CAREER AND ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE

Director of Action Learning Associates Ltd January 1997 - date

Ruth founded the company which offers:
; Action learning sets for chief executives and senior managers, either within organisations and sectors or in mixed sets across sectors.
; Action learning facilitation training for independent consultants or within companies to create in-house capacity for action learning. Continuing support to facilitators through shadow consultancy / peer-coaching action learning sets.
; Training on a range of management development topics, including project management, leadership, creating high performance teams, planning and evaluation, appraisal, business and service planning, and facilitation skills.
; Organisational development and consultancy on strategic planning, human resources, team building and change.
; Facilitation of Boards and senior management teams.
; Mentoring and Executive coaching
Currently there are 15 associates

Examples of Ruth’s individual clients and the work supplied include:

; advising the Health Foundation on the role of leadership development consultants and providing quality assurance of their work
; facilitating the Board of World Development Movement to review their governance arrangements
; team building, project management training and individual coaching for BasicNeeds, Sri Lanka
; designing and running the inaugural meetings of the newly appointed Commissioners to the Independent Police Complaints Commission
; developing a customised programme of project management training for senior and middle managers at Royal National Institute for the Blind.
; researching the management development requirements of the arts and cultural sector in the south west
; action learning sets for Creative Directors working for Creative Partnerships across England
; incorporating action learning into Ernst & Young’s accelerated leadership programme
; consultancy work with an urban poverty project in Zambia on business planning, marketing strategy and developing new tools for sharing learning between programmes
; consultancy for ActionAid on strategic development and change management about the future of advocacy in the agency
; training trainers in a young, rapidly expanding fundraising company
; reviewing ways of working and assessing options for change at The Refugee Council
; teambuilding with Amnesty International UK’s senior management and mapping the future direction of the organisation
; leadership skills and management development training at all levels at Asthma UK
; leadership training for a major financial institution in Australia
; training trainers in a programme for social housing development and community/government links for the Social Housing Foundation in South Africa
; working with the senior management team of a new grant giving foundation on strategic planning and team effectiveness
; action learning facilitator training for Ernst & Young, Independent Theatre Council, Cancer Research UK, Royal National Institute for the Blind and Rethink
; developing joint working through the provision of action learning sets for chief executives in the NHS and directors of social services in local authorities
; executive coaching and action learning sets for managers at the Financial Services Authority

Other customers include: The Commonwealth Bank, Australia, European Cultural Foundation, AXA Insurance, Care International UK, Oxfam, Mind, Volunteer Reading Help, NHS Leadership Programme for Chief Executives, Spitalfields Festival, London Boroughs of Hounslow and Bexley, Arts Council England South West, Voluntary Arts Wales, Guys and St Thomas’ Charitable Foundation.

Career Achievments

Training Consultant The Management Centre March 1995 - January 1997
Delivered management development training programmes for a wide range of organisations in the public and voluntary sector.

Head of Advice and Benefits London Borough of Greenwich March 1991 - February 1995
Achieved a turn around in the housing benefit service and co-ordinated the council’s anti poverty strategy.

Previous work experience also includes:
; Women’s Advisor and housing manager in a London Borough
; five years as a community worker and advice worker at a Law Centre
; social worker, probation and residential hostel worker

Qualifications

; MBA, 1998 (Open University)
; Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Assessor, 1995 (Oxford)
; Certificate of Qualification in Social Work, 1975 - 1976 (London School of Economics)
; Diploma in Social Administration, 1974 - 1975 (London School of Economics)
; BA (Hons), 1970 - 1973 (Nottingham University)

Please contact us if you would like to arrange a meeting with Ruth to discuss your requirements,
or to receive further information.

19 Sycamore Court, Royal Oak Yard, Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3TR
Tel/fax: 020 7407 1971 ruth.cook@actionlearningassociates.co.uk