Our People

Steve has Postgraduate qualifications and over 25 years senior management experience in the Public, Private, and Not for Profit sectors. Steve is a member of ISPAL, ISRM (Dip), and BIFM. Steve has delivered specialist papers to national and regional ILAM and APSE conferences.

Steve has over 20 years experience in the public, private, and not for profit sectors - as a Director, interim Head of Service, and Consultant. Steve has proven leadership, teambuilding, change and project management skills - combined with a tenacity to deliver results and achieve tough objectives on time, within budget, and in accordance with client requirements and strategic objectives. Steve formulates and then executes whole service restructures, delivers feasibility studies, carries out management options appraisals, and manages large scale procurements (capital and service management). Steve leads clients through the ‘’options appraisal process’’ and has a detailed knowledge of the financial and legal issues associated with the widest range of options. Steve supports the whole process from the options appraisal, the formation of the shadow board, development of partnership agreements / performance frameworks , registration of IPS/CLG, establishment of business systems – thru to the effective transfer. Steve is an open and precise communicator at all levels, with the ability to win respect and deliver a persuasive and powerful message to all stakeholders. Steve offers a new perspective to clients seeking fresh thinking and who will benefit from his high level / diverse experience. A seasoned ‘’hands-on’’ leader, Steve is able to motivate and develop key staff and manage teams towards the achievement of challenging objectives.

Steve has the flexibility and experience to apply his diverse experience in a variety of contexts - including complex consultancy, interim management, and advisory / review roles. He has presented specialist papers at national and regional professional seminars.

Peter has over 20 years experience at the highest levels. The former Head of Culture at the London Borough of Newham (host Borough to the 2012 Olympics) he has a strong track record of achievement in the Leisure and Cultural Services sector covering Arts, Events, Heritage, Libraries, Parks, Play, Sport and Tourism. Peter has successfully led and developed a diverse range of services and projects to deliver high quality outcomes that have attracted considerable external recognition including, Beacon Status, ‘whole service’ Cultural Services Inspection, IIP, Green Flag Awards and numerous awards and recognition for a range of capital and community projects.

Peter has two postgraduate degrees, including an MSc in Amenity Landscape Management. He has demonstrated a particular strength in the development of sustainable and effective partnerships and working relationships with influential stakeholder bodies and organisations at regional and national level such as: Audit Commission; DCMS; IDeA; Arts Council England; Sport England; CABE Space; Royal Opera House; London Parks & Green Spaces Forum and a number of community and local organisations.

He has also successfully managed and developed the lead role in devolved Local Neighbourhood Management in an extremely diverse area over a period of many years.

Peter has the ability to combine innovation with strategic and practical thinking that have successfully delivered tangible outcomes. His strong analytical skills and forte for managing change alongside his strong people management skills provide a solid foundation for service improvement and successful project delivery. He has a track record of delivering successful projects - from vision to delivery.

Peter has considerable experience of corporate and service management at the highest level and has both transferable management and specialist skills. As an accredited Peer Assessor with the IDeA, he has the ability to work in a very diverse range of organisations and contexts, including advisory and review roles. Peter is thorough and methodical and has an excellent track record of developing effective relationships with key stakeholders at every level.

Peter has served as a peer assessor for IDeA, and also on national and regional panels/groups for: CLOA; ILAM; Royal Horticultural Society; London Parks & Green Spaces Forum; and the London and East Anglia Benchmarking Groups. He has written articles for a wide range of publications including Municipal Journal, Leisure Manager, and Horticulture Week. He has been invited to speak (and has chaired) at a number of national and regional conferences within the leisure and cultural sector, and has been a programme advisor to ILAM and CABE Space. Peter also founded and developed the successful London Parks Benchmarking Group, chairing this body for several years

Denis left Braintree District Council in October 2006 and has subsequently carried out a number of consultancy and interim management assignments. Denis has broad ranging experience at senior level, and has developed his specialist area expertise by delivering training courses and quality audits on behalf of Sport England as part of the national QUEST scheme.

