Executive Coaching and Facilitation

Lorraine Flower – Managing Director

Passionate, committed, visionary...Lorraine brings 20 years' service industry experience to bear. Her senior leadership roles at BA and GNER are solid grounding for today's work: developing contemporary, spirited leadership capability, and organisations built on inspiring purpose, vision and values.

Empathic in her work with senior leaders, Lorraine weaves high-level, practical experience into compelling interventions - strategic counsel, group facilitation or one-to-one coaching. The result is enduring, positive change and transformed performance.

It is Lorraine's belief in individual and organisational power for good that gives azzur its raison d'etre.

Trudy Worth – Director

Inquisitive, communicative, imaginative...Maybe a career start in journalism is what drives Trudy's curiosity? Perhaps it's the 20 years in corporate affairs (latterly as director of a global PR consultancy) behind her ardent belief that communication is so important in enabling change?

A facilitator and coach, Trudy is also to be found, unsurprisingly, providing inventive communication support to azzur’s leadership development and culture change programmes. And she's always finding new ways to talk about our work.

Mike Nelson – Consultant

Generous, spontaneous, wise...as a qualified pharmacist you’d expect Mike to be able to diagnose and dispense. Well he can. Quite brilliantly. Working with individuals and teams he delivers OD and leadership remedies that support genuine and sustained behavioural shift.

And he’s well versed in HR and OD at the sharp end – courtesy of 15 years Head of Learning & Development with Safeway including the transition into Morrisons – which enables him to bring a unique perspective to partnership between azzur and its clients. (He’d like you to know he can fly too…as a qualified pilot!).

Paul Birch – Consultant

Flexible, encyclopaedic, creative...Paul has an awesome mental library of leadership theory, and models, stretching from the pioneers of the past to the edge of latest thinking.

But he's dedicated to practical application rather than theory. An 18-year career, mostly at senior level with BA, underpins his creative, stretching approach to the highly effective development of individuals, teams and organisations. Oh, and he's adding to someone else's mental library with the books he's written on coaching, leadership, change, creative thinking and teamwork.

Wendy Rose – Consultant

Practised, thought-provoking, persuasive...Wendy is ever-ready to challenge conventional thinking and stretch the potential of those she works with.

Her powerful approach to realising lasting, positive behaviour change is built on well rounded learning and expertise. Wendy has organisational and business experience, and excellent facilitation and coaching skills. Not to mention an in-depth understanding of psychology, thanks to a career spell as a senior practitioner in clinical psychotherapy.

Simon Cavicchia – Consultant

Learned, courageous, expansive...frequent appearances in academe (lecturing at Ashridge, University of Surrey, and the Metanoia Institute) could suggest a 'detached', theoretical approach to Simon’s leadership development and change work.

Not a bit of it. His development practise for senior leaders and their teams and organisations is both accessible and relevant. Simon mixes a powerful cocktail of subtle provocation, gentle humour and outright challenge - all deftly modulated to needs. He works at senior level across the public and private sectors.

Karen Szulakowska – Consultant

Intuitive, empowering, business focused...Karen blends an emotionally and spiritually intelligent approach to development work with a strong commercial focus gained in senior executive and director roles.

She is a firm believer in the ability of individuals to think for themselves and discover their own learning. She creates a learning environment designed for this outcome, applied to group facilitation and one-to-one coaching relationships.

Kaaren Brook – Consultant

Enthusiastic, enabling, convincing...Kaaren honed her development and change skills as global development manager with the world's largest hotel group. She has managed the complex and varied people development needs of a multiple site, multi cultural operational business. It's invaluable experience for effecting organisational change within a broader corporate audience.

Kaaren has been consulting and coaching to great effect for the past 22 years. She's driven by a deep commitment to helping people achieve their highest potential.

Mary Cross – Consultant

Engaging, optimistic, motivating...Mary's vibrant approach to development draws individuals and teams into deep engagement. The experience is invariably enjoyable and, vitally, stretches people to their fullest potential.

A gifted facilitator and qualified counsellor and coach, Mary's experience is vast. She's worked with large private and public sector organisations. Her track record extends across culturally diverse groups, and continents and countries including Africa, the Far East, South America and Eastern Europe.

Roy Howells – Consultant

Pioneering, qualified, insightful...though Roy is impressively well-qualified, he continues to learn and develop new approaches in support of clients. He's currently working on a pioneering approach to sustainable leadership.

