Our Team

The TiA team operates as a community. We are long established, dependent upon each other and diverse in our personalities and strengths. We have a wide network of specialist associates located around the world, who we work with on global programmes.

  • Gemma Hogg

    Based in our UK office, Gemma is now a Director of TiA with responsibility for business development and programme design, she regularly works as a facilitator on our European talent development programmes.

    Gemma joined TiA full-time in 2013 following a 10 year career in the Water Industry, where she entered the profession as a scientist and process engineer and concluded with regional responsibility for sector operations. As well as having valuable line management and budget responsibility Gemma designed and implemented employee engagement projects for her division. Gemma’s background in science and engineering means that she has first hand practical experience of operations, which is reflected in her pragmatic approach to leadership and people development.

    She is experienced in process and project management, with particular expertise in the design and implementation of quality standards and employee engagement projects.Gemma’s current assignments are in the design and delivery of leadership and personal impact workshops for the Capital Markets division of Credit Suisse. Design and delivery of an induction and teambuilding event for the prestigious Sloan Programme, working for London Business School. She is responsible for establishing TiA as an Approved Centre for providing Level 5 Leadership & Management programmes for the Institute of L&M as well as the delivery of ILM Level 5 programmes for a facilities management client.Gemma’s qualifications include a certified practitioner of MBTI Step 1 (OPP); PGC Management, Exeter University; University Degree in Biotechnology and Masters in Bio-reactor Systems

  • Juliet May

    Juliet graduated with a BA Hons French Studies Degree, before following a career in Event Management, where she was responsible for event delivery and account management, covering all aspects of operation and logistics. She delivered a portfolio of international corporate events, conferences and incentive programmes for pharmaceutical, law and finance companies, handling contracts from conception to completion. 

    Having joined the TiA team in 2006 and now a Director, Juliet is responsible for the daily running of the company, managing the operational and financial requirements. In her current role she frequently supports the delivery of our European programmes combining a logistics role with small group facilitation, working alongside the main delivery team.

    Juliet is passionate about mental and physical wellbeing and personal development.  Outside of work, she spends much of her time in the outdoors, walking or running the Cornish coast and countryside with family and friends.

  • Chris Cotton

    Chris is a Director and co-founder of TiA. For a number of years Chris worked as a Chartered Civil Engineer in the UK, Africa and Asia before gaining an MBA at Cranfield and then embarking on a career in business consultancy. During his time in consultancy Chris worked as a project manager in the venture capital and business start up arena. The move into management development was a natural progression towards a more people orientated career.

    Since establishing TiA in 1989, Chris has worked at board level with many of our public and private sector clients, where he has a direct involvement in service delivery as well as fulfilling the role of Managing Director with responsibility for quality and client relations.

    Chris’ areas of expertise are in Organisational Development (leading cultural change, embedding values and behaviours): Experiential Learning (management and leadership development; teambuilding; project management). Board Support (top team development, executive coaching).

  • Linda Davey

    Linda is a Director and co-founder of TiA, responsible for managing the Truro office and is a focal point for all business logistics.
  • Gillie Stoneham

    Gillie runs our partner organisation ActorFactor, heading up a team of actor-facilitators who are highly skilled in applying theatre in the workplace. This forms the backbone of our interpersonal skills programmes, which include forum theatre, role-play, presentation and personal impact workshops.

    Gillie works closely with the client to understand the values and behaviours which reflect the organisational culture. From this point, powerful scripts and scenarios can be developed, and actors are briefed in the language and behaviours that accurately represent the organisation.

    Forum theatre and skills workshops enable individuals to practice interpersonal skills that result in more effective interactions, in a safe and challenging environment.

    Gillie has a background in voice and human communication, and continues to lecture and present in this field. She brings this expertise to designing and delivering bespoke workshops and masterclasses in presentation and personal impact masterclasses. She also offers individual leadership and voice coaching where requested.

    Gillie’s recent work has included Zurich Insurance, Rolls Royce, Swiss Re, Kuehne & Nagel, Altium Capital, NHS Team Leaders & Clinical Educators.

