Holes in my shoes, voodoo magic and some jazz…

Yes, I did arrive at London’s Heathrow Airport as a young man, flying in from one of Africa’s major cities, many years ago.

I didn’t worry about the big, gaping holes in my shoes that first day — those worries would come in a few months when I would feel the biting cold of winter clawing at my feet. But I was very aware of the few coins that jangled in my pocket, reminding me that I had to find a job fast or … God knows what.

Indeed, I soon found a job mopping floors and washing dishes in a restaurant in London’s famous Leicester Square. And I haven’t looked back since then!

I eventually graduated from kitchen porter and other similar menial jobs into a corporate career.

(Reading this back to myself now, it sounds so smooth and easy. Yeah right, “graduated” indeed. I can assure you that washing pans and delivering pizzas to pay my way through university was no easy gig. I had fun though. And shed a few tears too. But hey, …)

I cut my teeth in the corporate world driving performance improvements and organisational change in various functions, in a career that spanned most areas across end-to-end Operations and Supply Chain Management — from Demand Management at the front-end, through Procurement and Manufacturing, to Logistics at the back-end. And it included some sexy stuff like Six Sigma, Business Process Re-engineering; New Product Introduction; and Outsourcing.

(Okay, maybe I’m pushing it a bit; Outsourcing isn’t really that sexy…)

A lot of that experience was stretching, and sometimes stressful. But some of it came with enjoying the perks and excesses of international corporate executive life.

Yes, working for a conglomerate with two corporate jets and sponsorship of a Formula One racing team does have its benefits!

I’ve had extensive leadership experience in different sectors, including senior executive roles with several blue-chip multinationals, such as Customer Supply Chain Director at Bombardier Transportation; Global Logistics Director at GEC-Marconi; and Head of Procurement & Supply Chain at BAA Airports.

The common thread through my life and my work is ‘change’. I was always interested in learning the changes I could make to improve my situation — right from my kitchen porter days, I relentlessly sought the alchemy of personal success.

And when I eventually made it into the corporate world, my desire for success transmuted into an attraction to jobs that entailed creating organisational success by driving change — going in to turnaround performance or creating new functions from scratch.

Change is always about people. And people dance to the tune of their leaders. So it’s somewhat unsurprising that I ended up doing my MBA research on management effectiveness and organisational performance. I was awarded a distinction for the dissertation, and was subsequently approached to publish my seminal work as a management book.

It was a fabulous accolade, and probably the first sign of my future pull as a writer. But more significant for me was the learning I gleaned — and, boy, what an insight that proved to be!

Today, that insight and my broad career experience informs much of my work.

I also learnt a heck of a lot in transforming my life, from impoverished immigrant to FTSE 250 director — that’s the extra oomph I add in my offerings to you.

YOU gain the benefit when you engage me or through my books & products. You’ll get the magic spark and the know-how to get your groove on and ramp up your workplace effectiveness and performance success.

I could tell you that I’m the best thing since sliced bread; but I’d be lying. So I won’t. However, at the risk of sounding pompous, egotistical or annoying, I will say: I’m brilliant at what I do — helping individuals and organisations create the magic of workplace success.

Don’t just take my word for it; see for yourself what others who’ve benefitted from my magic have to say.

What else? Mmm… Oh, yeah, I’m a Chartered Engineer; a Six Sigma Black Belt; and a member of the Institution of Engineering & Technology (IET) and the Society of Authors. I hold an MBA from Durham University Business School and a BEng (Hons) from Greenwich University.

That’s it, c’est fini.