Associate Members Introduction – Selina Häringer & Aaron Lyons

The second session at our February monthly meeting gave us all the chance to get to know our new Associate Members, Selina Häringer and Aaron Lyons

Selina was introduced to us by acumen7 Member, Birgitta Schock. In October last year Selina moved from Germany to London to complete a Master’s in Business and Organizational Psychology at the University of Westminster. She met Birgitta during her (almost) three years as a Lean Construction Consultant at the Stuttgart, Germany-based refine.

Selina believes that outside of your comfort zone, the only way to grow, make a difference, and move forward is to take on new challenges and develop as a person.

Next up was Aaron who was introduced to us by acumen7 Member and former Chair, John Pilkington, and has a degree in Business Management and Entrepreneurship. He initially spent time with a company advising on energy in a very broad sense – a consultancy in the carbon agenda world. Aaron is now working at Carbon8 and is building their capability and credibility in terms of being able to market a, quite deliberately labelled, Carbon8 credit.

It was great to hear (and feel) the enthusiasm they both have, and we are looking forward to equally beneficial relationships over the next year.

Member feedback

April’s second presentation was from acumen7 member Andrew Cobden, who was seeking feedback from the network on some potential next steps in his career. Andrew has worked in the property industry for over 25 years and is currently MD of Vastint UK. Andrew’s experience has afforded him exposure to a broad range of property sectors and for the past 10+ years he has overseen three large-scale mixed-use city centre projects. He is as comfortable in setting the vision for a place as he is with defining the needs of the buildings and spaces that populate it. Andrew leaves Vastint in June and is exploring a number of options. He shared a few ideas, with the members then offering feedback and alternative views.

Network support

acumen7 member Jes Newman was seeking feedback from the network on some potential next steps in his career. Jes listed his career passions as people development, customer service and ‘looking out for the world’. Now based in Cornwall, Jes shared the fascinating story of how he got where he is today, which drew some parallels with other members. Jes invited the members’ views when comparing their own context to his.

 

An overview of the Croatia project

acumen7’s March meeting had a true member focus. First up were Robert Williams, Robert Osborne, John Pilkington and Andrew Joss (and in spirit Donnie MacNicol). They showcased their teamwork from the last few years while they have been supporting the government of a developing EU country with its strategic investment planning. They shared their experience of working together as members of the acumen7 network, and highlighted reflections and things to think about when considering future assignments. They also sought input on ways the work might be utilised and leveraged for the benefit of the whole network.

 

The rise of the employee-centric business model

Michael Moran, CEO and Founder of 10Eighty, a pioneering consultancy focused on ROI and demonstrable improvements in organisational and people performance, presented at The Future of Work Seminar. Michael explored emerging and changing attitudes and values, and what these mean for future, more human-focused leaders. He also spoke about the death of scientific management, the rise of the employee centric business model, and the correlation between employee engagement, customer satisfaction, profitability and shareholder value.

For more information, visit: www.10eighty.co.uk

Introducing ValueStep

acumen7 members Robert Osborne and James Leng, along with their colleague at ValueStep, Peter Robinson presented ValueStep’s aim to help SMEs achieve the next Value Step – that moment when a step change in shareholder value is created and realised. ValueStep’s philosophy is that the client is the company, not its leader/shareholders. Robert, James and Peter looked at the situation post-Covid and Brexit, and the attendees used break out rooms discuss some of the issues facing companies that are now adjusting to the ‘new normal’.

For more information on ValueStep, visit: valuestep.co.uk