Rely Upon Our Team

Throughout a varied and challenging career in the Royal Navy, which included acting as a media spokesman, John developed an incredible understanding of human communication. On leaving military service in 1990, John founded Black Isle, in order to share his experiences and understanding to develop effective communication within a business environment. 

He personally developed a media coaching programme which allows each participant to have at least seven mock interviews, to prepare them for a variety of situations. The Chief Executive of the Canadian Olympic Committee became the most sought-after figure by the TV networks at the Vancouver Winter Olympic games after working with John.

John’s approach disagrees with a great deal of conventional wisdom concerning presentation and personal impact. He builds on the uniqueness of personality and helps people perform at their natural best in any situation.

He was a pioneer in e-learning, developing an early video-based programme on speaking skills, allowing managers in Asia and North America to enjoy a workshop which was not just a lecture or podcast.

This highly individual and successful approach has allowed John to expand Black Isle Consultants across four continents and to seven offices around the world. As well as coaching politicians in North America, Asia and Europe, John has helped many senior executives and public figures perform more effectively in high profile appointments.

John and the Black Isle team have won the Hong Kong trainer of the year award twice.

His book: ‘Hit me Again! … I Can Still Hear Him!’ has been acclaimed for its simple and refreshing approach to speaking in all situations.

“Removing the terror of public speaking is so rewarding – both when giving a poor presenter the skills they need and also when showing a good presenter what it is that makes them great. The power they get from that understanding is a revelation to them and a delight to me.”

Relevant Qualifications

Royal Navy Submarine Command training
Royal Navy Senior Instructor
Royal Navy Media Spokesperson
Qualified coach for EQ-I analytical

Clients Say

“Over my 19 year career, I can count on three fingers the number of training sessions that I felt were really beneficial …. Yours was one of them.”

Jerry Forsythe, Senior VP, Effem (Mars Foods)

Case works with high-powered individuals who have gone on to promote themselves and their organisations successfully. Some of Case’s clients have achieved great things such as: 

• Starting successful businesses
• Winning best speaker awards
• Changing legislation
• Getting promoted
• Giving TED talks
  

Some of the opportunities Case has been involved in to grow people and their business:

Case Study 1: Coaching female MDs of a global financial institution to resolve internal communication challenges, leading to better engagement and higher retention and promotion rates for women.

Case Study 2: Improving the cross-cultural communication at a global manufacturer between different geographies and genders, leading to better problem solving, reduced lead times and smoother operations.

Case Study 3: Helping an executive at an insurance firm successfully communicate a new digital strategy.

According to Case: “Many people refer to
communication as a soft skill. I believe it is the hardest skill executives
need to succeed.”

Relevant Qualifications

Master in International Management degree from Thunderbird, AZ, USA;

Bachelor in Business Administration degree from Nyenrode University in The Netherlands;

Accredited EQ-i 2.0 and EQ360 Coach;

Founding member of The Women’s Foundation (TWF) Male Allies Leadership Council (MALC)

Clients Say

“I would highly recommend Case to any company looking to speak with one voice”
– Maaike Steinebach, CEO ABN AMRO, HK

Callum has worked with a varied cross-section of industries, inspiring executives and teams to be better communicators. He’s handled large and small scale projects including: 

• training 100+ Executives at a leading real estate investment trust to be better in front of their board
• teaching an asset manager’s sales team how to sell more effectively (increasing the number of deals by 50%)
• working with the AML team of an investment bank’s to improve their approach to client interactions, helping them retain clients worth over hundreds of millions of dollars
• training an executive team as moderators to increase their exposure in their market, leading to more accounts and revenue
• showing a Non-Governmental Organisation how to improve their messaging and delivery enabling them to hit a new records of 10M HKD at their annual fundraiser.

“I get immense satisfaction from being part of peoples’ learning journeys; the spark that goes off when they ‘get it’, apply it and use it. This gets me up in the morning and keeps me going at night”

Relevant Qualifications

BSc (Honours) in Environmental Science from the University of Stirling, Scotland.

World Rugby Level 2 Qualified Coach, coaching all ages.

Clients Say

“Callum’s practical lessons were delivered with humour, and the skills learned were immediately applicable, memorable and well received”

Amy Fong, CE, Save the Children Hong Kong

Heather is a Partner of Black Isle Global, a 30-year-old international consultancy, where she provides insights in leadership communication, organizational strategy, and people development for C-suite professionals, fortune 500 companies, and NGOs. 

Certified as an Advanced Cognitive Coach, Heather develops strategic capacity in individuals and organisations through skills-based coaching to produce self-directedness and multi-cultural awareness in her clients. Formerly, as an executive coach to a leading Latin American EMBA program, she empowered her clients with tools and strategies for 21st-century business success.

Certified as an Advanced Facilitator in Adaptive Organisations and Schools, Heather’s areas of expertise include adaptive leadership, collaborative organisational structures, and strategic thinking for economic, environmental and social resilience in business. As a former CEO of Outward Bound Mexico, she led the International Corporate Training Program, and drove the Women in Action Leadership Programs. She knows that well-managed diverse and inclusive teams produce improved results.

