Mentors

In a varied career spanning over 30 years, I have been responsible for all aspects of manufacturing operations including Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Process Improvement, Business Systems, and Quality, Environmental, and Health & Safety Systems.  I have worked in industries ranging from process plants to low volume, high variety make-to-order businesses.  Many of the projects I have been involved with have crossed departmental boundaries, and as a result, I have a good understanding of how businesses work as a whole, from enquiry to invoice.

I am an experienced business coach / mentor qualified via the Institute of Learning and Management and have over 24 years’ experience in senior management and marketing, most recently at European and Global level.

As a coach & mentor I offer a confidential sounding board and a safe space, not only to support you as you develop your business but also to help you grow as an individual.  As a marketer, I help develop marketing strategies and devise marketing plans to help your business thrive.

Retired: formerly VP and Global Operations Director for USA-based medical diagnostic products company.

Further to graduating in chemical engineering, I have extensive industrial experience working in the chemical, pharmaceutical and medical diagnostics sectors.  My career focussed primarily on general management and leadership roles, and as such, I class myself as a “jack of all trades but master of none”!  My strengths are working with individuals to develop their skills to achieve their business goals, especially in the start-up phase.

Welsh Speaker

Highly successful career within the Banking industry for over 30 years. During this period I was seconded, on a number of occasions to other divisions, as Regional Manager, with the purpose of developing middle management teams to achieve all objectives set and in line with the Balanced Business Scorecard.
After leaving the Bank I set up my own catering business and over a period of 9 years trebled both turnover and profitability
The business was sold in 2015

Ian Cooke-Tapia  is founder and creative director of Cooked Illustrations, a visual communications agency specializing in science communication. Their mission is simple: to help researchers around the world achieve cultural, scientific and economic impact in their native languages using visual communications.

Ian started working in 2016 as a reportage illustrator on tropical science field expeditions, quickly noticing that often research is done at and around people who will never see the results of it.

Ian is an experienced engineer and entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in the offshore oil and water industries. He is an Executive Coach and Leadership Mentor working with organisations who want to develop a more conscious way of working, supporting multiple stakeholders in this time of growing complexity and rapid change.

After studying psychology, science and sport I went into retail - specifically sporting products. Unexpectedly after taking a seasonal role as an assistant I actually spent several years in this area. While learning my role as a manager of a well known store I learned every aspect of the industry and so by the age of 21 I had worked my way up to become the store manager and developed the store to a level where we achieved a £3 million turnover per year.

James is an experienced, instinctive and effective frontline Commercial Manager with a proven track   record   in   business   growth. History   of   developing   strong relationships   with   colleagues, customers and suppliers to the great benefits of his company’s goals.

Straits Line Ltd is a vehicle for me to deliver a ‘Portfolio of Projects’ for Commercial Development, Innovation & Enabling Growth. I work across a variety of Sectors - Healthcare, Energy and Tourism. 

Having finished a Foundation year at Newport Art College, James started his career in June 1985 working at Brian Hughes Design in Usk at the offices of Sector Design Group.
After three creatively influential years, he resumed his formal design education at Newport, graduating with a BA (Honours) in June 1991. Whilst studying for his degree, James was an exchange student at the Hochschule, Luzern, Switzerland.
After graduating, James worked for Barrie West Associates in Ross-on-Wye and then Peter Gill Associates in Cardiff, but ‘self employment’ was always the aspiration.

After University joined RHM Foods on a graduate trainee programme and eventually becoming their Operations Manager for a Factory employing 250 people.

Moved into hi-tech production within the electronics industry to learn all about World Class Manufacturing techniques and lean manufacturing.

This was followed with a career spanning 16 years working as a Management Consultant where my specialisms were Supply Chain and Project Management.