Our Team

Tony Borgnis

Senior Leadership Consultant

Tony brings into CCL a blended and practical view of Leadership knowledge and experience from both the military and the business worlds. He was an Infantry Officer in the Army from 1993 to 2012, in a variety of operational theatres including Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Afghanistan. During his military career Tony was also a leadership instructor and trainer at several different postings in the UK including, among others, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Since leaving the Army in 2012, Tony has worked at Thales and more latterly at Equiniti, a financial services outsourcing company, employed at Director level in Group Operations and Transformation & Change respectively.

Tony is now doing what he is most passionate about – leadership training and facilitation, both face to face (COVID 19 permitting) and virtually. He is currently developing his delivery of Leadership and team effectiveness training as an associate with CCL.

Jonathan Gow

Mental Health Senior Lead

Jonathan was the senior instructor with the Army’s Trauma Risk Management Team in Sandhurst. This role, as the mental health ambassador, involved the delivery of trauma and mental health courses across the British Army to enable the chain of command to manage potential traumatic events in order the reduce the phycological impact on soldiers and their families to help prevent mental illnesses like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and acute stress disorder.

Jonathan is the CCL Senior Lead for Mental Health, Health and Safety and Trauma Risk Management. He has worked with a wide range of organisation, from many sectors, across the UK delivering expert advice and training to address the stigma of mental health, develop a positive wellbeing culture, support their employee’s mental health and remain legally compliant. Jonathan has played a vital part during the COVID 19 process by supporting the NHS and delivering many remote training courses to key workers across the UK.

Charlie Lambert

Senior Leadership Consultant

Charlie brings over 35 years of military leadership experience; first as a practitioner in combat operations, followed by specialisations in leadership assessment, individual and team training and development, and its practical application at Board level delivering change programmes. A former President of the Army Officer Selection Board (AOSB), and College Commander at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, he delivered a root and branch review of the AOSB process making recommendations for timely evolution, which are currently being implemented.

He has led troops on operations in the Middle East, Northern Ireland, the Balkans and Afghanistan. In addition, he has delivered change programmes streamlining MoD business. At Board level, he has experience as a team member and Chair, working with international military, civilian authorities and commercial organisations delivering national policy, individual and organisational training solutions, change and community projects.

Most recently he has set up his own small farming business, and an associated team project promoting environmental land management.

Guy Denison Smith

Senior Leadership Consultant

Guy served for 27 years in the British Army as an infantry officer. He held numerous leadership positions during his military career in a variety of operational theatres including Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Afghanistan. He has been a leadership instructor at the Infantry Training Centre Wales, the Kuwait Staff College and the UK Defence Academy. As a trainer, he has trained individuals and formed unit for operational deployments. He spent almost 4 years as a military adviser to the UK Ambassador to the United Nations.

On leaving the Army in 2017, Guy joined a small family office in London as Chief of Staff for a UHNW family. He left this position in 2020 when the office relocated overseas. He then embarked on establishing a wine business focused on importing, distributing and selling fine wines from Croatia, called Blue Ice Wine UK Ltd.

Guy is passionate about helping others and believes that through CCL he can help develop and improve the leadership skills and knowledge of others based on his experience in the both the UK military and commercial sector.

In June 2022, along with 2 others, Guy is planning an expedition to take 5 badly wounded veterans to the Yukon River in Northwest Canada. In open canoes, they will embark on an epic and ambitious adventure, completely unsupported, and canoe 700km in 7 days.

Stu Simpson

Senior Leadership Consultant

Stu Simpson spent over 38 years serving the British Army. He has served across many continents helping leaders and supporting teams. Stu has ‘people’ and ‘environments’ in his every thought including cultural alignment, Inclusion, Diversity and Empathy which are areas which have proven successful, on the global stage, to get the very best out of every team member he has led and advised. From progression through the non-commissioned military ranks to leaving as a senior officer highlights his gravitas on the world stage is one which is respected.

Stu brings character to life; his infectious personality is one that is never forgotten – the message this brings is one of confidence, calmness and belief which shines through when building high performing teams. Stu engages at every level of an organisation; his experience is vast and strategic. From first level leadership to senior executive teams, Stu has the natural ability to adapt and deliver.

Cath Brown

Senior Consultant and Executive Coach

Catherine Brown practised as a barrister for over 14 years at Kings Chambers in Manchester.  She was appointed to the Attorney General’s Panel of Counsel and was then able to represent the Crown alongside other prestigious clients in tribunals, civil trials and inquests.

As counsel, Catherine gained experience in leading teams of solicitors and experts, advising on both strategy and law and then negotiating settlements or representing her clients at contested hearings.  This background provides her with a fresh approach to leadership and a forensic ability to delve beneath the surface in both coaching and training.

