THE DIRECTORS

PETER HOBBS BA (Hons), MCIPD, MAPM

Specialist Areas: Project Management, Time Management,
Leadership and Teambuilding

Peter is an experienced consultant and facilitator who has worked with companies
in a variety of sectors over the past 15 years particularly in relation to teamwork
and communications around projects. He has an outstanding knowledge of his field
and is able to offer practical ‘jargon-free’ advice based on sound theory.

Background

After an initial career in the Army which included two specialist training roles,
Peter worked for six years as a consultant with the MaST Organisation. He then
spent two years in a human resources and operations role in a large market
research agency, Research International, where he had responsibility for resourcing,
internal communications and staff development.

In 1999 Peter founded the Hobbs Partnership as a consultancy focusing on the needs
of project managers and has worked with a variety of clients in the period since then
including AIG, British Medical Journal, Channel Four, ITV, Knight Frank, M&G, Nokia,
Penguin Books and Shell.

Peter read Classics at Southampton between 1979 – 82. He is a member of the Chartered
Institute of Personnel and Development (MCIPD) and of the Association of Project Managers
(MAPM). He is qualified to use the FIRO-B and DISC psychometrics. He holds a Prince
2 Practitioner qualification for work on projects. He is a twice published author on project
management, his latest book being published in 2009 by Dorling Kindersley as part
of their Essential Managers series University.

SARAH BARNES MA ( Cantab ), ACA

Specialist Areas: Financial and Commercial Awareness, 
Leadership and Management Skills, Conflict Resolution, Coaching

Sarah Barnes is a qualified Chartered Accountant who now specializes
in financial and commercial awareness training, leadership and management 

skills, and executive coaching.

Through a rare combination of technical expertise and outstanding
communication skills, Sarah makes finance comprehensible and
enjoyable to non-specialists.

As well as financial skills courses, Sarah delivers leadership and management 

skills programmes across different levels of seniority in large and small
organisations, 
including the public sector. She has a growing reputation for
work on conflict 
resolution. She works with Boards to facilitate communication
and teamwork and increase financial literacy. She is an experienced coach
at this level.

Recent assignments include speaking engagements at conferences
for the 
Ministry of Defence and Barclays Bank focusing on communication
issues 
within large organisations.

Background

Sarah trained as an accountant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers in London, 

where she gained a solid business background and exposure to many
different types of industry. After qualifying she transferred to their Training
Department 
where she designed and delivered training programmes
to groups throughout the United Kingdom and one-to-one coaching
at partner level.

In 2006 Sarah set up Sarah Barnes Coaching and Training, before
merging in 2008 
with the Hobbs Partnership to create Vondel.

Sarah read Modern Languages at Cambridge University. She has an
ACA qualification 
and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants
of England and Wales. 
She is qualified to use both the MBTI and DISC
profiling instruments. She is also an NLP Practitioner and a certified coach.

ASSOCIATES

SUE CODRINGTON

Specialist Areas: Writing Skills – Grammar, Letter Writing, Business Writing,
Report Writing, Minute Taking

Sue Codrington’s particular expertise is in helping people to feel more confident
about their business writing, at whatever level.

For those for whom the word grammar poses something of a threat (probably because
they weren’t taught any), Sue transforms understanding and attitude in a friendly,
lively way. She wrote the Effective English course for the Cabinet Office, a programme
now adopted by several government departments and many leading commercial
organisations. This course plugs any gaps in grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Sue also designs and delivers a range of writing courses for everyone
from recent joiners to board members. The majority of her work is customised
to the needs of different clients and live material is used wherever possible.

DAVID COTTON

Specialist Areas: Strategic leadership, Change management,
Teamwork, Creativity and Hypnotherapy

David is a dynamic and vastly experienced learning and development consultant,
who translates strategy into pragmatic learning which makes a real difference.

A training and development consultant since the 1980s, David Cotton specialises
in leadership, management and change. He spent over 20 years with two of the ‘Big 4’
consulting firms, first at Arthur Andersen and then at PricewaterhouseCoopers,
where for some years he led a team of 100 trainers in 26 countries.

After running his own highly successful training consultancy David became Training
Director for the People Development Team, the UK’s top provider of accredited management
and leadership training before re-establishing his own company, Wize-Up Learning
and Development.

A rich vein of humour permeates David’s work as trainer, coach, consultant, designer
and facilitator. He long ago shelved his methodology books, seeing them as generalised
solutions to someone else’s problems, and he treats every client as unique,
each with their own issues.

David is a graduate, an NLP practitioner and has a diploma in Training and Development.
He is a Fellow of the British Institute for Learning and Development. Much of his work
involves the use of accelerated learning techniques to help his clients to move towards full
realisation of their potential. He has consulted and trained in every aspect of leadership,
management, personal and organisational change.

David has worked in more than 20 countries and 4 continents - in North America,
the Middle East, North Africa, the Far East and much of continental Europe.

His client portfolio encompasses multinational corporations, SMEs, local and national
government departments in the UK and overseas. He has coached senior executives
and senior Whitehall civil servants, worked on strategic development at board level
and managed pan-European training programmes for up to 30,000 people.

A prolific author, David has won publishers’ best-seller awards for two of his books
and two international awards for an e-learning package on electronic marketplaces.
He has designed electronic performance support systems and e-learning programmes.