Roy's experience in leadership development and change programmes in the public sector is extensive, both at home and overseas. Among his achievements is the substantial change he helped deliver in the MoD and the way its people work.

Julia Luker – Consultant

Dynamic, focused, alert...to potential and positive change. Julia dropped the 'chalk and talk' (early teaching career) for unlocking the power in organisations. She has initiated and managed change in line roles at BA, Vodafone and Opodo.

In perfect symmetry, you could say, all this experience has returned to the 'classroom', where Julia's facilitation and coaching skills take powerful effect. She also applies sophisticated internal communication techniques to engage employees in, and catalyse support for, change.

Mary Cover – Consultant

Encouraging, challenging, incisive...it could be easy to be lulled by Mary's soothing and softly spoken approach. Don't be... she delivers challenging and effective development interventions for individuals and teams at all levels through an organisation. The results are clear through potential maximised.

Mary's work often sits at the heart of broader cultural change within organisations ranging from banks and finance houses to the cutting technological edge of IT and telecoms businesses.

Sheila McAlpine – Consultant

Thoughtful, forensic, purposeful...Sheila encourages the best out of all who work with her. She develops capability in individuals and teams that endures way beyond the 'classroom'. Her approach engenders deep commitment to put learning into practise. It's supported by practical plans and processes.

Sheila blends experience within public and private sector line management roles with her exceptional facilitation and coaching skills. It all adds up to significant benefits for national and multinational organisations.

Rebecca Klug – Consultant

Exploring, knowledgeable, collaborative... Rebecca's appetite for a challenge has helped her transform unfocused organisations into exemplars of service. Virgin Trains and PPP Healthcare, where she held director roles, are cases in point.

She brings a 'forensic' attention to her facilitation and coaching in the development of senior leaders and teams. She excels in creating the focus and passion about service that delivers outstanding results.

Michael Schimmelschmidt – Consultant

Reflective, innovative, aware...of the inner resources of all individuals and the boundless possibilities they present. Michael is convinced that excellence and the desire to make a difference arises naturally from within. It's where his work starts, whether one-to-one or in groups.

His work as an organisational consultant, executive coach, and tutor at Praxis, Cranfield School of Management, focuses on harnessing inner resources and setting the inner leader free. Michael has extensive expertise in creativity, group process and conflict work, and is an accredited Action Learning Set facilitator.

Diana McCann – Consultant

Discerning, experimental, pragmatic...Diana has an invaluable ability to 'walk in the learner's footsteps'. She has an empathic and encouraging approach to overcoming challenges.

Her people development career began in the public sector. There she broke new ground, introducing Action Learning principles and PRINCE2 project management to the Department of Health and Met Office.

Christine Gratton – Consultant

Perceptive, inspiring, conversational...Christine's 'joie de vivre' shines through both personally and professionally. She captivates the individuals and groups she works with. She's an inspiration through the inevitable challenges of development process.

Christine's work spans public, private and voluntary sectors organisations. She has first class facilitation and coaching skills. She has supported many individuals and teams in extending their leadership capability and management practise. And all with her trademark smile.

Carolyn Tabak – Consultant

Positive, outgoing, provocative...Carolyn is an experienced psychotherapist, supervisor, counsellor and coach. She brings this extensive skill set to bear on development work in the public and private sectors. She often works on very challenging assignments where emotions may be raw.

Her early career in advertising sales management piqued her interest in workplace well-being and career development. It prompted her own development in the different direction that brought her to azzur.

Tracey Gibson – Office Manager (Project Administrator)

Resourceful, generative, inventive...when it comes to supporting our work with clients – whether developing an interactive database to keep all the elements of a complex programme corralled or whipping programme materials into the best possible shape for delegates – if Tracey can’t do it, it probably can’t be done.

She’s a completely un-geeky ‘geek’ (computer wizard) who combines a head for business, technical and creative skills, with an impressive organisational ability which helps the azzur team deliver our exceptional service on all fronts.

Lorna Owers – Administrator

Supportive, organised, dedicated...rather like the silent components of a sleek Swiss watch Lorna’s calm efficiency is a highly valued and highly effective part of azzur’s support to clients.

Her dedication, ‘can do’ attitude and lots of experience in learning and development combine to help keep the business running smoothly and our team delivering first class service for our clients.