Consultancy Services
A wealth of expertise
Project Management, Business Growth and Recovery.
VSAM is a unique professional services firm with a mission: "To make the world better by empowering businesses, charities and social enterprises thrive."
Lou Bailey - Partner
Finance & Operations
Areas of speciality:-​
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Project Management
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Event Management
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Change Management Systems
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Operational Planning​
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Risk Management
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Lou relishes the challenge of helping organisations thrive in changing times. As an experienced project manager, she has worked in highly innovative environments at Barclays and T-Mobile, taking responsibility for the successful implementation of a wide range of projects and change management systems. Lou currently works part-time at Urban Saints, leading a national residential
programme. Her passion for ‘doing change well’ ensures that team members have the opportunity to engage and release their creative potential, whilst working within a results-focussed, systematic project framework. This combination leads to successful outcomes for organisations looking to make small or more significant-sized changes.
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Ian Davey - Partner
Business Performance
Areas of speciality:-
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Business Rescue and Recovery
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Start-ups
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Mergers and Acquisitions
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Business Troubleshooting
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Business Mentoring
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Ian has worked in corporate recovery and insolvency since 1988. Initially he worked for the Government Insolvency Service. Then working for the Chartered Accountants Latham Crossley and Davis in their Mayfair office and latterly for Smith and Williamson.
Today Ian concentrates on on business turnaround and rescue, working with under-performing companies. Ian has a passion for helping people and organisations at times of adversity.
Ian has retained his professional memberships of The Insolvency Practitioners Association and The Association of Business Recovery Professionals.
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Rachel Williams - Partner
Finance & Operations
Areas of speciality:-​
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Business Performance
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Strategy & Planning (Sales, Marketing & Operations)
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Customer Experience & Service
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CRM Design & Implementation
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Rachel has worked for some of UK’s leading organisations in the hospitality sector including Etc Venues Limited and EXCEL Exhibition Centre, where she was responsible for establishing operational structures, systems and processes and consistently improving sales and revenue growth. Rachel also has a background in financial services including banking, auditing and accounting. She has led Customer Services and IT Service
Transformation projects in a number of businesses. She has a passion for integrating the different functions of business to create synergy between people, processes and technology to drive organisational performance and growth.
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People and Operations
Operations, finance and HR wisdom and guidance has never been needed more than during Covid. Let us help you navigate this challenging environment with our team serving you on retainer or through consultancy.
HR Advisory
Ruth Bennett - Partner
Leadership Coach
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Areas of speciality:-​​
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Simple and deep coaching
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Training and developing people to have better conversations
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Mentor coaching
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Career and interview coaching
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Ruth is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the ICF. Her experience includes working with the University of Cambridge, The NHS, Church of England, Head Teachers, The Home Office, schools, professional executives and individuals. Her coaching style engenders authentic trust, connection and positive change and is focused on helping the thinker do their best thinking. It’s characterised by friendly curiosity, deep listening and genuine desire to support others in their success.
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RBennett@vsam.online
Ruth
Anthony Ellis - Partner
Business Operations
Areas of speciality:-​​​
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Business Operations
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Systems & Processes
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Cost Reduction
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Accounting Procedures
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Business Growth & Mentoring
Over the course of his career Anthony, has acquired strong business skills covering many areas within several sectors, including Retail, Care and I.T.
He has a passion for problem solving and identifying and prioritising areas needing improvement. His precise approach to projects has yielded excellent results. Previous positions have included Group Operations Manager for a Motor Group, Business Partner for a Care Home and is currently a Trustee for a charity.
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Sam Hamshere - Partner
Human Resources
Areas of speciality:-
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Team Restructuring
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Team Performance
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Team Building
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Professional Advice & Guidance
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CEO Support
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Sam has worked as the Senior HR Manager in both business and charity sectors, bringing enormous technical skills and knowledge but specialises in the practical side of walking individuals and teams through challenging times. So whether you are a manager looking for insight to your own team or looking for a redundancy process to be expertly led, Sam has an exceptional gift in making difficult situations go smoothly, offering real insight as well as support and encouragement when it is needed most.
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SHamshere@vsam.online
Sam
Land and Property Development / Management
Develop the strategy, budget and timeline to bring your vision to life. Discover how we partner with clients to see how together we can deliver great real estate projects and manage the land and ecological resources we have.
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Andrew Robertson - Partner
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Building Project Manager
Areas of speciality:-
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Building Project Management and Leadership
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Planning and Development
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Property Refurbishment and Construction
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Andrew spent the first third of his career in commercial construction management, the next third as Head of Buildings and Estate at Salisbury Cathedral during the Spire Appeal and Major Repair Programme, and the final third overseeing a large building redevelopment for a parish church alongside his role there as Associate Leader. Now freelance, Andrew’s passion is to see worn out buildings and property made fit for purpose and brought into use, especially in the charity sector. Working as the client’s representative, he co-ordinates the project from inception to completion bringing together the professional team, ensuring time and financial targets are met.
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Chris Trent - Partner
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Land Management
Areas of speciality:-
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Land Management
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Planning and Development
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Arboriculture
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Environment Planning
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Volunteer Team Management
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Chris has significant expertise as an Arboriculturalist, managing timber crops and working large land holdings to achieve specific environmental and conservation requirements. He is passionate about finding solutions and approaches that avoid future environmental constraints ensuring long term solutions. Committed to using sustainable land management principles to implement species and habitat creation and management programmes to satisfy planning conditions and protected species licence obligations.
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Strategy, Vision & Sales Growth
Our viewpoints and insights can provide fresh inspiration and perspective. This is our core expertise, bringing Vision, Strategy, Action and Measures; our tried and tested VSAM model of strategy development that can drive real growth for your organisation.
Mim Good - Partner
Team Administrator
Areas of speciality:-
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Team calendar keeping
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Gatekeeping
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Minute taking
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Event Planning
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Mim has supported Richard and now the VSAM team at CEO level and during organisational restructuring. With a keen sense of the flow of an organisation and its situation, she is adaptable, reliable, accurate and fast working. With a passion to find solutions and make things work, it's a delight to see the team thrive because the 'behind the scenes', runs like clockwork. I'm here to enable the VSAM team and it's clients with administrative support and expertise.
Passionate about helping managers to realise their full potential.
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Richard Langmead - Managing Partner
Vision & Strategy
Areas of speciality:-
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Business Rescue and Recovery
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Strategy Design/Implementation
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Governance
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Business Growth
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Richard has a passion to help social enterprises and charities thrive, as well as a deep interest in people and a particular heart for bringing like minded organisations together for greater impact.
With a track record of managing change and creating sustained growth, he loves to roll up his sleeves and make things work. This is reflected in the turnaround of The Greenhouse Trust, Richmond Holidays International and initiating a nation-wide 'volunteer first', strategy at Urban Saints as CEO, as well as guiding the formation of a multi-agency consortium of leading youth charities.
John MacDirmid - Partner
Sales Performance
Areas of speciality:-
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Sales Strategy
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Sales Training
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Salesforce Management
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Operational Strategy
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Business Recovery
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John was Sales Director of a major UK plc and Training Director of a Uk Sales and Management Training organisation, has extensive success in working with business to kick start sales growth. Most recently he oversaw the growth of a community charity, seeing it treble in size over 10 years. He regularly runs sales training course for medium and large sized businesses, equipping their teams to meet and beat targets.
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