TEAM PROFILES
David Kerr – Founder and Managing Director
BSc(Hons), MBA, MAMBA, FCMI
David Kerr is the founder and Managing Director of Watt Works Consulting Ltd. He has nearly 20 years experience gained in senior consulting and board-level positions in the IT and management consulting sector. He is adept at delivering large-scale performance improvement, business and IT change across a variety of industries and has a passion for developing the potential of both people and organisations.
He is an experienced consultant, executive and business coach, trainer and independent facilitator with specific expertise in systems thinking, organisational diagnosis and assessment, organisation development (OD), change management, programme and project management, strategy, facilitation, creativity, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), branding, marketing and business development.
He has an AMBA accredited MBA (2003), is a registered Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) Advanced Practitioner, registered Prince2 Practitioner and registered Management of Risk (MoR) Practitioner with the APM Group. David is also an accredited NLP Master Practitioner, NLP Trainer (Northern School) and an independent facilitator and coach. He has a Certificate in Executive Coaching from the Academy of Executive Coaching (AoEC). He is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, a Member of the Association of MBAs (AMBA), a Member of the Professional Guild of NLP, a Member of Systems and Cybernetics in Organisations (SCiO) and a Member of the International Coach Federation (ICF).
Damian Hamill – Director of Training
DCHyp DMH A.Cert. CSHyp Reg NRAH Reg UKCHO
Damian Hamill is our Director of Training and joins Watt Works with many years experience as a respected coach, trainer and facilitator. He has worked across the public, private and voluntary sectors and has been delivering training to a variety of audiences for a number of years across a range of professional and personal development areas including performance improvement, stress management, creativity, hypnotherapy, clinical hypnosis, communication and development.
Damian’s background includes a number of years working in the City of London advising PLCs at Board level on communication issues, both in an individual capacity and as part of an agency team. His knowledge of the demands and expectations of corporate cultures enables him to make his training highly relevant whilst also encouraging original thinking and innovative problem solving. In addition, he has also held the positions of Course Director for a well-known hypnotherapy college and has been Senior Lecturer in Clinical Hypnosis for a London-based University. Damian’s training is regularly acclaimed as being clear, stimulating and entertaining. He possesses the ability to deliver complex material in a simple and accessible manner providing delegates at his trainings with take away skills that remain with them long after the training has finished.
He is a Master Practitioner and Certified Trainer of NLP, a hypnotherapist certified at an advanced level and an INLPTA certified NLP Coach Practitioner. He is a member of a number of professional hypnotherapy bodies as well as the Professional Guild of NLP.
Professor Roger James – Senior Consultant
CSci, CEng, CChem, Fellow Operations Research Society, FCMI, F.BCS
Roger works as a problem solver and senior manager working in research led, information extensive institutions in the private and public sectors. He has implemented strategic change in the Defence Industry, in the Life Sciences and in the Public Sector. He has held Director level positions at Glaxo, Napp, the British Library and the University of Westminster.
Following research work in Theoretical Physics Roger’s first job was with the UK’s leading systems and solution vendor delivering commercial OR applications for Signal Processing, Decision Support for the disposal of Nuclear Waste, Building Design and Scheduling. Amongst a number of first were the use of Kalman Filtering and Baysian Methods for real-time signal processing, multi-criteria decision making for options analysis and a commercial Building Design service.
Roger then applied Systems Techniques in the Pharmaceutical Industry. Blending approaches from Statistics, Process Optimisation and Simulation he shaped the Research and Product strategy of a global Pharmaceutical Group and improved key process such as clinical trials and manufacturing design. Working globally he has led change initiatives in company mergers, innovation and knowledge management. Throughout Roger integrated leading edge methods with technical expertise and managerial seniority & gravitas.
