Exchange

Having completed a 40 year career in UK public services -  the first 20 in local government and the last 7 as Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government -  Leslie knows the pressure, pleasure and occasional loneliness of leadership.  This experience shaped her decision to support others in their leadership journey by training as an Executive Coach .

Based in Scotland, Leslie's clients are from across the UK. Her coaching practice is Seahorse Coaching Ltd. She is also an Associate of Taylor Clarke, UK Government Coaching Premier Coaching Framework, Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and a member of the Association for Coaching, bound by their Global Code of Ethics for Coaches. Leslie is also Scotland Chair and UK Trustee for Action for Children, as well as working with SmartWorks, a UK charity changing the trajectory of women’s lives.

Leslie brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her practice. She has initiated, influenced and driven change and transformation throughout her career,  designing, delivering and managing public services in London, Sheffield, Edinburgh and Stirling and developing and implementing national policy and services. She worked closely with civil service colleagues in UK Governments and frequently represented Scotland on the international stage. She has led through seismic events - most recently the departure from the EU and the pandemic -  working closely, in partnership, and collaborating with the private, regulatory and third sectors. Her participation in the UK Government’s High Potential Development Scheme and Whitehall Industry Group Exchange provided insights into, and networks across, Government and industry. Consequently she has a deep understanding of the challenges facing leaders and executives in today’s complex, dynamic and rapidly changing business environment.

Francis is an experienced strategy and organisation development professional. He has led the European Leadership Consulting Practice and the European Corporate Restructuring & Change Practice for the Hewitt Associates: a global consulting firm with 22,000 staff in over thirty countries. Hewitt was acquired by Aon in 2009.

Dealing regularly with business restructuring and corporate transformation, he has deep expertise in strategy setting, organisation design, leadership effectiveness and culture change. 

Prior to joining Hewitt, Francis held positions within both the banking and manufacturing sectors, living and working in Belgium, Sweden and France. Since 1996 he has consulted in North America, the Middle East, S.E. Asia and Europe operating at Board and top team levels.

He has worked with a range of organisations across sectors and continents, including Avaya, PricewaterhouseCoopers, HSBC, Shell, Royal Bank of Scotland, Ernst & Young, the British Red Cross, Arup, Holcim, B&Q, United Utilities, Philips, Nokia, Cadbury Schweppes, Coors Brewing Company, British Telecommunications, Bayer, BBC News, SES Global, the NHS, Zurich Financial Services, Eon, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and the Prudential. 

Author of The Dynamics of Change (Routledge: London & NY) Francis has published, consulted and lectured on strategy, systems thinking and business transformation. He has been a member of  Faculty for the NHS Leadership Academy since 2012, co- designing and delivering many of their national leadership programmes and working with locality leadership on the transition to integrated care. 

Francis is Managing Partner of the Blue Grain Partnership, a UK based advisory firm. He holds a PhD in Organisational Behaviour from the Department of Systems Science (City), University of London.

Dani joined WIG’s Leadership team in 2018. She is the Programme Manager responsible for WIG’s Exchange Programme, Senior Leaders Programme, and multiple bespoke programmes. She works closely with programme participants and facilitators to design experiential learning interventions tailored to the cohorts needs.

Dani looks after WIG’s organisational visits, where she works with our members to understand their key priorities and challenges and pairs them with another organisation, who have faced similar challenges and can offer valuable insights. Recent sessions have focused on, recruitment and retention, organisational culture and sustainable innovation and transformation.

She also focuses on our alumni strategy, delivering creative sessions to engage our alumni community of over 2,500 and continue to connect the sectors.

Dani holds a BA Degree in Sociology and Criminology from the University of Nottingham where she was also a member of the Soup Runner’s Society. In her spare time, she enjoys attending Reformer Pilates classes, travelling and skiing.