Since leaving the bar in 2014, she has qualified as a coach with an EMCC-accredited diploma, created her own company, become a Board Member of a charitable company and become a Lay Member on Regulatory Tribunals.

She has worked globally and online for over 7 years as both coach and facilitator with a particular focus on leadership, collaboration and communication as well as demystifying the legal world for those working outside that system.

Her coaching philosophy is informed by her belief in the power and responsibility of the individual to bring about change in their professional and personal lives.

Against that background, she employs a collaborative and conversational style which allows her clients to stop and think and gives them the time and space in which they can express themselves, explore new ideas and develop their own solutions.

Professor Elaine Limond

Executive Coach

Specialising in leadership and developing a high performance culture, Elaine has completed a MSc in Coaching and an Executive MBA, both culminating in the practical application of high performance theory within industry.

Elaine brings extensive coaching experience from the fields of elite sport and education, with a demonstrated passion for bringing out the best in others. In a rugby career spanning nearly 20 years, she was part of the England Women U20’s coaching team at a pivotal time in the game, was one of only a handful of female head coaches in the men’s club game, as well as working as a coach developer. Now as a University Deputy Dean, and Professor in sports education, she is responsible for strategy and innovation, leading change and instigating a coaching culture within the workplace.

A CMI accredited coach, she has been commended by students and coachees alike for her insightful and collaborative, yet challenging, style in supporting others to achieve aspirational outcomes.

Caroline Bainbridge

Executive Coach and Senior Consultant

Professor Caroline Bainbridge, PhD

Caroline is an experienced educator and facilitator, who works as an accredited executive coach and organisational/leadership consultant. She specialises in inclusion-focused leadership training, and executive coaching that works with complex experience. After more than 25 years as a university lecturer, published writer, and researcher, Caroline has been recognised as Emerita Professor thanks to her extensive work as a supervisor, mentor, role model, and leader. Caroline trained for her coaching and leadership consultancy work at the Tavistock in London and at the Eco-Leadership Institute, where she is also a member of the faculty.

An adept public speaker who has delivered keynote addresses in diverse international settings, Caroline is also an experienced media consultant. She has written for The Guardian newspaper and has appeared on audio media platforms including National Public Radio in the US and various leadership podcasts. Caroline is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and a Founding Scholar of the British Psychoanalytic Council.

Hugo Clarke

Senior Consultant

Hugo brings a unique breadth of experience as a leader and mentor with over 30 years working across military, government, commercial and non-profit sectors. Within the military he served in diverse leadership roles in the First Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland. He also worked with the HALO Trust, a mine clearance charity, leading teams in Angola and Afghanistan in the pre-Taliban era.

Since leaving the army in 2013 he developed and ran community cohesion projects in diverse cultural and social groupings across the UK and led the UK office for the Risk Advisory Group’s government services and risk practise. He has considerable experience delivering leadership and risk culture programmes for governments, large commercial organisations across a multitude of sectors, and start-ups within the UK and globally.

Hugo is passionate about risk culture and cultural identity. He works with the British Institute for Studies in Iraq on a project he originated to open a museum in Basrah, Southern Iraq.   He has lectured widely on the relationship between social cohesion and cultural identity.

Simon Brocket

Executive Coach

Simon is a seasoned Executive Coach with deep expertise in Leadership Development, Executive Assessment, Change Management, Mergers & Acquisition, Diversity & Inclusion Executive Coaching and Transnational Labour Relations

Simon held a variety of senior positions with Procter & Gamble (HR Director Central & Easter Europe, Director of Organisation Excellence EMEA). During his time with P&G Simon worked in several locations in the UK and later lived in both Germany and Belgium and worked in Central & Eastern Europe as well as the EMEA region.

Simon moved from P&G to join Coca-Cola Enterprises where held positions of Vice President Change Management Office (which he established up as the business set about changing its operational model) followed by Vice President of Human Resources, Europe (in this role Simon led large scale transnational consultation exercises designed to enable implementation of key organisation changes.

Following seven years with CCE Simon joined Associated British Foods where over a 10 year spell he held two consecutive Senior Executive positions.

Simon was the Global HR Director for Twinings Ovaltine (TwO) which is a global beverages business.  During his time in TwO, Simon played a key role in assessing selecting and developing General Managers for the TwO businesses and driving a programme aimed at building High Performing Organisations.

Following his time at TwO, Simon spent three years as the Global HR Director for AB Mauri, a global Yeast and Bakery ingredients business. The key focus of this role was on building a global programme to strengthen the “differentiation” capabilities of the organisation. Simon supported both the Global Yeast and Global Baking Ingredients businesses in this endeavour.

