e-business ventures from the ground up and discovered a passion for innovation and entrepreneurship. Warrick founded Scandinavia Stories, an education consultancy that works with professionals to creatively overcome business growth challenges. Scandinavia Stories create experiential courses and workshops that gamify the learning process, helping participants to develop essential professional skills and to learn entrepreneurial approaches to innovation, strategy, sales and marketing, and leadership. Warrick has lived and worked in the UK, USA and Hong Kong, and has a BA and MA in American Studies, and an Executive MBA.

Wyn has over 25 years’ experience within financial services including more than 23 years of sales management. In this role, he managed many large key accounts, one of which generated an annual non-margin income of circa £125 million. His industry experience has included leading and managing teams within a retail environment and remotely across the UK. He has since established his own training consultancy business which has proved very successful. He designs and delivers a variety of courses from leadership, team and project management, time and diary management, to sales skills and complaint handling, for both large corporate audiences and on a 1:1 coaching and mentoring basis. He believes training should be fun and engaging and values a practical and hands-on approach. He is a firm believer in Confucius theory of “I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.”

Zahoor Bargir is a Finance trainer who knows how to simplify the whole finance process to anyone who has ever struggled to understand how finance actually works. Years of working as an accountant and consultant have given him the perfect grounding of communicating to people at all levels. Zahoor’s biggest strength is in fusing theory with practical examples; helping delegates learn in a quick and fun way. In his spare time he also likes to bring out his creativity in writing material for training programmes and is currently working on his second book, which is all about Finance for Non-Finance people. Zahoor is the perfect trainer for anyone who has struggled with understanding the complexities of finance or who wants to learn how to control a budget better.