Our team
- Jean Ellis Dip Couns.
- Ian Girdler Cert HRD, Dip Ed, Lic IPD, ACIB
- Marcia Slack
- Linda Sykes
- Jane Thomas Dip Stress. Cert. Couns. MISMA Chair of ISM
- John Underwood Cert HRD, MCIPD, Dip. Couns,
- Mandy Underwood FCIPD, Dip Bus Coach, Dip Stress Mgt
Jean Ellis Dip Couns.
Jean is an experienced interpersonal skills trainer with over 20 years experience in a wide range of training situations. She has a depth of knowledge and experience in the design and delivery of courses in management skills, personal development, coaching skills, assertiveness, change and performance management. In addition, she has also designed and run sales management assessment centres for a major financial services provider.
Jean also has direct experience of managing staff performance while working in various management roles for Barclays Bank PLC. She has also had global responsibility for the management of all staff training for a company with offices around the world. Since becoming an independent training consultant, Jean has qualified as a counsellor and worked in various fields, most extensively within that of drug and alcohol addiction.
Jean's role within Developing U is in delivering the Dealing with Poor Performance and Leadership programmes. Jean is also involved in the coaching programmes we provide for many clients.
Ian Girdler Cert HRD, Dip Ed, Lic IPD, ACIB
Ian is a Director of PITHON Ltd. He entered the Financial Services profession in 1976 gaining experience in both the retail and corporate sectors. He moved into training in the mid 80s and broadened his experience into people and organisational development over the ensuing ten years. For the five years to 1999 Ian worked both as an internal consultant with a prominent UK company, advising on change projects and developing their executive and management teams, as well as continuing his activities as an external consultant.
Ian is now operating exclusively as an external consultant, specializing in executive coaching, negotiation, sales management and customer service, working in both the public and private sectors. He has international experience including projects in Europe and Africa.
Ian obtained his Post Graduate Diploma in Training and Development at the University of Sheffield and is currently studying Psychology. He is also a member of faculty with several prominent training and consultancy organisations, including Management Center Europe, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Executive Leadership Foundation (Brussels) and The International Negotiating Academy.
Ian has been responsible to deliver our project management programme for the past 5 years.
Marcia Slack
Marcia has been working with the NHS since 2000.
She is an Associate Training Consultant with ‘Developing U’ as well as managing her own training company ‘Auctus Training Ltd’. Marcia has been involved in the area of people development training for the last 10 years. Graduating from The University of Hertfordshire, then joining Barclays Bank, Marcia has extensive experience in performance coaching, of both individuals and teams, focusing specifically on leadership and interpersonal skills. At Barclays Bank, Marcia was responsible for the implementation of performance management in the South East of England. Her other roles there included Lending Manager and Regional Assessor.
The past three years with Developing 'U' has seen Marcia focusing specifically on NHS training, specialising in delivering Appraisal, Equality and Diversity, Recruitment and Selection, Bullying and Harassment workshops and Team Building Away Days.
Linda Sykes
Linda Sykes specialises in personal development training and coaching, covering all types of communication skills, e.g. all levels of coaching and selling skills, performance management and appraisal skills, team development and leadership.
Linda's career has included training the above skills in a variety of industries: Financial Services, Management Consultancy, IT, Materials Handling, Parts distribution, Retail and Insurance. Her qualifications include a Business Diploma and NVQ level 3 in Performance Coaching, INLPTA accredited trainer of NLP, Master Practitioner in NLP and Time Line Therapist. She is also a qualified facilitator for outdoor team development and leadership training.
Linda has been working with the NHS since 1998. Clients often comment on her enthusiasm and energy and how they have felt refocused and energised as a result of their learning experience.
'I have thoroughly enjoyed Linda's course and feel I have learnt loads and can learn lots more. Your enthusiasm and passion is very motivating and inspiring.” Delegate from the Introduction to NLP course.
Jane Thomas Dip Stress. Cert. Couns. MISMA Chair of ISM
Jane is a highly experienced trainer specialising in the field of stress in the workplace. She currently works with organisations in the areas of teamwork to reduce stress, managing attendance, dealing with poor performance and tackling stress in the workplace.
She is responsible to deliver the Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Diploma in Stress Management for Trainers.
Amongst Jane's experience in this field is the running of workshops in stress for the NHS. Currently she is serving on the Executive Committee as Chair of the International Stress Management Association. She also specialises in team building, managing attendance and emotional intelligence.
Jane's background in the NHS has been as a Cardiac Specialist Nurse, and in later years carried out a range of teambuilding activities for the Trust to reduce sickness and absence through improved team working.
John Underwood Cert HRD, MCIPD, Dip. Couns,
John is a highly experienced training and development consultant and has specialised in the field of trainer training for the past 15 years.
John’s experience includes the setting up and managing of the Trainer Development Unit for a Blue Chip company, management of the Certificate in Human Resource Development for staff members with Wolverhampton University and skills development coach/mentor to national and international trainers for Barclays Bank PLC. John has also delivered trainer training for the Management Center Europe.
In 1996 John began working with the NHS in the field of trainer/facilitator development for the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health and several local NHS Trusts. John also managed a 3 year project aimed at eradicating bullying and harassment from a large directorate in an Acute Trust.
John is a Director of Developing 'U' managing its day to day business and uses his experience for agreeing and developing programmes, trainer allocation, quality of training delivery and client liaison.
'John has raised my confidence and I have learnt how to deal with the challenges of being a trainer. Thank you so much!” Delegate from Hillingdon NHS Train the Trainer course.
Mandy Underwood FCIPD, Dip Bus Coach, Dip Stress Mgt
Mandy is a Director of Developing ‘U’. Her experience of training and development spans over 20 years, working in both the private and public sectors at strategic and operational levels. Mandy has experience in all aspects of training and development including analysis, design, delivery, facilitation, evaluation, NVQs programmes and the Investors in People Award.
Mandy worked for 5 years as a Training Manager in a major Acute Trust where her main responsibility was to establish an internal training function for staff across the Trust. This involved all aspects of training delivery, design and evaluation. During this time her work gained acclaim through the King’s Fund Audit, won a TEC bursary through the Gateway Initiative and supported the Hospital in achieving Investors in People status in 1997.
In latter years Mandy's scope of work broadened into a Personnel and Development role providing HR support and internal consultancy to a range of Specialties across the Trust.
More recently Mandy has worked as an independent Training & Development consultant across multi-disciplinary teams within Acute and Community Trusts, Health Authorities and PCTs.
Her varied work assignments have been: design and delivery of management development programmes, support with organisational development, the development of NVQ Assessment Centres and facilitation assignments.
Mandy was seconded to North East London Strategic Health Authority in 2005 to design the KSF Gateway policy within local Trusts.
Mandy is a Fellow of the Institute of Personnel and Development and holds an NVQ level 4 in Training Management and Delivery, Assessor and Internal Verifier Award D32/33/34, a Diploma in Business Coaching and a Diploma in Stress Management.
Mandy's role in Developing U includes finance, marketing and training design.