Karen Cross

Executive Coach and Senior Consultant

Professor Karen Cross, PhD

Karen Cross has worked for many years in leadership training and coaching in the higher education, business and community sectors. She has undertaken training with Advance HE and the Leadership Foundation, with whom she initiated a curriculum project focused on Embedding Mindfulness in the Curriculum. She is an experienced facilitator with many years of experience leading and managing programmes with a special focus on inclusion and diversity. Her work has taken her to many different countries to deliver keynote speeches to a diverse range of audiences. She is a published author and continues to write and research on topics related to digital media, tech and communications. 

Karen is most inspired when creating and delivering programmes and projects that cultivate positive transformation in the world, be that in policy and the boardroom or in the daily practices of everyday life. She holds a PhD in Cultural Studies, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts as well as being a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy since 2012. She is also a Founding Scholar of the British Psychoanalytic Society. 

Lu Nanson

Presentation and Performance Lead

Lu coaches presentation performance and communication skills.  For 3 years she contributed a regular workshop at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst aimed at nurturing presentation performance skills in young leaders.  She has also worked as a one-to-one performance skills coach, speech, and bid-writer.

She draws on her education in modern languages, acting and directing along with experience in sales roles and as a Marketing Manager for Holiday Extras.  From time spent in schools as a Governor, reading assistant and drama skills coach to volunteering in Publicity and Committee Chairing roles for SSAFA Forces Help, to diplomatic hosting for the British Army, she has experience in a wide variety of environments.

She trained in Acting at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, having studied Spanish and Drama at the University of London and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.  Her favourite role was as Nora in A Doll’s House (Edinburgh Festival).

A keen netballer, she is a club committee member, team captain and a regular player in the Oxfordshire Netball League.

What she loves most is seeing nervous but brilliant people discover the confidence to shine.

Doc McKerr

Senior Consultant

Doc has over 20 years of leadership experience, in both leadership positions as well as designing and delivering leadership programmes and consulting for global organisations across a range of sectors; from NGO to oil and gas.

He spent 11 years as a British Army officer and served around the world.  After the army he completed his MBA before transitioning into executive development where he designed, delivered and coordinated leadership & management, business strategy, change and innovation programmes around the world.  His sweet spot is being able to facilitate all of these major themes with groups at the same time and make meaningful connections that will impact them and their business.  His style is highly engaging, collaborative, open and pragmatic and always prioritises relationships, context and learning over content, seeking challenge and new perspectives along the way.

Doc was one of the core team members for a flagship leadership programme in Saudi Arabia, delivering to more than 1300 leaders over 18 months, even pivoting quickly to online as the pandemic hit developing innovative practices with the English and Arabic delivery teams ensuring the ongoing success of the programme.

With a passion for people, language and culture, he embraces working globally and in challenging environments.  Doc remains committed to collaborative learning and working to push boundaries in order to deliver unique and powerful learning experiences that have meaning to participants.  In his spare time he loves to run anything up to ultra marathons, CrossFit, cycle, climb and trek in remote places (first person to solo trek the Great Himalaya Trail Nepal) and study’s Mandarin.

He is trained in Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and Thomas-Kilman Conflict Styles. Previous clients have included;, Connex Group (Romania), G4S (APAC), Media Brands (APAC), Sabic (global), Kuehne & Nagel (global), Met Police (UK), Qatar Petroleum (Qatar), Human Development Resources Fund (KSA), Namaa Almunawara (KSA), Nomura (EMEA & US), Total Produce (EU), Summit Culture (APAC), Quintessential Performance (UK).

Michelle Bramley

Executive Coach

Michelle Bramley is an executive and leadership development coach, international lawyer, non-executive director and board adviser working across commercial and not for profit sectors.

She provides coaching to clients on a 1:1, team and group basis and offers business leadership development programmes. Her coaching style is pragmatic and business solutions focused. She acts as a thinking partner for her clients, combining deep empathetic listening with supportive challenge that enables clients to be the best version of themselves as business leaders. Using her professional experience and experiences from her own personal journey, Michelle supports business leaders as they identify their goals, develop their own authentic leadership style and achieve their full potential.

Michelle works extensively with female leaders on:

• transition into leadership positions (including developing personal brand and leadership style and the skills to build deeper relationships with stakeholders and clients);
• moving into senior leadership positions (including acting as a thinking partner for strategy development and implementation and driving transformation);
• confidence building/imposter syndrome;
• communicating with clarity and presenting with impact;
• all aspects of people management, including effective delegation, coaching and performance development; and
• building high performing teams, including inclusive leadership in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion context.

