Speaker Profiles
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This conference took place on 12th October 2006. If you would like to order copies of the speaker's slide presentations, you can still do this using the booking page here.
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Chairs and speakers (in order of appearance on the day) include: (Profiles will appear here shortly).
- John Charlton
Editor, Training & Coaching Today
- Donald Clark
Board Member, University for Industry
- Gareth Jones
Head of Strategy and Development, BBC Training and Development
- Peter Hall
Director of Training and Development, Workplace Management
- David Wolfson
Director, British Learning Association
- Niall Gavin
IS Training Manager, FirstGroup Plc
- Andrew Ettinger
Director of Learning Resources, Ashridge Business School
- Jane Knight
Head of Research and Organisational Learning Technologies, Learning Light
Profiles:
Donald Clark, Board Member, University for Industry
 Donald has been involved in the e-learning industry for more than 20 years, designing some of the first computer-based learning programmes in the early 1980s. He went on to co-found Epic Group PLC in 1986, now the UK's market leader in e-learning. As former CEO, Donald's experience ranges from programming to course development, commercial delivery and strategic management.
In 2001, Donald won the 'Outstanding Achievement in E-learning Award' at the World Open Learning Conference (WOLCE), and has taken Epic on to win numerous awards for business innovation and for technology-based learning programmes and implementations. Now retired from Epic, he remains committed to e-learning and its potential to revolutionise the access to and delivery of education for both individuals and businesses.
Donald has extensive experience as a board member of both private and public sector organisations, including the Interactive University and the Brighton Festival & Dome.
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Peter Hall, Director of Training and Development, Workplace Management
 Peter is a Risk Management (EHSQ) and Training professional with international experience. He joined Workplace Management (one of the leading Facilities Management companies in the UK and part of the Johnson Service Group) in 2000, having previously been employed in the Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Industries both in the UK and USA. A former Occupational Health Nurse he is a Chartered Member of The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), A Fellow of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM), Member of the British Institute of Facilities Management and SIESO; and a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management. Peter is also a Quality Management Lead Auditor and has undertaken extensive training in Training & Development, Environmental Management and Stress Management.
He currently heads a team of 12 Health, Safety, Environmental, Training, Property (Surveying) & Quality professionals several of whom have undergone additional DDA Access Auditor Training, Environmental and Quality Auditing Training. He is also Director of the in-house Training Academy that is focusing on all round Training for the companies' staff and external clients also Peter has recently been appointed to advise the Johnson Service Group Board on Risk (EHS) Management issues.
Peter is a National Council member of the Sector Skills Council (SSC) Asset Skills and elected as the first chairman of the Asset Skills (SSC) Facilities Management Board. He is a member of the BIFM Health & Safety special interest group and former committee member of the BIFM Thames Valley Branch and BIFM Members Council. He is a member of the IOSH Healthcare Special Interest Group. Peter also represents the company on the East London Business Alliance, Thames Gateway Board and is a frequent participant in the Newham Education Business Partnership BOSS days (advising school leavers on the skills required when applying for Jobs).
Peter lives in Oxfordshire and is married with one son; a former Parish Councillor and Primary School Governor.
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Niall Gavin, IS Training Manager, FirstGroup Plc
 Niall brings an unusual perspective to the role of training manager, having started his career as a professional actor and culminating in his current position as IS Training Manager at First Group Plc, the largest transport operator in the country. Before joining First, Niall was the IT Training Manager at Sussex Police for 8½ years, where he developed up a small team to become the first Police IT Training Department in the country to be accredited by the Institute of IT Training, in 2001, and then to see that team be finalists and award winners for the last five years in the IITT Annual Training Awards. Indeed, Niall won the inaugural "Training Manager of the Year" Award in 2002.
His previous experience as an Office Manager, an IT Trainer and one of four founding IT training consultants in his own IT Training Company, together with his acting experiences (which included temping, driving lorries, stacking shelves, etc. when he was "resting"), has convinced Niall of the importance of effective communication between and amongst all stakeholders in designing and delivering training.
Using robust performance management tools and "common sense" dialogue to drive delivery and manage his own team's professional and personal development, Niall engages with his internal customers and external contacts ("my network") in the same way. He is a Member of the Chartered Management Institute and a Fellow of the Institute of IT Training. Niall lives in Sussex with his wife Mandy (an IS Trainer with a US law firm in London) and children Natasha (14) and Samuel (11).
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Andrew Ettinger, Director of Learning Resources, Ashridge Business School
 Main interests/expertise: E-Learning, Knowledge Management, Learning Resource Centres (both physical and virtual).
"We are extremely proud of the positive feedback that we have received for our Virtual Learning Resource Centre and we have made giant strides towards offering a blended learning approach".
Andrew joined Ashridge in 1985 and is now responsible for it's unique virtual and physical Learning Resource Centres. He has lectured and spoken at several conference and universities. He has also completed consultancy projects in India, Poland, Zimbabwe and the UK.
After graduating at London University, he completed a post-graduate diploma in Information Science and then worked at the North East London Polytechnic before moving to London Business School, where he worked for 7 years.
He is particularly interested in managers' use of knowledge and information and how they learn. He now spends most of his time developing and heading up a team that produces the Virtual Learning Resource Centre (VLRC) that over 100 organisations now subscribe to and is licensed to some 400,000 users. He has recently completed a major research project - "E-Learning: the Findings and the Future". He was made a Fellow of the Institute of Information Scientists in 1996 and was European Business Librarian of the year for 1999.
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Jane Knight, Head of Research and Organisational Learning Technologies, Learning Light
 Jane Knight has worked in e-learning for nearly 25 years. After 14 years in academia as a Senior Lecturer and Learning Technologies Advisor, where she became an evangelist for e-learning, she set up an e-learning consultancy practice in 1987. Since that time she has provided advice and professional development services for both education and business, including Cisco, Reuters, SITA Aero, NCSL and many others.
She is the Founder and Editor of the e-Learning Centre, a major information resource about e-learning, author of a number of books and articles about e-learning and a conference speaker. She works part-time as Head of Research Services for Learning Light, a non profit organisation seeking to establish itself as a Centre of Excellence in the use of Learning Technologies in the Workplace.
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