Specialisms
I specialise in the following areas:
- Career Coaching
- Leadership Coaching
Adrian served as City Council Chief Executive for over 17 years and was also Managing Director of a commercial holdings company comprising three businesses: Housing, Energy, and Trading. He was a member of the District Councils Network Chief Executive Group, where he led nationally on housing and homelessness and acted as the lead Chief Executive for the Better Lives work stream.
Adrian has experience working in both county and district councils. At Director level, he managed a diverse portfolio of services including housing, regeneration, sport, leisure, arts, and culture. His background also includes extensive work in human resources, progressing from County Personnel Officer and Assistant Director of Human Resources through various roles covering employee relations, training and development, recruitment and retention, and remuneration and reward.
He is now an independent consultant, undertaking short-term assignments and delivering development programmes across the public and third sectors.
Key Strengths/Area of Expertise
- Executive Leadership (Chief Executive level)
- Working in a (volatile) political environment
- Strategic thinking and planning
- Commercialism within the public sector
- Brokering solutions to difficult issues
- Coaching and mentoring
- Facilitation with senior management or political groups
- Recruitment to executive roles
- Appraisal and performance management
Professional Qualifications
- Master’s degree in business administration (Distinction.)
- ILM Level 7 Certificate in Executive Coaching and Mentoring
- Post Graduate Diploma in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management
- Higher and Ordinary National Certificates
- University of East Anglia Honorary Doctor of Letters
Testimonials/Case Studies
“Adrian was an essential support to me during my early period as Chief Executive. He is an excellent listener and always well briefed on my Council’s position, and my own likely leadership dilemmas ahead of each session. Above all Adrian provided a safe space for me to talk about anything that was on my mind, and this helped me work through things and move from feeling like an imposter to settling fully in the role with confidence.”
“The sessions with Adrian have been amazing and it has been really good to have the space to work through things with him outside of the usual confines of work. He has helped me to think through a range of issues such as leadership v management, working strategically and what might come next for me personally in terms of my career.”
Notable Achievements/Value Added
- Preparing colleagues for executive local government management roles
- Brokering successful Chief Executive appraisals and performance management reviews
- Long term Chief Executive and Director coaching relationships
Relevant Sector Knowledge
- In depth and breadth of local government
- Working with politicians
- Commercialism within a public sector ethos
Training/Coaching Programs/Workshop Offers
- Executive Coach (ILM Level 7)
- Aspiring to be a Chief Executive programme
- Aspiring to be a Director programme
- Aspiring to be a Head of Service (Assistant Director) programme
- Bespoke coaching sessions in preparation for a specific selection process
- Top performing executive support staff workshop