JEREMY COX

Specialist Areas: Cultural Change, Leadership Development,
Team Building and Executive Coaching

Jeremy specializes in the development of people to achieve both their own
and organisational 
goals. He predominantly works in Cultural Change,
Leadership Development, Team Building 
and Executive Coaching. He designs
and facilitates workshops, presents at conferences and coaches individuals
and business teams.

Jeremy has worked extensively across a broad range of industries and at
all levels in business from CEO/Main Board of Footsie 100/Blue Chip companies
through to the shop floor.

Jeremy began his career as a professional pianist, having studied at the Royal
College of Music. Seeking excitement and challenge, he was then commissioned
into the Army, served with 
The Life Guards and the Paras and latterly taught
leadership at the Royal Military Academy, 
Sandhurst. He subsequently worked
for three years as a headhunter, recruiting senior level executives and in 1997
he moved into developing rather than recruiting people.

ANDREW DINES MBA

Specialist Areas: Strategic Management, Financial and Commercial Awareness,
Leadership Development, Coaching and Facilitation

Andrew is an experienced and able manager, leader, communicator and facilitator skilled
in strategic development; firm wide management and people development. His considerable
wealth of practical experience, energy and enthusiasm (now complemented by his attainment
of an MBA in 2006) help relate conceptual ideas, learning and difficult scenarios/situations
into practical, understandable and achievable outcomes at all levels.

Andrew is an experienced director of training and development and course facilitator who
designs and delivers engaging events aimed not only at individual development but also
the benefit for the business.

Andrew delivers his courses to all levels within organisations and achieves presentational
feedback scores average over 90%. Andrew specialises in working with Law firms but
also has significant experience in other sectors.

GERARD HARGREAVES

Specialist Areas: Stress Management, Work/Life Balance,
Communication Skills Managing Change and Executive Coaching

Gerard is an independent Training and Development Consultant and Executive Coach
with an impressive track record of helping individuals and organisations achieve maximum
performance in a fast moving and demanding business market.

For 11 years he held senior appointments at MaST International before joining
the Director and Board Development Department of the Institute of Directors in 1998.
There he developed a highly successful one to one executive coaching programme
for directors and senior executives.

Gerard has broadcast on BBC television and radio and has consulted on the production
of BBC Training Videos. He is the co-author of the BBC Books publication ‘Making Time’
and the author of a book on ‘Stress Management’ published by Marshall and marketed
in Europe by Video Arts.

JUDY SALMON

Specialist Areas: Personal Effectiveness, Communication Skills,
Executive Coaching, Negotiation Skills

Originally a training manager with a large firm of stockbrokers Judy is now an experienced
consultant with an impressive client list both in London and around her base in Exeter.

Judy specialises in general communication skills with particular expertise in helping people
become more confident and self aware. She is comfortable working at all levels within
organisations whether this is 1:1 coaching for board members or training courses
for new recruits.

Judy has excellent listening skills and an uncanny ability to ask well timed and incisive
questions to unlock performance issues.

DENISE TAYLORSON

Specialist Areas: Personal Effectiveness, Communication Skills,
The Business Application of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Train the Trainer

Denise is an accomplished coach and trainer with extensive experience in the design
and delivery of traditional and innovative training solutions to increase individual effectiveness
and organisational performance. During her career as a training consultant she has worked
in South Africa, Switzerland, the USA and Canada as well as in the UK.

Denise is a Certified NLP Practitioner and a Certified Life Coach. She is also qualified
in a variety of psychometric instruments. She is currently working with Shell,
the London Development Agency and Mastercard.

KATHY TOOGOOD

Specialist Areas: Communication Skills, Leadership Development,
Personality Assessment, Coaching and Facilitation

Kathy is an experienced Personnel and Training Professional, with more than 13 years
senior retail management experience for leading companies including Marks and Spencer
plc, combined with over 10 years in a consulting, training and coaching role. As a consultant
and coach, she has worked for many large organisations spanning finance, manufacturing,
retail, utilities, the public sector and service industries. Clients she has worked with include
Barclays, Orange, Wrigley, SPAR, Mothercare, Local and Regional Government, Abbott
Laboratories and Pfizer. Her extensive experience spans the areas of Organisational
Development, Talent Management, Performance Management, Change Management,
Leadership Development and Recruitment and Selection.

Kathy gained an Honours degree in Business Studies from Sheffield University. She is also
a Master Practitioner in NLP, is a practitioner for Myers Briggs (Step I & 2) and is trained
to British Psychological Society level B in occupational testing. She qualified as a Professional
Life Coach with the Coaching Academy and The UK College of Coaching, where she also
contributed to the Corporate Coach Training programme. She is currently embarking
on a further post-graduate coaching qualification.

RHYDIAN VAUGHAN

Specialist Areas: Negotiating Skills, Sales & Business Development,
Winning New Business, Beauty Parades, Key Client Management,
Influencing and Persuading others

Rhydian specialises in designing and running programmes that have a direct impact
on his clients’ bottom line, providing the crucial business winning skills organisations
need to survive in difficult markets.
 
He provides practical jargon-free advice/help to a wide and eclectic range of clients,
from Savills to Amnesty International and encompassing City, Legal, Property and
Retail Organisations. He works well at all levels, from board members to graduates.
 
Rhydian started his career being commissioned into the Welsh Guards and followed
by 6 years in the Lloyds of London insurance market as a North American reinsurance
broker. He spent 22 years with a firm of international management consultants before
leaving to concentrate on giving a more personal service to his chosen clients.