Whakamana te tangata – connecting, uplifting and uplifting the awesome potential in people. At Updraft we’ve grown a team of talented & fabulous people with a passion for creating impact on the leaders and teams engaging with us, whether that’s through our leadership development programmes, or by working alongside leadership teams to support improvements in the way they’re working.www.updraft.coTeam coaching & facilitationI get real pleasure from helping teams find their way through challenging times; resolving things that have been holding them back, or having the shared discoveries that allow them to collaborate in a meaningful way and achieve more through collective effort. Over the past 10 years I’ve enjoyed working with a wide range of teams, from senior leadership teams looking to re-shape the culture or direction of their organisation, through to technical teams with a focus on achieving greater productivity. In parallel to my work with teams, I also coach individuals, working with a similarly broad range of leaders, from technically focused operational leaders to chief executives. My formal training has been done through the Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership (IECL), both their Team Coach & Executive Coach accreditations.

We’re independent learning transfer specialists.Our work wraps around learning. We work alongside organisations to create the elements that ensure learning translates into the desired performance on the job.Creating simple, meaningful moments for people leaders to grow the capability of their people.When people leaders are properly equipped to play their critical role in the learning journey, we activate a highly effective coaching interaction, with a direct connection between the learning experience and performance on-the-job.As a result, learning sticks and behaviours change as they’re deployed directly into the way the individual works.

Part of a team helping to prepare and guide this cool business through the next stages of growth.

The role was created to re-invigorate the Wellington NZIM office and its associated presence in the market after the merger of the National, Central and Northern entities. It was a great opportunity for me to build a team, drive a cultural change and establish current practices around sales management, product and service offerings and the use of technology to support the customer experience and staff alike.As a member of the NZIM management team (reporting to the CEO) I contributed to the wider strategic direction of the organisation, including driving the introduction of connecting NZIM’s research direction with challenges being faced by NZIM customers and members.My major areas of focus were:Sales – recruit and create a team to arrest declining revenue streams. Establish an outward looking, market-driven sales function, implement pipeline management, CRM tools and associated disciplines. I also lead major RFP/RFI responses and managed relationships with senior HR, OD and L&D practitioners.Market analysis and product refresh – engage with the market to uncover the disconnect between current market needs and existing offerings. Using the results of the analysis and feedback from the NZIM team, facilitators and stakeholders, create a pathway for developing a set of refreshed products and services.Blended learning – design and create a cost-effective blended learning model that leveraged existing organisational strengths and market position, while bringing a current and market expected approach to learning delivery.LMS – establish requirements based on the blended learning model, research the market, then lead the selection process, vendor engagement and implementation project. A key element in the success of the initiative was training the NZIM team and facilitators on how to achieve the blended vision using the LMS as the enabler.

In this role I was responsible for leading technology-enabled learning with a focus on Learning Management Systems (LMS). This included expanding Inspire Group’s LMS offerings from the entry-level eLMS to include a fully featured product at a price point that worked for the New Zealand market.My role as a Director required evaluating market trends, testing of the business plan and direction against those trends and decision-making on investment and growth opportunities.

The purpose of this role was to create and lead a profitable, market-leading eLearning development function and the associated team. At the time the role was created, instructional designers were creating eLearning with limited interactivity. I led the transition to a model that includes graphic designers, multimedia developers and instructional designers, all working in their specialist area to create a better learning experience.In 2006 I became a shareholder of Inspire Group and joined the board as a Director.

I joined AMR Capability Solutions as a Consultant to focus on delivering a set of induction eLearning modules. This role was designed as a transitional one while we planned the eLearning Solution Leader role. During this period I created the Inspire Group brand.

This was a customer facing role, focused on supporting customers’ end-users as TelstraClear supplied business systems were deployed, e.g. Call Centre applications. The role was a mix of internal focus and billable consulting services as a part of projects being delivered by the Enterprise Solution Team.

This was a new role created to support the growth of Saturn Communications, reporting to the Training and Development Manager and was part of the core HR team. The role was initially focused on developing and delivering induction pathways for all customer service and field staff. The organisation grew rapidly throughout my time in the role, including the acquisition of Paradise.net, merger with Telstra New Zealand and culminating with the merger that created TelstraClear. The merger-related activity created the opportunity for me to become involved in core HR work including supporting assigned business units through restructuring processes.

I spent 10 years working for the Sailing Academy, quickly becoming one of the Senior Instructors. During my time there I completed two summers working full time, the balance in a regular part-time capacity.

This role was focused on the acquisition of new customers in the residential and small enterprise markets.