Our Team

Staff

Kevin Holt - Managing Director

Kevin is an experienced trainer and assessor of leadership and management development programmes, including quality management, change management and behavioural profiling using DiSC. 

He is an enthusiastic trainer who believes in accelerated learning techniques and engages in practical development activities whenever he can.  Kevin enjoys developing new team leaders as much as experienced managers, on accredited or unaccredited programmes.  

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Michaela Cozens - Operations Director

Michaela manages a wide range of programmes so each day brings variety to her job. Michaela's role includes meeting businesses to discuss their staff learning and development needs; managing in-house training; coordinating higher education programmes, contract management and promotion of funded training. 

Outside of work, she is a keen supporter of Wildlife, belonging to WWT, GWT & RSPB to name a few.

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Rebecca Brinton - Office Manager

Rebecca is our Office Manager. Previously she worked with Early Years Settings for over 20 yrs both as an Early Years Practitioner and in management. She is also a Bristol Standards Quality Assurance Assessor, NVQ Assessor and Internal Verifier. 

Spare time is limited due to managing her family’s two businesses but she enjoys reading, music, Ballroom and Latin American dancing, so is an avid Strictly viewer!

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Trainers & Assessors

Barbara Smith

Barbara is an experienced Trainer and Coach who has held senior positions in HR and Training in both the private and public sector.

She has spent the last 22 years working with a variety of organisations, providing them with the appropriate training and coaching solutions to meet their learning and development requirements. She specialises in HR topics, communication skills, soft skills and business coaching skills. FCIPD, Cert Ed (Adult Education)

Bob Smallwood

Bob has a strong commercial background with over thirty years world wide experience across Europe, Middle East, South America, NAFTA including four years as Managing Director in the Far East and the last 11 years as Managing Director based in Gloucestershire. Bob is an assessor for our leadership and management apprenticeships and also a programme mentor for learners on our advanced apprenticeship programmes. 

Darren Stevens

Darren has over 30 years marketing & PR experience. His career started with Bang & Olufsen at their UK headquarters in Gloucester. After a couple of years he joined Chelsea Building Society where he became Marketing and Customer Services Director.

In 2010 he set up his own business and he now works with over 30 clients mainly in Gloucestershire to help improve or implement marketing and PR activities.

Grant Cozens

Grant enjoyed a long and successful career in Banking in London, Bristol & Gloucestershire spending over twenty years as a Corporate Manager. He has a strong financial background and having run his own businesses, he is able to provide comprehensive advice and support at all levels to businesses of all sizes throughout their life cycles.

His style is open, friendly, pragmatic & informal to ensure delegates derive maximum benefit.

Keith Jones

Keith Jones is an IT consultant and accredited trainer with many years of experience across a wide range of business sectors. As the New Technologies manager for a multinational corporation, he led international teams to develop world class manufacturing solutions. 

Keith applies his consultancy expertise to his training sessions to keep them relevant and evergreen to his delegates. He describes his training style as objective-based, fun and totally focussed on the needs of the attendees

Keith Sargeant

Keith has a vast experience of different types of projects and programmes, This was gained from working as a senior manager and senior consultant in the UK and abroad for some of the leading retailers, banks, manufacturers, as well as local government. Including introducing project management into large departments.

Keith is passionate about training and has over 15 years experience as a trainer spanning project management, IT, Scuba diving and powerboat, including training instructors..

Kevin Holt - Managing Director

Kevin is an experienced trainer and assessor of leadership and management development programmes, including quality management, change management and behavioural profiling using DiSC. 

He is an enthusiastic trainer who believes in accelerated learning techniques and engages in practical development activities whenever he can.  Kevin enjoys developing new team leaders as much as experienced managers, on accredited or unaccredited programmes.    

Mark Sansome

Mark has over 25 years' experience as a trainer, speaker and facilitator. He delivers a range of our leadership & management courses with a strong focus on personal development, communication and emotional intelligence courses.

He is an engaging, confident and articulate trainer who delivers practical training sessions which learners find motivating and are enthused to reach for higher goals. His easy and personable style means that learners find it easy to understand and enjoyable.

Ellie Smith

Ellie has worked in Talent, Leadership and learning development for 13 years following a successful career in Banking where she held several leadership positions. Ellie's approachable and motivational style creates a safe and open environment for learners to explore and gain insights into issues or challenges they face. An accredited professional executive coach, she is known for energy and pragmatism whether working one-to-one or in groups.

Mike Robinson

Mike is our Internal Verifier for our ILM Qualifications.

An extremely experienced senior manager with a track record of success in both a “blue chip” and privately owned regional company. His expertise covers several key areas in the customer-driven arena, with a particular slant towards Human Resources. His skills lie in leadership & management, strategic/organisational development with excellent communication which means he is the perfect fit for supporting delegates in the workplace while they attend our training courses.

Nigel Bromley

Nigel has been working in the H&S arena now for over 30 years, coming from a civil engineering background and acted as District Safety Adviser for all levels of management with British Telecom, moving to Manager, Safety Policy & Strategy in London. He worked closely with senior managers and board members to integrate safety into the business bloodstream and facilitate synergies wherever possible. 

Paul Archer

Paul Archer is a speaker and training consultant, specialising in sales, coaching and customer care. His style is energetic and inspiring and all of his workshops and events are packed full of practical sales ideas that can be used the very next day.

In addition, Paul has been working with businesses, large and small over the past 20 years to help them increase sales revenue, expand their business and move into the new marketing era. He is the author of 6 e-books and many sales articles within his industry.

Peter Blake

Peter is a Chartered Accountant and Business Coach. He has his own practice where he helps clients with their accountancy and taxation needs together with helping them develop their businesses. Peter is a registered Hypnotherapist, Master Practitioner of NLP and qualified Life Coach.

Peter Blake
Master Practitioner of NLP, Member ANLP, GHR, CNHC