As an independent consultant Roger has worked as executive coach for Shell, BP, BT, ARM, Astra Zeneca and Unilever as well as holding advisory/non-exec positions for start-ups in Medical Research, Biotechnology, Semantic Technologies, Process Automation and Content Management. As an author Roger has published widely in the academic and commercial press with material on Knowledge Management, Six Sigma, Systems Thinking and Information Management.
Roger maintains links with research as a visiting Professor in Computer Science at Southampton University and teaches Strategic Life Science Management and Systems Thinking for the Open University.
Victor Newman – Senior Consultant
BA MEd PhD PGCE FRSA
Victor has 23 years of management consulting experience, specialising in organisation development, systemic problem solving and innovation. His C-level roles include: Chief Innovation Officer, Milamber Group; Head of Innovation Strategy, Technology Strategy Board (2008/9); CLO Optima and Fifty Lessons. As Pfizer’s Chief Learning Officer (2000-2005), he led the Innovation Surge within Global R&D.
Recent innovation consulting includes financial services, regulatory organizations, manufacturing, biopharmaceuticals, foreign government national innovation development strategies, manufacturing and telecoms. He has also featured in the WSJ, contributed to HBR, and is on several Advisory Boards. His “Knowledge Activist’s Handbook” has been cited as the “best management book within the last ten years”.
He is the inventor of several fast innovation thinking techniques, a systems thinking practitioner and has recently been applying his “Art of Innovation Leadership” diagnostic with CEO mentoring groups. Victor is a Visiting Professor in Knowledge and Innovation Management to both Greenwich and OU Business Schools, and has served as a special forces reservist.
Jerry Niman – Senior Consultant
BSc (Hons), MSc, CEng, CITP, MBCS
Jerry Niman has over 25 years IT management experience in large private and public sector organisations. He has a broad range of experience, covering IT strategy, project and service management, team leadership and development, contract management, budgeting and cost control, business process analysis, infrastructure and application development. He recently completed a major restructuring of IT support services in a large public sector organisation.
He started in the Aerospace industry, developing technical systems before moving on to set up and lead a ‘high tech’ group producing and supporting systems to control advanced aircraft manufacturing techniques. Later he was promoted to manage the total IT service delivery at a major manufacturing site.
In 1994 he moved into Higher Education as deputy director of the computing service for a prestigious Russell Group university, and later became Head of IT for one of the largest Universities in the UK. Recently, he has been undertaking consultancy in Service Delivery, IT strategy and management.
He is a Chartered Engineer with a strong track record in delivering IT systems and service with real business benefits. He takes a balanced approach to long term strategy and short term pragmatism, and applies his extensive experience of large organisations to analyse and improve business processes. Jerry has a particular interest in team and individual development, and for three years was Chair of the Staff Development Group for a national IT association. He has a particular flair for translating between ‘business’ and ‘IT’ dialects, and an outstanding track record in building bridges between organisational silos.
Jerry is also a certified Prince 2 practitioner, and is ITIL qualified.
John Rowland – Senior Business Analyst
BSc(Hons)
John is a mathematics graduate from Warwick university, and has gained considerable experience in Retail Banking where he progressed to management level, running his own banking branch. He has 10 years’ experience in Operational Management and Customer Services management and has spent a further 9 years in Business Process Analysis and Improvement. He is an experienced staff manager as well as possessing strong analysis and communication skills.
John has worked in both private and public sectors and is well versed in Sigma, Lean and Prince 2 methodologies. Since 2002 he has been engaged in the identification and implementation of process improvements, having had responsibility for the management of a small team of Lean/Sigma specialists as well as providing analysis and recommendation to senior managers.
He is experienced in process and business analysis, defining operating models and implementing change. An effective facilitator of workshops, John brings a strong operational and customer perspective to process solutions and the resolution of complex issues.
He has worked for Lloyds Banking Group, Capital One, Westminster City Council, London Borough of Lambeth, Gambling Commission, Buckinghamshire County Council, Nationwide Building Society, Care Quality Commission and Canterbury Christ Church University. Product areas include Plastic Cards, Licensing, Social Housing, Complaints, Health Regulation, HR and University tuition fees.