Michelle’s executive coaching work draws upon her thirty years’ experience as an international lawyer, business leader, coach and mentor in a variety of legal and senior management roles, most recently as Global Head of Knowledge in Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, one of the world’s leading international law firms as well as her more recent work as a non-executive director and board adviser. She has significant experience working across countries and across cultures and in leading dispersed and diverse high performing teams. She has also worked globally and has a deep understanding of the legal, financial services and corporate sectors. Michelle has significant operational management experience and a track record of delivering organisational, digital and cultural transformation. Her naturally collaborative and open communication style has enabled her to engage with and manage stakeholders at all levels in both the private and public sector. Michelle uses these experiences as a lawyer and business leader to support her clients as they develop their own authentic leadership style.

Tom Pike

Executive Coach

Tom has an excellent blend of experience with 18 years in the British Army’s Gurkhas and the last 7 years in KPMG, a professional services firm.

As an executive coach Tom gives leaders time and space to think about their business and personal challenges.   He creates a confidential environment where people feel comfortable to be honest with themselves about their situation, their own views, their frustrations, values and beliefs.

Most of the Tom’s coaching focuses on developing self-awareness, or ‘the shape of me as a leader’ so people have a better understanding of who they are, why they are and how that impacts their business and professional world including their teams. Exploring how beliefs can influence, consciously and unconsciously how we lead, behave and think is one of the most powerful ways of achieving enduring change as a leader and an organisation.

Best summarised by one of his clients “I was amazed at what we were able to uncover about my leadership style.”

Kimberley Matalon

Executive Coach

“I believe that when the heart and the head are in sync and there is motivation to act, great things will happen.”

Kim is an executive coach and HR advisor with over 20 years’ experience working with highly successful individuals and teams who want to raise their performance by unblocking or redirecting their thinking.  Kim’s overarching goal is to give busy, talented leaders a challenging but supportive environment to help resolve those issues getting in their way or to enhance those behaviours that will make them even more successful.  The coaching experience is grounded in trust and tailored to the needs and environment of each individual client.

Kim’s strengths are helping others improve their authentic leadership capabilities, acting as a thinking partner for senior leaders around embedding their ESG agenda, as well as supporting individuals transitioning to new roles either internally or externally.  A life-long advocate of diversity, she also has significant experience with and a passion for working with highly talented women and ethnic minorities who want to fully realise their true potential.

Kim gained her wealth of knowledge and experience developing senior leaders and C-suite individuals initially through working as a consultant with Booz-Allen & Hamilton and ultimately as a Managing Director, Global Head of Leadership, Learning, Talent and Culture for Barclay’s Corporate and Investment Bank.  In this role, she was directly responsible for creating connected people policies including organisational and individual development, leading on the Diversity and Inclusion agenda and creating robust talent management and succession planning processes and practices

Kim currently holds an accredited  Professional Certification in Executive Coaching from Henley Business School. In addition to this, she has a BSc in Economics from the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, and a MBA from Stanford University.

Michelle Fadil

Executive Coach

Michelle Fadil is an executive coach, passionate about helping leaders grow and develop and enabling them to be the best, authentic version of themselves. She works to release and realise potential, define and achieve goals, whilst empowering coachees with tools to continue their journey with confidence and resilience. Her approach is to enlighten through a balance of challenge, support and active listening, creating a springboard for change.

Michelle focuses on developing relationships to build trust and provide a safe, strong space for quality thinking and growth that drives progress with lasting impact.  Her sessions adopt an integrated approach using a variety of techniques, each tailored to the individual style, preferences and needs of clients.

There is a focus on personal accountability, taking into account wider considerations, impacts and influences where appropriate.

Michelle has a background in leadership positions within the global publishing industry and has spent 25 years working with supply chains, pushing the sustainability agenda and developing high performing, inclusive, international teams. With experience in leading high-volume negotiations, compliance, project management and workflow optimisation, Michelle’s passion for truly embedding ESG and sustainability in international business drives commercial and cultural success. With leadership experience in both large corporate (Penguin Random House) and start-up businesses, as well as voluntary governance work, Michelle draws on a variety of experience in her coaching.

Langley Sharp MBE

Senior Advisor

Rory Falls

Senior Consultant

Rory Falls is passionate and driven when it comes to developing people. He brings a 27-year career in the Military to CCL, both in the Infantry and Logistics. He has held many coaching and trainer roles, from training recruits fresh from civilian life to Officers at the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Rory is a former Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) where he introduced a successful mentoring programme for over 500 Junior Soldiers. Commissioned in 2018, he was heavily involved with the building and delivery of the Army Leadership Development Programme and has worked closely with course designing to ensure the very best of leadership courses delivered throughout the Army. Diversity, Inclusion, and equality is at the forefront of everything that he does. Developing people and team ethos is what Rory enjoys most, helping them to see what he can see while supporting them to achieve their personal and professional goals. His centred approached, along with his sense of humour is what helps with fostering relations with people. Through CCL, Rory believes he can continue to support other leaders and the people they support.