The Team
The Team
Kevyn is the managing director of The KSA partnership. He is an innovative consultant and facilitator who specialises in working with individuals and groups, enabling them to think afresh, develop creative responses to organisational problems and translate ideas into action. Kevyn’s experience includes senior management and board experience in a variety of public and private sector organisations from Training and Enterprise Councils through to Heavy Engineering companies.
He is passionate about ideas and how people learn. His creativity extends to music, perfoming and developing creative places where people can rechange their batteries and think. People choose to work with Kev because he brings a wide arnge of experience, skill, creativity, understanding and sensitivity to help them deal with tough and complex situations they face.
Iain is organised and incisive especially in a crisis. He joined KSA from the University of Newcastle where he worked at a senior level in staff and student development.
People choose to work with Iain because of his knowledge and experience and because he is a trusted listener. Iain's strength is building and managing relationships with individuals and teams.
Anne's specialist area is training and development in the public and private sectors. People ask for her
by name because they like her unique style.
Anne's skill is working with groups and bringing about learning and change. She talks people's language and has heard it all before. She is incisive, always asks the right questions and knows when to challenge and when to support.
Anne get results and gets people to do things - especially those who don't want to do it!
Martin Haywood
Emma joined KSA from Newcastle University where she was involved in enterprise, entrepneurship and business development, which involved building relationships with a range of external partners. She is passionate about working with people and supporting them to develop new ideas and concepts. She gets involved in facilitating and working with groups to develop team-working skills and is perceptive at picking up on group dynamics. With a research background, she brings an analytical yet creative approach to problem solving and is good at making connections and seeing the bigger picture. As a natural optimist Emma brings enthusiasm and enery to all projects she works on, but at the same time likes to challenge and clarify exactly what is required and for what purpose.
Emma at work:
Floating Stick - 'Will the team manage to lower the cane down to the ground - its harder than i
t looks'!
Emma Barron at Durham Enterprise School April 2008
Rob has significant experience of project management, strategy development and business/service evaluation and development. Before joining KSA in 2003 he previously worked at the University of Sunderland managing complex services within a competitive environment. He has gained extensive experience working with local authorities and in the Higher Education sector.
Within KSA Rob operates in various roles and one of his key strengths is his ability to identifying simple, practical solutions for complex problems and situations. This practical but creative approach is apparant in both his work and his interests outside of KSA.
Before he joined KSA in December 2003, Steve was at the forefront of organisational change in a local authority for 10 years specialising in developing and implementing new and innovative improvement projects, programmes and initiatives. He has a broad range of skills including management, policy and strategy development and partnership working. He is highly skilled in recognising and reconciling the issues, sensitivities and barriers that prevent strategy resulting in action, particularly where this involves working in partnership with others.
Steve is creative and enjoys working with ideas. People who choose to work with him value his ability to see things differently and build their thinking into comprehensive and deliverable forward strategy.
Sue has a flexible approach and juggles managing the office with consultancy and support for the team. She is a lively communicator with an informal approach to managing people, developed through many years as Regional Manager in fashion retail. Very much a 'do it now!' person, she can be relied upon to get things done quickly and creatively. Sue is passionate about style, branding and marketing, honed while working for a Design Agency and then qualifying for membership of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Sue is highly trained in finance and administrative systems and oversees the office functions, but her favourite job is to spread the word about KSA's successes so far and seek out future opportunities for the team.
Becky graduated from Newcastle University with a first in Marketing. Her experience with Market Research and involvement in an online learning programme have given her a great start in her career as a consultant. Becky is an all-rounder and currently acts as supporting consultant in various projects as well as working in finance and admin for the office. 
Becky Ellerby-Smith
Lois joined KSA in 2008 to support the office operations and act as PA for the Directors and Consultants. Her varied career provides great flexibility and a multi-skilled approach. Lois worked in banking before becoming a qualified Learning Mentor for 11-17 year olds. After working in education Lois acted as a sales negotiator and then as a bankruptcy counsellor.
This wide range of skills gives you an indication of what it is like to work with Lois. Her efficiency and meticulous approach make her a great administrator. Lois has exceptional telephone skills and will probably be the first person you speak to when you call KSA Partnership. Lois is a brilliant organiser and makes sure the Directors' diaries are up to date and she is the lynch pin of communications in the office enjoying the challenge of keeping the consultants up to date and well informed.
Dave is an excellent consultant and facilitator with over 40 year's experience in the public and private sectors at senior leadership level. He is quite simply interested in people and in helping them. He is a good listener, a clear thinker and straight talker.
Now a proud grandfather, he still likes to drag himself up rocky peaks with his climber son, although he claims gravity is getting stronger. His other interests are playing the guitar, cooking, travel and his family.
Ross provides research and IT services to the KSA Partnership. He has his own design business, boulder-design, and is responsible for this website along with the online surveys that we run for some of our projects.Ross Hume is the lead designer at Boulder Design. He has an extensive background in the world of social research and management consultancy. He has also travelled widely and been involved in volunteer projects around the world. All this gives Boulder a real-life basis for its work: we are not in the business of showing off artistic skills or designing for design's sake.
Enhancing an individual’s competence and performance through the development of knowledge, skills and abilities remains the core of our business. We are well respected for providing individually designed learning interventions that ensure that both participants and the business gain from the investment.
We believe excellence comes from a thorough understanding of needs and expected outcomes, so we prefer to spend time in an organisation to gain an insight into the needs of the organisation and prospective learners. However we recognise the professionalism of internal HR teams and will design programmes based on existing training needs information.
Our approach to learning is highly participative, encompassing a variety of methods and materials. In skill development we prefer to work with smaller groups so that we can provide specific one-to-one feedback to all participants.
Most of all we take pride in creating supportive learning environments where people can try new skills, share views and perceptions, and debate actions in confidence and with respect for all involved.
Bob Bell.
After 15 years' experience of working in-house and in agencies, Manuela founded Lexica Communications in 2001.
Manuela studied languages and economics in Nuremberg, Germany. She then moved to the UK, where she gained additional marketing qualifications.
She worked for a number of international companies, including Egger UK, Siemens Microelectronics and Turner & Townsend. Her interest in international business development led to the establishment of the company.
Manuela is responsible for account management, project management and new business development. 
Alistair Bowden