David Jacobs – Senior Business Analyst
BSc(Hons)
David is a consultant business analyst and information systems value maximisation specialist. After gaining a degree in Management Science with research and computing from Warwick University Business School, he specialised in marketing information, analysis and research for a decade before progressing into business computing where he demonstrated a strong ability to bridge between business and IT to gain maximum business benefit.
Through David’s 25 year career in business IT programming, relational database and business systems analysis, he has developed an insightful business analysis capability. He has also developed extremely high grade business value maximisation skills which have resulted in creation of the Value Maximisation Framework (VMF)™ considered by industry leaders to be an extremely powerful and creative approach to business-IT value maximisation.
Since the mid 1990s David has published a number of articles around his innovative value maximisation skills and framework. He has also made presentations on the subject to a range of senior IT professionals associated with key industry bodies such as the British Computer Society (BCS) and the National Computing Centre (NCC).
David’s sector experience includes airports, banking, insurance, media, advertising, retail, telecommunications, charities and education.
Julia Miller – Senior Consultant
BSc(Hons), MA, PhD
Julia Miller has fourteen years experience of working in the public sector (National Health Service and academia) as a senior manager in the area of research and development – most recently as Chief Operating Officer of a £20 million research and implementation initiative. Julia has a degree in Psychology and Economics, a Masters in Psychology and a PhD in medical psychology. Her key areas of interest and expertise include research, innovation, implementation, service improvement and service user engagement.
With extensive experience of working with teams to support and lead them in achieving their goals and plan their strategies, Julia brings a comprehensive knowledge of the research and innovation landscape to the Watt Works team as well as the tools and techniques needed to transform innovation into reality. She has worked on several national research and improvement initiatives, working with Manchester Business School and the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement and has been involved with developing research policy at a senior level. Julia has developed and provided training for senior managers across the NHS to develop their research and innovation strategies and goals in order to respond to a more financially constrained environment.
Julia also has extensive experience working with the NHS to support the development of partnerships to respond to the need to reduce health inequalities. She is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Manchester.
Jim Yates – Senior Consultant
BTech, MBA, CEng, FIChemE, MCMI
Jim Yates has over 30 years experience of change and project management in a broad range of organisations across the public and private sectors. He has operated successfully at board level both as an internal change agent and an external consultant.
He is an experienced consultant, executive & business coach, trainer and independent facilitator with specific expertise in systems thinking, organisational development (OD), change management, programme and project management, strategy, marketing and business development.
He has an AMBA accredited MBA (1995) and has tutored on several modules of the Open University Business School MBA programme since 1997. Jim has additional qualifications in Performance and Life Coaching. He is also a co-author of “Project Benefits Management” published in 2007 as part of the Institution of Chemical Engineers Project Management Series. This reflects his specific expertise of linking project management to corporate strategy and guiding clients through the fuzzy front end, turning intention into action.
Derek King – Senior Consultant
BA(Hons), DMS, FCMI
Derek King has over 25 years experience in strategic and operational management within the charity and social enterprise sector. He has established and developed a number of successful organisations and created and lead a range of innovative projects in the social welfare law, healthcare and community development and engagement fields working in partnership with, inter alia, the Legal Services Commission/Legal Aid Board and Department of Health.
Derek founded Victim Support in east Lancashire, Age Concern Hyndburn, Crossroads Care Attendants, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley CVS. Derek was a founding director of the New Era Trust Ltd, a company which provides leased and sessional premises along with conference, educational and sporting facilities to local communities. The establishment of the Trust was the culmination of five years work with other partner agencies (Lancashire County Council, Hyndburn Borough Council, East Lancashire PCT, etc) which secured, inter alia, capital funding from the Millennium Commission and English Partnerships to realise project aims. Derek’s involvement chiefly focussed on developing policy and operational systems for the new organisation.