  • Philip Robinson

    Philip has a hugely eclectic background. Over the last 35 years he has developed a diverse portfolio of projects helping individuals, leaders, teams and businesses build self-confidence, personal impact and resilience. At the heart of his work is a passion for enabling people of all ages to reach their full potential. This has allowed him to work comfortably across many different settings, focusing on self development, authenticity and presence, and more effective leadership and team working. As well as consultancy within the private and public corporate sectors he also works in healthcare and social settings with people with learning or physical disabilities, with socially excluded or marginalised groups and within the criminal justice system.

    In addition to being an experienced consultant and facilitator Philip is also an actor and uses theatre, storytelling and role play as a tool for experiential learning and development. With TiA he has designed, developed and delivered theatre-based training courses to Rolls Royce, Sainsbury’s, Highways Agency, NHS England, London Business School and Wrigleys.

    Philip is part of our core delivery team currently working worldwide on the Leadership and Talent programmes with Zurich Insurance; Kuehne+Nagel - Global Talent and Management Awareness programmes; Credit Suisse - Teambuilding and Personal Impact sessions; designing and leading our ongoing Team Development & Leadership Awareness work with Stagecoach UK, North America & Europe.

  • Rachel Dymond

    Rachel has worked as a management trainer and executive coach for 25 years. She is a Master Practitioner in Systematic Team Coaching and also a senior member of the TiA team. Earlier in her career, Rachel worked as the Training & Development Manager at Woolworth where she was responsible for training and development provision across the UK.

    Within TiA, Rachel heads up many of the executive coaching assignments and senior management team development workshops, where she uses her experience in the business and counselling arenas to bridge the personal and organisational challenges faced when implementing change.

    Rachel is a member of the IPD, EMCC and the British Association of Counselling at Work, and has presented research papers at an International Mentoring Conference.

  • Graham Pidgeon

    Graham manages the outdoor logistics for TiA. His role is to ensure that all programmes are properly resourced and researched – making safety our number one priority. Anyone attending a programme with TiA will soon become familiar with Graham's supportive style, as his remit extends to making sure that individual needs are recognised and met.
  • Jani Marok

    Jani’s career background is the Royal Marines where he spent 21 years leading teams across the globe. In his final appointment as the Commanding Officer of the Commando Training Centre he led a workforce of almost a 1000 civilian and military personnel. Since leaving the Royal Marines in 2008 Jani has worked as an executive coach, leadership mentor and talent development consultant.Jani motivates people to perform beyond their expectation and lead others to do likewise. He has coached at board level in business and at national level in sport. He developed the “Teach – Coach – Mentor” philosophy at the Commando Training Centre as the Commanding Officer. He had a lead role in the British Olympic Association’s Olympic Coaching Programme with Sir Clive Woodward in the run up to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

    Jani’s focus and skill set covers include critical decision making; living your values; stress management; resolving conflict; leading with conviction; outperforming expectations; personal communication and impact.

    Jani is currently working with the CEO of a national charity (net worth £75m) to develop strategy and build a cohesive Board and Executive. He is also coaching the Managing Director of a £10m private healthcare firm to build her executive team to deliver against stretch targets. He is coaching Commanding Officers of the Royal Navy’s Maritime Reserve Units to deliver against HMG’s performance targets.Jani is also designing and delivering leadership development programmes for numerous UK businesses, including; Clydesdale Yorkshire Bank; NHS Trusts; Willmott Dixon Construction; Team GB

    Jani’s qualifications include BSc and MA; Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management; Level 7 qualification in Executive Coaching and Leadership Mentoring; MBTI practitioner.

  • Richard Feltham

    Until 2004, Richard was head of a third sector advice agency, overseeing a period of rapid growth and change. With a flair for communication, he delivered over 60 media interviews including on national television for BBC1, BBC2, ITV and Channel 4. Today he draws on these skills, as well as his skills as a trained and working actor to enable clients to communicate with credibility, connection and confidence.

    His work in training and development stretches back more than 20 years. He has a flexible skillset, from coaching, to facilitation to business role-play and forum theatre, under the umbrella of our valued partners ActorFactor. Comfortable working one to one, or on the international conference stage, his mix of abilities have provided a strong fit for demanding contexts. He continues to work internationally with TiA with their senior clients.

