We all want to contribute effectively to the teams we’re a part of and support their success, but how do we ensure our teams are effective?
There are many team development models that explain the processes that a team goes through, but they don’t always help us to figure out how to build and repair our teams. We have that covered. We start this workshop with the classic Tuckman and Jensen team development model, and then introduce an Effective Teams Matrix. This model not only helps us to build effective teams, it also serves as a template to troubleshoot when things go wrong or effective operations start to drift.
The speakers:
Nathalie Agnew, Founder and Managing Director at Muckle Media
Founder and Managing Director of Muckle Media, formed in March 2012. A former Fleishman-Hillard and Porter Novelli senior international PR advisor, Nathalie has led her team to win numerous awards in recent years, the most notable being the PRCA DARE Large Agency of the Year award in 2024 and the CIPR Scotland PRide Outstanding PR Consultancy award in 2023.
Nathalie specialises in working with brands to create impactful marketing programmes which meet business or organisational objectives, using creative approaches to ensure excellent ROI.
Nathalie holds a BA in Communications from Edinburgh Napier and is a Fellow of the CIPR.
In 2022, Nathalie received an Edinburgh Napier Alumni Award in recognition of her career success.
Jude McCorry, CEO at Cyber and Fraud Centre Scotland
Jude McCorry is the CEO of the Cyber and Fraud Centre - Scotland. Jude has over 20 years of experience in the technology sector and started her career with Dell computers in Ireland, she joined the Cyber and Fraud Centre (formally known as the Scottish Business Resilience Centre) in April 2020 from The Data Lab, where she was Director of Business Development, working with industry and academia to maximise the value of data for Scotland.
She is one of the founders of the UNICEF Data Hub for Children, she also sits on the board of the Edinburgh Data-Driven Innovation Hub at Edinburgh University.
Jude is very passionate about data for good and inspiring the next generation into cyber and technology – particularly looking at female participation.
Spotlight Skills Session: Performance & How To Develop It
We all want to give our best and achieve our potential. But what do we mean by performance, and how do we improve our performance?
In this session, three training models are shared with you that you can use to support your own performance and development. We cover Conscious Competence, The 10 Thousand Hours Theory, and introduce you to our Performance Matrix.
Following this a couple of alumni will share their experience of what it takes to develop and maintain our performance. Read the speakers' bios below.
The speakers:
Caroline Tocher, Event and Sponsorship Manager at SSEN Transmission
Caroline graduated from Edinburgh Napier University in 2018 with a degree in International Festival and Events management, and then continued her studies with a Masters degree in Business Management and Entrepreneurship in 2019.
After being awarded Santander’s ‘student intern of the year’ award, she secured a full time role as Project Manager working for Santander Universities in their London headquarters.
In 2023, Caroline moved to the energy industry and now works as the Event and Sponsorship manager in SSEN Transmission, where she created and manages the company’s sponsorship strategy and proposition.
Daniel Crehan, Business Excellence Manager at Yugo
Daniel is the Business Excellence Manager at Yugo, a global student housing operator. With nearly seven years experience in the private student accommodation industry, he thrives in enhancing operational efficiencies and student experiences.
Daniel holds a degree in Festival and Event Management with Marketing from Edinburgh Napier University. He also chairs the board of the Edinburgh Students' Charities Appeal, an Edinburgh based charity that has supported students across the city in their fundraising endeavours for over 155 years.
In 2023, Daniel received the Edinburgh Napier University Rising Star Alumni Award in recognition of the impact he is making.
Spotlight Skills Session: Change & How To Navigate It
Sometimes we choose change, and sometimes it’s imposed upon us. Either way, how can we navigate the change process successfully?
Watch the video above to learn more about two change models: one that details the process when we choose a change and want to embark on it, and another that helps us to understand the process when the change is imposed upon us, or is something we’ve not chosen. The linkage between these curves is one of the more fascinating elements. Then we look at the ship of change to illustrate the choices that we make (and help us see the choices of others).
With these models as a base, we talk to our two alumni guest and get their perspectives and experiences of change.
The speakers:
Jonny Downie, Founder & CEO, Barnton Park Group Ltd
Jonny Downie graduated from Edinburgh Napier in 2012 with a BA (Hons) in Law, and after a brief spell within an IFA in Edinburgh decided to move down to London following successful interviewing with a US based challenger consultancy who were establishing their first UK presence.
During his five years, he helped lead the business to expand into new territories including Singapore and Poland. Following this, he was approached to join a global legal business to lead their divisional strategy and optimise revenues. Most recently, Jonny has decided to set up his own boutique consultancy to support business through the growth stage, whether that be through GTM strategy and execution or investor readiness.
In addition to this, Jonny is also the London Ambassador for the Scottish Business Network - a global network connecting 1000's within the Scottish diaspora.
Matthew Akinpelu, Director, Principal Business Analyst at ISCANET
Matthew Akinpelu is a multifaceted professional with a diverse career across multiple industries. He holds an MBA from Edinburgh Napier University, where he served as President for Education and Employability at the Student Association, making significant contributions to student policies on the advisory board at the Office for Students, where he helped shape policies to enhance student experiences and outcomes.
With extensive experience in recruitment and career development, Matthew has worked with top companies like PwC, Oracle, and Goldman Sachs, and served as a Senior Analyst at JP Morgan. As Director of ISCANET (International Student Career Network), Matthew secured funding and partnerships from Microsoft and Amazon, supporting international students and their dependents in building careers in the UK.
His entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to community development are evident in his innovative solutions and commitment to empowering others.
The Skills Spotlight Sessions host
The sessions will be hosted by Dave Jarrold, Skills Development Consultant, Student Futures, Edinburgh Napier University
Dave Jarrold is the Skills Development Consultant at Edinburgh Napier. At the university, his role is to support students in developing their personal and professional skills, including problem solving, resilience, time management, effective team working and more. These are the skills that sit alongside academic qualification and support individual success, whatever that looks like.
Beyond ENU, Dave runs a training company that is dedicated to developing these same skills. If you want to distract him from personal development, just ask about motorbikes or allotments and he’ll go on for hours…