Derek was also one of 13 suppliers to win contracts with the Legal Aid Board to provide legal services in new delivery formats and located within local community and healthcare facilities. He established an innovative advice service delivering assistance to persons with blood-borne viruses in specialist health facilities across east Lancashire. Derek also established an EU / UK government-funded employment advice service which provided advice and support to micro-enterprises, small businesses and individuals. Latterly he founded an independent advice and conciliation service for NHS users across east Lancashire and the NW Prison Service.
Derek continues to work with individuals and teams seeking to make sustainable change to patterns of behaviour and work. He is a trustee of a home improvement agency based in east Lancashire and trustee of a large Citizens Advice Bureau serving north Lancashire.
Derek is a NLP Master Practitioner, a Hypnotherapist registered with the General Hypnotherapy Register and is also a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and a member of the Professional Guild of NLP.
Stuart Gray – Senior Consultant
Stuart Gray has more that 30 years experience in the NHS, with 20 years experience as Chief Executive of some of largest, complex and challenged organisations in Wales, England and Scotland including Lothian University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Dyfed Powys Health Authority and The Countess of Chester. He has a proven track record of leadership in managing performance and change in the NHS and has extensive experience working with individuals, teams and boards to maximise their performance and contribution.
Stuart has demonstrated an ability to tackle major financial deficits whilst maintaining standards and services and is able find options and sustainable solutions to the most complex and difficult issues. He specific expertise is policy formulation, strategic direction, leadership development and board level performance, managing performance and change, media management, team cohesion, organisational effectiveness, personal development, career coaching, inter agency working, corporate governance and risk management and conflict resolution.
He has chaired a number of National Bodies working at the highest level of Government in England and the devolved Administrations in Wales and Scotland, leading a number of National initiatives including the introduction of the Performance Management Framework in the NHS in Wales. He is also a Non-Executive Trustee of a National Charity looking after vulnerable teenagers and adults, and is a Governor of Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Lead Governor on Strategy and Infrastructure). Stuart has also attended a number of specialist coaching workshops including the Cabinet Office Top Managers Programme, and regularly attends at NHS Leadership and Kings Fund Programmes.
Martine Carassik – Senior Consultant
Martine Carassik has more than 20 years experience at senior levels within the Higher Education (HE), IT, management consulting and venture management sectors. She has initiated and managed several large transformation programmes over this period involving over 100 staff (most recently as Associate Director of Information Services for the University of Salford), and has held a variety of board level positions as both Executive and Non-Executive Director since 1996.
Martine has provided strategic and operational management, consulting and outsourced services to a variety of organisations across the public and private sector, and has had executive responsibility for strategic planning, budgeting, staffing and process improvement. She has specific expertise in service delivery, governance, ICT management (both infrastructure and applications), business process, project and programme management, performance management, operational management, team development and the management and leadership of change.
Martine has been a lead contributor in establishing strategic partnerships with professional bodies as well as suppliers and commercial partners across the Higher Education sector, and has led HE sector-wide leading-edge initiatives on shared services. She also has a successful track record of setting up and operating a number of companies as both a managing owner and partner.
Helen Smith – Senior Consultant
MBA, BSc, CertEd, FinstLM, MemIoD, MemEMCC, MemCA
Helen Smith has held a variety of Senior Management positions in the Healthcare sector for more than twenty years and has worked as a coach to many organisations across a variety of sectors, including biotechnology, healthcare and innovation. She has been involved in management consultancy and training since 2000, working with many new and established corporations at a strategic level as part of a government drive to support new business.
Helen has been passionate about motivation and achieving the best since she took an ailing team of 23 staff to the dizzy heights of national number one sales team within twelve months. The combination of enabling, realistic milestones and identifying self-drivers seemed to facilitate continuous personal, team and organisational improvement. Helen has since taken this experience to many other organisations to help them achieve the best at what they do.
