Ashridge Consulting

Paul graduated in Engineering from Brunel University, and at 20 went straight to project leader with CarnaudMetalbox just as they were undergoing a take over, where he encouraged self-expression and confidence, building an awareness of personal roles and responsibilities. A growing sense that improving relationships would engender greater change for the good than a narrow technical focus led Paul to take up an appointment with McKinsey (UK and US), deepening his understanding of organisations in the corporate, public and voluntary sectors and immersing himself in the culture of coaching.

Eager to explore the voluntary sector further, Paul was appointed Chief Executive of a new charity, Teach First, where he was faced with the simultaneous development of the business, and coaching and mentoring of staff. After a period working as an independent consultant with Accenture and The Carbon Trust, Paul joined Ashridge Consulting in 2005.

• Brokering and managing relationships between government, business and the voluntary sector
• Promoting working with non-profit organisations to define, develop and ultimately deliver their vision without compromising their identity or integrity
• MBA tutor at Ashridge Business School, teaching consulting skills and approaches

“I’m really excited by wholesale change, changing the rules of the game”. Respectful but provocative, Paul enables organisations to challenge their assumptions and to bring about meaningful change through creative and almost unimaginable aspirations. While working at TeachFirst he promoted the attraction and retention of high calibre teachers by getting a commitment from undergraduates to two years teaching in under performing schools. Currently, Paul is working with a client with a brief to double turn-over in the next 4 years, by enabling them to look at the aspiration differently: maybe it can be quadrupled in 2 years.

Blessed with an ordered mind, Paul has a passion to ‘declutter’, meaning that he helps organisations to provide the optimal working environment for all to achieve their full personal potential. He has a special talent for addressing both the technical and the social environment. In his own words he is “naturally curious” and sceptical of dogma, methodology and prescription; he strives to “create a space for revelation… that removes inhibitions”.