About the authors

Tom Bird

It’s fair to say that I review my career and experience with mild surprise. My school years were never populated with dreams of becoming a trainer, coach, speaker or author but, as I write this, I have spent the past 11 years of my career doing just these things – and loving them.

Prior to focusing on training and other aspects of individual, team and organisational development, I spent 15 years in sales and then in management and leadership within a number of international hi-tech companies. This experience in working with different cultures, markets, companies and colleagues helped me understand a few important truths:

• Successful companies are built around successful, capable and motivated individuals and teams.
• Individuals always have more potential than we see.
• Certain people seem able to bring out more from individuals, enabling them to connect with and realise more of their potential.
• I have a passion for seeing people develop and achieve.

My business experience showed that training delivered in isolation rarely works but that it has the potential to be instrumental in bringing about tangible and sustainable change leading to business results if it is seen as part of a system.

I now spend most of my time working with companies around the world to design and deliver highly effective training, helping them consider how best to embed and transfer the learning, and coaching individuals to help them realise more of their potential. My clients include VF Europe (The North Face, Vans, Lee & Wrangler), Eversheds, Baringa and Stephenson Harwood. This is my second book co-authored with Jeremy Cassell. The first, Brilliant Selling, was published by Pearson in 2009.

My work is supported by a Post Graduate Diploma in Coaching & Development from the University of Portsmouth and qualifications in Business and Finance from Kingston Business School. I am also a Master Practitioner of Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP). In addition to being a director of RTP – Release The Potential (www.rtpc.co.uk) – I am a founding partner of The Møller PSFG Group (www.mollerpsfgcambridge.com), a company dedicated to supporting the development of individuals and firms in the professional services market.

My other passions in my life are music (particularly loud music), food (particularly cooking) and spending time with my family: my wife Jeanette and two children Ellie and James.

I can be contacted on +44 (0)1428 681333 and by email at [email protected].

Jeremy Cassell

Professionally, I spend my time in four ways:

• delivering business training to groups;
• coaching individuals on a one-to-one basis to improve performance;
• co-delivering key note conference presentations with Tom Bird;
• co-authoring business books.

The Financial Times Guide to Business Training is our second book. The first, Brilliant Selling (Pearson Education, 2012), has sold over 35,000 copies, been translated into eight languages and is the No.1 bestselling sales book in Europe.

I specialise in all areas of influencing (specifically selling, pitching, presenting, personal impact, negotiation and teaching managers how to coach). I work across both professional service firms and large corporates, although I enjoy working with smaller businesses when I get the chance.

I am the MD and founder of RTP (www.rtpc.co.uk) a performance improvement consultancy, started in 1999. There are two directors, six associates and three support staff. I am also a founding partner and co-owner of The Møller PSF Group (www.mollerpsfgcambridge.com) which has quickly become the No. 1 learning and development organisation for professional services firms, focusing on leadership, strategy, business and client development, talent and career development, and coaching and mentoring.

My current clients include Linklaters, Baker & McKenzie, Ince & Co, Eversheds, Catlin, Sodexo, Siemens, and Parker Hannifin. My approach is collaborative, pragmatic and results focused.

I have broad experience in education, sales, management, strategic account management and training with multi-national companies. I am a qualified teacher, certified coach and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) trainer and have held senior positions as National Training Manager for L’Oréal and National Sales Training Manager for Walker’s Snack Foods, coupled with a spell at a management consultancy. This experience and my 14 years as a consultant have given me valuable knowledge to draw on when designing and delivering development programmes that help promote employee confidence, increase productivity and improve communication throughout a team or organisation.

Outside work, I play and watch as much sport as possible, including golf, cricket and squash, if there is any spare time outside the family! My anorak tendency is that I collect first editions of hardback modern novels and Wisdens.

I have three children – Felix, Benjamin and Isabella. They keep me occupied with their never-ending curiosity, hobbies, energy, zest for life and love of learning. Finally my partner is Nicola Dewdney, who appeared in many West End musicals and is now a mother, partner, actor, drama teacher and business trainer.

If you want to contact me personally to discuss opportunities please email me at [email protected] or call + 44 1903 813897.

Tom & Jerry & Business Training...

This Financial Times Guide to Business Training was written out of a passion the authors share for bringing about sustainable change and business results through training. We have spent over 35 man years working with organisations around the world to design and implement programmes that make a difference.

Examples of what we do include:

• consult with organisations around the design and implementation of effective business training programmes;
• deliver open programmes on all aspects of how to make your business training effective;
• deliver in-company training for a variety of organisations both nationally and internationally;
• produce books, articles, DVDs and other products to support best practice in training needs analysis, design and delivery.

Contact us through our website for more information: www.ftguidetobusinesstraining.com

Tel: 01903 813897