Helen has particular expertise in strategic marketing and communications, motivation, executive and team coaching, organisational dynamics and facilitation. She is a trained and experienced facilitator, NLP Practitioner, coach and a member of the Coaching and Mentoring Practice.
Neela Bettridge – Senior Consultant
Neela has over 10 years’ experience as an accredited coach working with directors and senior managers, helping them to play a bigger game and perform at a higher level. With over 25 years’ business experience, including an extensive background in communications, Neela brings an impressive breadth of commercial and organisational understanding to her coaching role.
Not only has she worked with blue-chip organisations, she has also been involved in a number of successful start-up businesses. Working for both UK and international clients, Neela has a depth of understanding of a wide range of sectors, including Finance, Communications, Food, Health, Pharmaceuticals, Logistics, Engineering, Energy and Water.
Developing a relationship of trust rapidly, Neela works with values and purpose to develop vision and strategy. She also focuses on time to reflect in order to explore the types of leaders clients would like to be and to uncover the blind spots that may get in the way of that.
An Associate of, and Assessor for, the Association for Coaching (AC) and accredited in Transformational Ontological Coaching with the Newfield Network, Neela is also fully trained and qualified in the use of a range of psychometric assessment tools, including 15FQ+, Leadership Circle and FIROB amongst others.
Her clients include: Arqiva, Arup, BAA, BNFL, BUPA International, Camelot, CBI, Compass Group, Directorate General for Employment Social Affairs, & Equal Opportunities, DRAX, HSBC, Learning & Skills Council (LSC), MetroNet, Nestlé Purina, NHS (various), Odgers Berndtson, Prospect Group, Roche Pharmaceuticals, SABIC, Severn Trent, Skanska.
Paul Russell – Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist
C.Psychol
Paul is a registered psychologist with the Health Professionals Council (HPC), a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society, and an accredited Sport and Exercise Scientist (Psychology) with the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES).
As a sport psychologist Paul has worked with a variety of clients including footballers from three Premier League Football Clubs, U.K. Athletics, England Hockey, Great Britain Olympic Wrestling, England Boxing, Great Britain Water Polo, England Squash, England Badminton, England Netball, and a variety of other professional sportspeople and sports organisations. As a sport psychologist Paul has attended over twenty major competitions across Europe providing support to individual athletes and national teams.
Paul has written over twenty articles in professional publications including Boxing News, Fighting Fit, Fit Pro, and 220 Magazine. Paul is regularly asked to comment in the media about high profile sport psychology issues and has appeared in The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Daily Mail, The Guardian, The Daily Mirror, Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio, and Talk Sport.
Helen Spencer – Senior Training Consultant
Helen has almost twenty years experience in the learning and development profession. She is an experienced trainer and coach, committed to inspiring and empowering people to change their thinking, discover more choices, develop themselves and improve their lives.
Having worked for many years as a Learning and Development Consultant in a large county council, she has deservedly earned the reputation of being a first rate trainer. Whether she is running short courses or facilitating leadership development programmes, she is committed to helping people unlock their potential and become more effective. With her relaxed and easy going style, she brings learning to life with her own experience and enables people to learn in a safe and creative environment.
As an experienced coach she believes that coaching makes a real difference to people, empowering them to excel and get more from their life. As well as providing one to one coaching, she offers Professional Supervision to other practicing coaches and presents training programmes to enable managers and other people to develop their coaching skills.
She has been using Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) in her training and coaching ever since she was first introduced to it back in 2003. Believing ‘NLP can make a difference that makes the difference’ she was inspired to become an NLP Practitioner and then a Master Practitioner, training with some of the top trainers in the world. Now a qualified NLP trainer herself, she runs courses in NLP sharing her passion for the subject and inspiring others to embrace its power. A student of philosophy and a dedicated learner, she is committed to her own personal growth and continued professional development and this enables her to offer the cutting edge together with the tried and tested.
