From the board room to the great outdoors…

Richard has broad business experience both managing new enterprises and start ups through to major companies. A former Top 30 Director of a FTSE 100 Richard’s early career was in environmental management before working on major bids such as the London Underground privatization where he led the stations element. Richard then joined a facilities management company within the group and as Managing Director delivered significant growth.

Richard has an MBA from Cranfield University, a postgraduate Diploma in Water and Environmental Management and is a qualified Prince 2 Practitioner. He has worked with a broad range of clients developing projects, new campaigns, providing strategic consultancy and mentoring at a Director level.  His approach is to seek breakthroughs, ask big questions and deliver transformational results.

He has worked with private, public and third sector organizations with diverse clients including Water Companies, British Energy, Various Charities, Local Authorities and others.

  • Expertise and Bio

  • Projects

  • Volunteering in Thurrock

  • Workforce Review (voluntary Sector)

  • Cranfield Trust

  • vBoards – Olympic / Team Beds and Luton

  • SMILE

  • Client List (Alpheus/BNFL/Thurrock CVS/Family Matters Institute/Cranfield Trust/CBC)

Corporate Career

Richard has started and run a number of different businesses over the years that aim to make a difference to others.  Previously he was a Director of a £200 Million subsidiary of AWG plc with almost 3000 staff.  During his time in corporate life he had profit and loss responsibility for a number of different national projects as well as senior experiencing running an environmental management consultancy and then a facilities management company.

Experience and achievements included:

  • Growing the facility management company 274% in one year with extensive growth

  • Developing and signing a £16million contract for waste minimisation with industry

  • Leading the London Underground Stations Bid for LINC (£1.3Billion)

  • Securing £125 Million of outsourcing contracts in 5 years

  • Supporting and helping develop the Graduate Management programme

  • Featuring in Private Eye on 3 consecutive weeks (Possibly not a helpful career move)

Social Entrepreneur

After completing an MBA at Cranfield University he decided to start an online sports and leisure community called majorsporty. His ‘facebook for sport’ concept was truly pioneering and was an early social media platform with over 15,000 products in an online store and 5,000 articles, interviews and videos in the community section.

In 2010 Richard after the Winter Olympics Richard co founded the award winning www.inspiredlife.org which is on a mission to inspire young people and communities. So far Inspired Life has engaged over 21,000 young people and received national recognition as a London 2012 Inspire Mark project, as a finalist in the Independent Business Excellence Awards and as finalist for the Trail Blazing New Comer with the RBS SE 100 Index.

Canoe Trail

RIchard also started www.canoetrail.co.uk working with his wife Ashley (she is managing director and the common sense management approach) we have become an award winning outdoor and watersports business. Canoe Trail help over 5,000 people a year to access canoeing, kayaking, SUP and adventurous activities and has featured in Lonely Planet as one of the Top 50 things to do in the world with our canoe and camp activities. Our work with Canoe Trail links closely with Inspired Life skills and experience providing youth programmes for the Princes Trust, Duke of Edinburgh Scheme and the YMCA as well as local schools.

Consultancy

Since leaving permanent employment over 16 years ago Richard has completed a large number of consultancy projects for a wide range of public sector, private clients and charities helping provide marketing and communications skills as well as strategic advice and practical solutions. His roles have included interim management support through to project management of specific projects.

Clients have included:

  • Alpheus Environmental (Part of Anglian Water) as an Interim Sales resource and also providing strategic consultancy

  • Family Matters Institute leading a schools mental health project (PT) over a 5 year period from concept to full service

  • Family Initiative helping shape and develop their Voices in the Middle Service for young people

  • Britains Most Colourful Manager creating a competition and service for a design agency

  • Thurrock Council For Voluntary Service providing project management for volunteering and pension credit projects

  • Institute of Leadership Management - leading and tutoring a Level 4 and Level 5 management course

  • British Energy advising and rolling out new project management methodologies to theit staff

  • Visit Britain Activities where i was a TV presenter for their destination based marketing films

  • MC'ing and Presenting at national shows including the London Boat Show and Camping and Caravan Club Show

  • Volunteering as board member for the Olympic Sports Board in Bedfordshire pre London 2012

  • Volunteer board member for the County Sports Partnership regionally (over a decade)

  • Volunteer strategic consultant for the Cranfield Trust Charity