Joe Turnbull, Managing Director of
WBS Group, has been a member of
Academy Group 11 since July 2007. He joined following the recommendation of a networking contact, "It seemed as if my business had gone from zero to sixty in 5 seconds!" Joe continues, "I realised I needed to invest in some personal development. My background in consultancy had given me an insight into many different businesses, but the reality is quite different when it's your own business. You need external input."
Julian Enoizi is the European CEO of CNA Insurance Company Ltd and a member of Academy Group 11. With their American partner, the fourth largest property casualty insurer in the US, and with a turnover of $350m, CNA in Europe is a leading provider of commercial insurance to medium-sized businesses and large corporations.
Eamonn Killoughery is a founding Member of Academy Group 42 and the Managing Director of The GKL Group, a major civil engineering, earthworks and construction company. The business employs around 200 people across two sites – Peterborough/Cambs and Colchester/Essex.
Simon Ricketts is currently National Sales Manager of Computeach International Limited and has been a member of Joe Adams' Academy Group 11 since December 2005. He's a gregarious, optimistic individual whose motto is "No Risk, No Reward" and judging by the colourful nature of his bio, he's certainly lived up to that.
Paul Naylon is Managing Director of Mono Pumps Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the American group, National Oilwell Varco. Paul is a member of Manchester-based Group 18, and joined The Academy for Chief Executives some five years' ago.
Tim Smith has been a member of Joe Adams' London-based
Leaders' Forum group since October 2005, and joined The Academy following his promotion to the role of General Manager with
B.I.G. Group.
David Burns is the Chief Executive of the
Chill Factore, the UK's longest and widest real snow indoor slope, based in Manchester.
Andy Hatter has been a member of Academy Group 2 since 2003. He's the former MD of Camden Electronics and is currently preparing to a start a new business.
James is a member of Mike Wilsher's Southampton-based Group 34. James joined the Academy fairly recently – he'd been to a lot of networking-type meetings, but was looking for something with 'more substance'.
Peter Shrimpton is General Manager of Mandeville Retail Ltd, specialists in retail management recruitment and part of the Mandeville Recruitment Group. Peter has been a member of Leaders' Forum 9 for five years, and was recommended to join by his MD, who was a member of a Chief Executive Forum.
Bryan has been a member of Mike Wilsher's Bath-based group since October 2006. He runs a consulting business that's focused on providing "board level services" to growing businesses.
Glenn Jones joined Barrie Barrett's Group 13 during the summer of 2005. He is MD of Pearl Lake Leisure Park in Herefordshire, a caravan holiday park with a golf course, bowling green, lake, bar and restaurant.
Blaire Palmer is a new member of Mike Wilsher's Bath-based Group … but she is no stranger to leadership development and coaching, as she's been running her own business in this area for the last 7 years.
When Jim McNamara, Managing Director of Craghoppers outdoor and travel clothing company, joined The Academy five years ago, he did so for personal development reasons. But he has gained so much more than that and is now a staunch regular at Group 18's monthly meetings.
Richard Philip is a founder member of Academy Group 7 and Managing Director of First Concept Ltd, a corporate clothing company specialising in the design, importation and supply of career and workwear to a number of blue chip companies including Tussauds Group, Paramount restaurants, Safestore and others.
Richard Tickle, Chief Executive Officer of Flowmaster Group BV and member of Presidents Forum 532, shares with us his experience of being an ACE member. "So, there I was several years ago, looking, searching, doing the same stuff (quite well as it turned out), but definitely "stuck" ..."
Ian McCann has been a member of Academy Group 1 for several years.
In Ian's own words, "When I first joined The Academy for Chief Executives I was a burnt-out, de-motivated Managing Director of the UK subsidiary for a multi national market research company. I had done the corporate 'stuff' for over 20 years and had climbed the ladder with postings in Australia and Asia.
Richard Brooman is Chairman of the Invesco Perpetual UK Smaller Companies Trust. A member of The Academy since early in 2003, Richard joined because he liked the shape of the offering: the learning and development part of the monthly meetings, plus the sharing and giving with members in the discussion sessions.