Denis is a PRINCE2 project management practitioner and qualified with the Association of Project Managers. He is an advanced level project manager, and has delivered project management training courses for local authorities.

As Head of Corporate Projects for Braintree District Council, Denis was responsible for initiating, structuring and implementing a range of key strategic initiatives and capital projects. He was also responsible for improving controls and developing skills capacity across the Council. This eventually led to Denis training around 60 managers in the systems that he had instigated. Denis led on all aspects of the transfer of over 200 staff from the Council to a newly established trust. This involved working with individual, teams and partnership organisations in order to realise the benefits identified. Running parallel with this Denis led on a £15 million programme of projects to replace the councils Leisure facilities

Denis has recently completed a 12 month Interim position for C3 Consultants with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea as Head of Service-Ground Maintenance and Sport.

Denis is qualified as a Change Management Trainer with APMG and has worked over the past 2 years with AFA delivering both internal and public courses. Denis is RSA accredited holding a certificate in Teaching as part of the Health Education Programme.

Nick is a specialist in strategic marketing. He has extensive business experience at a senior level in a career covering business development, marketing strategy, market research and market planning.

Nick now specialises in Leisure, Travel, Heritage and Arts sectors. Some of his most recent projects include a feasibility study for a new visitor attraction and heritage centre in Wales, the Defence of the Realm Interpretation Plan for Cadw, a developed plan for an historic house and heritage centre for a local authority in Kent and workshops on festival funding for the Tourism Management Institute Conference in 2009.

He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing a member of the Tourism Society and trustee of the British Postal Museum & Archive.

Nick is an Associate of C3 and a Director of Attract Marketing Ltd, the visitor attraction and museum consultancy.

John has worked passionately to develop new initiatives, spread best practice, encourage consistency and raise the public health profile of physical activity and sport across sectors, and particularly within NHS, for over a decade.

At national policy level, John worked alongside the Department of Health (DH) in the design, pilot evaluation and dissemination of the flagship “Let`s Get Moving – a physical activity care pathway for the NHS” programme.

Regionally, for NHS London, John drafted elements of “Go London – an active and healthy London for 2012 and beyond”, the strategy which forms the basis of NHS London`s 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games legacy ambitions. In addition, John updated NHS colleagues on contemporary physical activity for health issues across 31 London Primary Care Trusts by delivering a high quality learning network programme.

John has presented papers at national level events such as the Free NHS Health Checks collaborative network and UK Public Health Association National Conference to help embed physical activity as core NHS business

Alongside pan-London responsibilities for NHS London, John has worked closely with local NHS and wider partners across east London in the development, auditing, commissioning and delivery of physical activity and sport programmes.

Prior to sub-regional and regional roles, John managed the Healthy Activity programme at the London Borough of Newham for seven years establishing & mainstreaming a number of physical activity programmes.

John has first and higher degrees in the subject area, has lectured at further and higher education level in the areas of sport, leisure & recreation. Now working on a consultancy basis, John’s broad portfolio mix of implementation and strategic experience is a key benefit to his clients and enables him to offer his expertise in such areas as:

• Strategic, policy document and business case construction
• Scoping change and development of physical activity services
• All commissioning and implementation aspects of “Let’s Get Moving – a physical activity care pathway for the NHS”
• Exercise Referral Scheme – design, delivery, evaluation and trouble-shooting
• Design and evaluation of physical activity programmes
• Public and professional facing training, facilitation and consultation exercises
• Linking cross-cutting agendas – physical activity, sport and health

Guy is an innovator, and a creative thinker. He has set up several high profile businesses in the UK Leisure Industry. He has organised sponsorship for televised events, and is a marketing professional. He was the founder of a major UK Trade Association, and is a meticulous planner.

Andrew is our catering and hospitality expert. He is highly commercial in his approach and has experience in working with the Arts Council England and a range of Theatres and Performing Arts venues. He turns loss making projects into profitable enterprises. He has expert understand of how catering and others concessions can be organised and procured for events – from high class international dining to fast food.

Debbie works from the office as PA to Steve Laird and provides support for the whole team by assisting with administration, research, arranging meetings and the management of the information flow..