Having worked as Director of Sustainability at a leading educational education, she is a peer reviewer for Sustainability: The Journal of Record and a mentor for the Association of the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

Certified internationally as a yoga teacher, Heather engages her clients in creating a better mindset within themselves and their organisations. She works in Asia, North America and Latin America as a true APAC coach.

Barry is a motivator, team builder, and collaborator. He is passionate and talented at helping individuals, teams and organisations achieve their best.

Before joining Black Isle as Managing Director, Barry held senior executive positions at General Motors of Canada Ltd. in sales, service, marketing, and public affairs. His book, “PAUSE: Standout Whenever You Speak” has been widely acclaimed.

Since joining Black Isle, he has been helping leaders to stand out, whenever they speak. He has taught hundreds of people in all sectors, at all levels, from entry level to CEO.

Barry also coaches executives to become more effective at emotional intelligence, helping them to manage behaviour, navigate social complexities, and make decisions that achieve positive results.

“I light up when a client calls to tell me how well their presentation went. I know that I’m making a difference.”

Relevant Qualifications

Bachelor of Administration degree from University of Saskatchewan

Graduate in Executive Development from Niagara Institute and the University of Illinois

Certified practitioner in the Dr. Reuven Bar-On method

Accredited EQ-i and EQ360 Coach

Clients Say

“Barry delivered the most valuable hour of 1:1 coaching ever! I walked away with immediate, applicable, tangible results and a sense of empowerment. A rare experience, indeed.”

Corinne Lavictoiré, CEO/Author/Speaker 

Diane has acquired vast experience in public relations and administration in politics, private industry and non-profit organisations. She draws from her career which has included:

• assistant to the President of the Canadian Senate
• administrator to the office of the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien when he was Minister of Justice
• Director General of The Canadian Club of Montreal in Singapore.

During her career, Diane has been active in rising corporate and private funds for several charities. She also organised and managed numerous prestigious charity events.

One of her greatest achievements with Black Isle has been the week-long training for Mars employees at their annual associates conference, which she has delivered 3 years in a row.

“Helping others to speak with impact is my passion, because it’s a critical life skill.”

Relevant Qualifications

B.A in Political Science from the University of Ottawa.

Clients Say

“Diane delivered exceptional training to our team. She has made a profound impact on the success of their careers.”
Maxime-Olivier Gauthier, Vice-president Strategic Management
 

Damir has over forty years of experience as an actor and director. He brought this knowledge of human communication when he joined Black Isle over two decades ago and integrated it into the unique approach that Black Isle brings to all their work.

His much-valued consulting and coaching make him much sought-after as he:

• works with leaders to review and refine speeches
• brings out the natural best in speakers of all generations
• writes speeches from scratch so speakers get their message across with impact
• coaches CEO’s get the best of all worlds, with a great speech and fantastic delivery.

“What motivates me is making a difference in the lives of executives by using my creativity when writing and editing speeches.”

Clients Say

“Guys, I have to say this…… I toyed with the idea of not going to this training; why bother going?

How wrong I was and how lucky I turned up. The trainer is Excellent. I feel even more ‘fired up’ about doing my presentations now. The man really knows his onions.

If you don’t go you are missing a great opportunity.”

Simon Cockayne, Senior Software Engineer, Syon/Sterling, California

Ruby combines executive coaching, facilitation, improvising, consulting and her extensive leadership development, organizational culture, talent management background, which spans several industries including finance, shipping, high-tech, airlines, MRO, properties, hotels, beverages, retail, rural education, and wildlife protection NGOs.

As a leadership development consultant of over 15 years, Ruby has extensively applied her skills and knowledge to design and deliver programmes that build and develop leadership capabilities, identify, and assess talent strengths and developmental gaps and cultivate inclusive cultures.

Ruby has in-depth consulting experience with high-tech start-ups and NGOs in China. A Shenzhen born Chinese, Ruby was educated in Shenzhen, Hong Kong and the US and has lived in Hong Kong for more than 18 years. Ruby believes that everyone can make a difference and enjoys helping people making sustainable changes that are

beneficial to both their personal and professional lives.

Additional qualifications include Certified MBTI Practitioner by CPP, Certified Leadership Architect Suite by Lominger/Korn Ferry, Certified Practitioner of Human-Center Design by LUMA, Bachelor of Business Administration, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Executive Diploma in Training Management and Organizational Development, The University of Hong Kong

Ruby brings to Black Isle her 14 years with Swire Group, where she worked with different levels from C-suite to frontline team leaders across all Swire operating companies in various industries. Her business acumen and ability to work effectively across cultures stems from this experience and her excellent linguistic abilities in English, Putonghua, and Cantonese.

Josie derives her coaching skills from a thirty-year acting career in New York and Los Angeles. Helping her clients understand the mechanics behind powerful presence, the emotional preparation required for effective communication and introducing a methodology for impactful content and memorable delivery sets her apart in the world of communication skills coaching. 

Returning to the UK in 2016, Josie coaches senior executives across a broad range of industries from global banks to innovation labs to think tanks to Government agencies. She is the creator of the VO1CE Pebble™ and the five-step VO1CE™ methodology.