Leadership Support offers deep insight, engagement and access to leaders and practitioners across all points of the global digital and physical economy.
Our partners bring decades of executive search and leadership experience and put client needs at the forefront of each project. Our search partners have worked for Heidrick & Struggles, Harvey Nash (Global Technology Recruiter), Korn/Ferry International, Odgers and Whitehead Mann.
Leadership Support covers all business sectors with an excellent record of helping organisations find talent to help improve their digital capability.
We are an agile business that is able to put the right team with the right expertise to deliver high quality search work.
Our Head of Research has an active network of the best independent professional researchers. This sets us apart from other firms who have one or two researchers for each sector.
Additionally, we do not have the off limits issues that all the big firms have. This allows to look at all areas of the market and ensure you are provided with a rigorous research report.
We have adapted over five decades of learning from how UK Special Forces select and develop their leaders and combined it with the Birkman Method, to build high performing teams and gain insights into how leaders behave under pressure.
We work with senior leadership teams and individuals at all levels, focusing on:
We pay particular attention to how leaders operate under sustained intense pressure and how they solve complex, dynamic and evolving problems.
We analyse how people react to constructive challenge and adapt to change, as well as understand how they “get the job done” while navigating legal, ethical, moral and regulatory dimensions.
The methodology is flexible and can be easily adapted for on-boarding, change management, personal development activities and for emerging leaders and fast tracking talent.
"This form of scenario based learning was found to be extremely valuable. The Leadership Support team was very approachable and constructive and the scenarios they created for us were tailored to our business - and very realistic."
A series of courses to assess leadership potential and how well individuals and organisations cope with problems. Streamlining, promoting and developing leadership thought processes and identifying aptitude and ability for leaders of the future.
Assessing management teams and highlighting individuals for mission critical roles such as CEO, CFO, CDO, CMO and working with private equity to assess leadership value.
Developing organisational leadership and training for management teams to empower middle management for roles in senior management and future leadership.
"I asked Adrian and Michael to work with my HR Director and Chief Operating Officer. What they produced was excellent. It was a timely intervention that helped my COO grow as a leader. He subsequently succeeded me as Group CEO after an external search led by headhunters."
Steve Richards, Former Group CEO, The Casual Dining Group
'Ambitious to Achieve?
Then understand strategy!’
Sir Adrian Bradshaw
Sir Win Bischoff on executive pay, women on boards, banking crisis
Michael Ferndale
Contact us about our two new online courses, conducted using Zoom/Microsoft Teams.
Leading In and Beyond a Crisis
Leading Remotely
Sir Adrian has experience of leadership at the highest levels in NATO, where he was Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (DSACEUR). As a four-star general, and military helicopter pilot, he fulfilled highly demanding responsibilities in peace and war.
At various stages in his long and demanding career Sir Adrian commanded UK Land Forces, 1st (UK) Armoured Division, 7th Armoured ‘Desert Rats’ Brigade and The King’s Royal Hussars. He spent a year in Afghanistan as Deputy Commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), at its peak strength of 140,000. Sir Adrian’s extensive experience of working with other nations’ armies included the appointment of Chief UK Planner with the 3rd US Army in the Middle East.
Sir Adrian has degrees in Agriculture, Defence Studies and International Relations. He enjoyed a sabbatical as a Visiting Defence Fellow at Balliol College, Oxford.
Sir Adrian is currently Governor of The Royal Hospital Chelsea, Chairman of the UK charity for limbless ex-service men and women, BLESMA, and a Senior Associate Fellow of The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).
Michael has worked with boards and leadership teams for nearly two decades. He has a wealth of experience in helping top teams with leadership, assessment and executive search, working extensively across the private, government, sport, not-for-profit and wider public sectors.
He established the Board Practice at Harvey Nash and chaired their Group Advisory Board. He has also worked for Korn/Ferry International and Whitehead Mann where he was a member of the board, consumer/retail and public sector practices.
Michael was educated at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and The University of Dundee where he graduated in Scots Law (LLB). He is a member of the Commercial Committee of the Lord’s Taverners and was on the Museum of London’s Development Board.
In 2016 he completed the 257 km Marathon des Sables in the Sahara desert, known to be the toughest foot race in the World, to raise money for The Lord’s Taverners to give disadvantaged young people a sporting chance. He completed the 2017 London Marathon running facing backwards for the same charity.
Julia has more than 25 years’ experience in the field of leadership and organisational development. An expert in developing people, Julia has helped businesses improve service delivery and profitability through increased performance levels and productivity.
In addition to her extensive leadership work across the private and public sectors, Julia chairs The Cyrille Regis Legacy Trust. The Trust was set up following the death of her pioneering football husband Cyrille Regis. Its purpose is creating and supporting mentoring initiatives which help people from disadvantaged backgrounds to improve their social and economic circumstances as well as breaking down barriers in our communities.
Julia holds a Master’s degree in Human Resource Development, is CIPD qualified, a trained Investor in People, Assessor, ILS certified Enneagram Coach and Belbin Facilitator.
Many corporate leaders consider John’s crisis preparedness plans and workshops to be the best in the business. His Army posts included Director Defence Diplomacy in the Ministry of Defence, divisional commander, commander of a UK Special Forces squadron and operations officer of the UK Special Forces. As deputy to the US director of the Iraq Survey Group he was instrumental in disproving the pre-war intelligence on WMD and was the first British government servant since the end of the British Mandate to be based in the Palestinian Territories. Her Majesty appointed him OBE and later CBE for his leadership in particularly challenging situations.
John then spent two years on the Executive Leadership Team of Invensys plc, a FTSE 100 multinational engineering and IT company. He was responsible to the CEO for the company’s security and business continuity globally. After a further two years in a senior role with M:Communications, for whom he developed client reputation and crisis management solutions, he established CulturesConnect Ltd in 2013.
Based on his four decades of handling conflicts and crises around the world, John writes and leads seminars on the Prepared Mind approach. Thus he established The Prepared Mind.
John has appeared many times on TV and radio, commenting on strategy, risk and leadership. He has an MPhil from the University of Cambridge in International Relations and a diploma in Negotiation and Mediation from the University of Kent. He holds pro bono appointments related to the church, the Middle East and disabled ex-servicemen. He continues to work part time for the British government at home and abroad.
Andrew Austin has enjoyed a distinguished career in business, executive search and the military. He is a world-leading expert in Personal DNA Profiling. He is a long time proponent of the Birkman Method.
Andrew has worked with Fortune 500 boards and executive teams as well as sports professionals including Justin Rose and Jason Holder. He has enabled them to maximise individual and team performance. His corporate work includes profiling and mentoring FTSE 100 CEOs, board evaluations, restructuring management teams, conflict resolution and recruitment.
Andrew led a successful military career as an RAF helicopter pilot and Army Officer, completing operational tours in Northern Ireland and Central America. He subsequently held senior management positions in Mars, Courtaulds and Asda and then joined Heidrick & Struggles as a Senior Partner placing executives in key roles.
He spent his formative years in corporate life as an agent of change working alongside some of the most respected leaders in industry such as Sir Christopher Hogg, Richard Lapthorne, Archie Norman, Allan Leighton and Justin King.
Tara is our Head of Research and Due Diligence, bringing over 20 years experience working with Heidrick & Struggles and Odgers Global Exec Search businesses - as partner, consultant and researcher.
Tara’s broader client base includes Fortune500, FTSE250, PE/VC backed and owner founder led businesses with a particular focus on Technology and Communications in EMEA and the US. She has worked across most sectors at some point throughout her career, including Retail, FMCG, Sport, Entertainment, FS, Public Sector, Industrial and Healthcare.