    Richard’s focus and skill set covers personal communication and impact, resilience in demanding contexts, business simulations, theatre based- learning and role-play for both development and assessment.

    He is currently working with leadership teams in the premium automative sector to build employee engagement. Designing and delivering bespoke coaching and group facilitation workshops for these teams to meet specific needs.

    He has also designed and delivered a programme for the philanthropy team of a Russell Group University to build personal impact and resilience. As well as working with numerous TiA clients with a focus on soft leadership skills and personal impact.

    Richards qualifications include a PhD Exon, his research has focused on the efficacy of work-based experiential learning methods for Leadership development; MA 1st Class, BA Hons 1st Class; Accredited by The Higher Education Academy.

  • Polly Whitfield

    Polly is a freelance Producer and Director in the South West and has been for the past five years. Polly teaches Speech and Drama at Blundell’s School, Tiverton and King’s College in Taunton. Prior to this she was Executive Producer and Associate Director at Exeter Northcott Theatre and Head of Education at Hall of Cornwall in Truro.

    Polly has coached at board level and at national level on personal communication skills and impact. She is theatre director, directing over 15 plays nationally over past 16 years and works with individuals on confidence building.

    Polly works under the umbrella of our valued partners ActorFactor, and is involved in forum theatre, and is also lead practitioner in various skills set workshops, as well as a voice coach.

    Polly’s skillset includes a sound knowledge of drama and education in theatre, managing projects and working to deadlines. She has a sound knowledge of funding applications and as a freelance producer manages staff and budgets, negotiating and organizing workshops. She has excellent communication skills, establishing an immediate rapport with a wide range of clients. She has most recently worked internationally for TiA with Zurich Insurance as well as on many other UK based programmes.

    Polly has a BA (Hons) Drama and Education at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

  • Maria Garaitonandia

    Maria specializes in global leadership development and coaching.  She has over 20 years of business experience in both the US and Latin America.  She has established and run her own consulting firm in Mexico and held the position of professor at Monterray Tec University in Cuernavaca, lecturing on International Negotiation and Doing Business in a Global Marketplace.

    Maria is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese and is currently working with TiA leading the delivery of Zurich’s Leadership Discovery programme in LATAM.

    Maria has worked extensively in Latin America facilitating courses on topics such as Service Excellence, Rewards & Recognition, Coaching in the Moment, Effective Communication, Conflict Management and Teamwork.

    Through her own consulting firm Maria offers services such as cross-cultural training, global team management, diversity and inclusion, and leadership business acumen.

    Currently Maria is implementing a diversity and inclusion initiative for Casa Herradura in Mexico. She is also involved in the design and delivery of service excellence training, delivered to 1,000 employees at Nokia Siemens Networks and more recently leadership development for Nokia in Latin America.She also works with a number of clients in the intercultural arena, including Banco Santander, Philips and Diageo.

    Maria is a certified practitioner of DISC, SDI and COI; Graduate and member of Global Coaches Network; University Degree in International Relations; Masters in Management and Organizational Development.

  • Thomas Kepler

    Thomas has more than 20 years of international experience in Human Resources, as an HR Director, leadership development expert and intercultural management consultant. Most recently, and before joining TiA as an Associate, he held the position of HR Director (South West Europe and North Africa) with the global logistics firm Kuehne + Nagel.

    Thomas has in depth sector knowledge in Manufacturing, Logistics & Supply Chain Management, Information Technology and Financial Services. As a generalist working at Board level, Thomas advises top management and provides cost-effective solutions for building up HR organisations. He has experience in large M&A projects and has been in charge of post-merger integration and other organisational or cultural change projects.

    Working as an Associate with TiA since 2012, Thomas's primary geographical scope is: France, Germany and Switzerland. He is fluent in French, German and English.

  • Geoff Griffiths

    Geoff worked for six years as a manager in the petro-chemical industry before making the move into management development - a field he has been working in for the past 20 years.

    Over this period he has developed particular experience in personal development and career counselling. Geoff has been working with TiA for the past ten years, during which time he has been closely involved in most management development initiatives, with particular responsibility for the design and delivery of our graduate development programmes.