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.

Edumaker, a 3D print farm with a difference

At our July meeting, Managing Director of Edumaker, Alex Gibson , stepped into the breach at the last minute and gave us an interesting introduction into Edumaker – a 3D print farm with a difference – they can print large sizes, from parts that won’t fit on a desktop 3D printer, to parts over 2 cubic metres in volume. They print using renewable energy – much of which is generated on-site – and use primarily premium recycled materials. 

Alex shared his journey so far and the challenges he faces growing his business, including how to resource a start-up. This sparked some great conversations and feedback from members who have faced, or may face, the same challenges.

An update on Opiner

acumen7 were delighted to welcome back Steve Molesworth of Opiner, who gave an update on developments over the last two years. Opiner is a novel video insight platform, that puts people front and centre in creative endeavours. It challenges the status quo and inspires others to think big by seeing things through other’s eyes. Opiner offers engagement with bespoke communities for every project and can evidence a strategy for continuous learning.

For more information on Opiner, visit: https://opiner.app/

 

Cormis Partners’ business overview

acumen7 member Florian de Cormis gave an overview of Cormis Partners, a London-based independent recruitment company, specialising in international executive search on behalf of the Energy, Infrastructure, and Industrial and Manufacturing sectors. Along with their executive search offering, Cormis Partners also offers market mapping, and interim management and contract recruitment services to boards, SMTs and investors for companies going through transformation and growth. Florian sought feedback from the members and guests on future challenges for the recruitment industry.

For more information on Cormis Partners, visit: https://www.cormispartners.com/

 

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.

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.