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Meet The Team
Our Consultants & Advisory Team
The Podium team brings together experienced recruitment specialists and professionals from business, sport and the law to help clients implement effective recruitment strategies and deliver key appointments at all levels.
At Podium, we feel that every assignment requires consultants who strive to understand the unique business culture of each client and, paying close attention to detail, ensure that the criteria for each role are clearly defined and delivered against.
Our recruitment expertise has been built up over 25 years in key growth markets, boasting consultants and business partners with unrivaled collective experience across a range of professional and management positions.
To complement our services we have an unrivaled advisory team, enabling Podium to provide our clients with objective, informed input on every instruction we undertake.[/fusion_text][/one_full][one_full last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”none” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Team[/title][/one_full][one_full last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_tabs design=”clean” layout=”vertical” justified=”no” backgroundcolor=”” inactivecolor=”” bordercolor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_tab title=”John Cullen” icon=””]
John Cullen [social_links icons_boxed=”yes” icons_boxed_radius=”4px” icon_colors=”” box_colors=”” tooltip_placement=”” rss=”” facebook=”” twitter=”” instagram=”” dribbble=”” google=”” linkedin=”https://uk.linkedin.com/in/john-cullen-8200ab1a” blogger=”” tumblr=”” reddit=”” yahoo=”” deviantart=”” vimeo=”” youtube=”” pinterest=”” digg=”” flickr=”” forrst=”” myspace=”” skype=”” paypal=”” dropbox=”” soundcloud=”” vk=”” email=”” show_custom=”yes” alignment=”left” class=”” id=””]John has spent over twenty five years in recruitment and consultancy with a particular focus on lawyers, working both in private practice and the wider in-house markets.
A graduate of Downing College, Cambridge, John commenced work at one of the leading City firms before leaving to enter legal recruitment. Whether working with established experts in helping to augment existing teams or building fresh capability in complementary areas of expertise, he has an extensive contact base and a proven track record of successful delivery.
John is a keen sportsman with a bias towards rugby. A Cambridge rugby Blue, he went on to play for several years at Wasps and latterly as captain of Richmond. He was also in the England U19, 23s and ‘Classicals’ squads and the London Division. John now spends his time coaching youth rugby.
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Bill Best
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Bill Best is a business psychologist with thirty years’ experience in executive assessment and coaching and in leadership and team development. He has worked extensively with a range of FTSE and Fortune 100 companies and also with charitable and voluntary organisations.
Previously in his career, Bill held senior roles in two consulting firms– Advanced Personnel Technology Limited, and Personnel Decisions International. In both he delivered assessment and coaching services at the most senior level. In the latter he was also the European Head of the Teamwise™ practice, PDI’s unique model for team development.
Bill has worked in most industry sectors including Banking, Insurance, Pharmaceuticals, High-Tech Products and Services, Communications, Retail, Entertainment, Manufacturing and Consumer Goods. Within each of these sectors he has partnered with the full range of functions from Operations to Finance to R&D to Human Resources. He has carried out assignments throughout Europe on behalf of numerous multi-nationals and worked with people from all parts of the globe.
Bill is the co-author of the book Executive Coaching: Exploding the Myths. He is a Chartered Psychologist and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology as well as an MSc and MPhil from Cranfield University.
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Alison Wright
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Alison has been specialising in the recruitment of lawyers into private practice and in-house for over 25 years. She has an extensive network of contacts at all levels of seniority, working on a range of assignments across a range of sector expertise in London, throughout the UK and internationally. Her experience outside of private practice has involved work on senior roles, both legal and commercial with a focus on the Media, Sport and Entertainment industries
In addition to her track record in recruitment, Alison advises clients on strategic matters, including mergers and the intricacies of lateral team hires.
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Mike Mather
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An inspirational and accomplished entrepreneur focused in software technology in the area of data management. This includes work with Compliance teams for trade reconstruction, converting voice to text for detailed analytics. Managing two teams of data scientists to deliver bespoke algorithms, machine learning and neural programming. This technology has been successfully deployed across a range of industries including Audit, Banking, Legal, Telecoms, e-Gaming, Sport and Insurance.
Mike is also an Executive Director of fraXses Ltd, an agile, innovative and disruptive technology company delivering a federated application framework using a metadata driven approach to data.
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Bill Richards
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Bill Richards – Former Senior Partner at Lawrence Graham
Bill brings over forty years’ experience of the legal marketplace to our business. He was a commercial litigator involved in many high profile cases in the financial services sector and also acted in cases across a range of different disciplines including sport and education. He served for 13 years first as managing then senior partner of Lawrence Graham and his last 5 years as a partner saw him acting as the firm’s Head of Risk and Compliance. He retired as a partner in April 2013. He remains a consultant to the firm on risk management and professional standards matters.
Bill has significant experience of the professional indemnity insurance market and serves as a consultant to Lockton Companies LLP, part of the Lockton Companies group, the largest privately owned insurance broker in the world. He is also a non-executive director of the Solicitors Indemnity Mutual Insurance Association, which is now in run off.
Bill is a keen sportsman and has held positions with or acted as adviser to several sports governing bodies. He has a keen interest in education and has held roles with various educational charities.
[/fusion_tab][/fusion_tabs][/one_full][title size=”2″ content_align=”left” style_type=”none” sep_color=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Advisory Team[/title][one_full last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ class=”” id=””][fusion_tabs design=”clean” layout=”vertical” justified=”no” backgroundcolor=”” inactivecolor=”” bordercolor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_tab title=”Tim Jones” icon=””]
Tim Jones
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England 2015 former General Counsel and London Managing Partner at Freshfields
Tim Jones is former General Counsel of England 2015, the organising committee for the Rugby World Cup. Previously he was a senior partner at the international law firm, Freshfields, holding a number of management positions, including Managing Partner of the London office. He led the firm”s ten year involvement in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games as both legal adviser and sponsor and has since advised a number of major event organisers on their legal and organisational issues.
Tim is also active in the charity sector and from 2010 to 2012 he was HRH the Prince of Wales” ambassador for responsible business in London.
A lifelong rugby enthusiast, Tim played prop for Oxford University, London Welsh, the Barbarians and Wales B.
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Karen Neale
Karen has 18 years’ experience advising sports bodies on legal issues. Karen started as a solicitor at Herbert Smith and then moved to what was then Denton Hall to help grow their sports practice where she acted for a number of sports’ governing bodies including the IAAF, the Rugby Football Union, The FA and the ECB. She left private practice to join the RFU where she spent 5 years, followed by 5 years at the Lawn Tennis Association as the Director of Legal and Governance. Karen now works as a consultant advising National Governing Bodies on the governance matters.
Karen also sits as a non-executive director on the Board of England Athletics and also chairs their Governance Committee. Karen also sits on the International Tennis Federation’s Constitutional Committee.
Outside of work Karen’s life revolves around sport – playing tennis and watching the children play a wide range of sports.
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George Kangis
After graduating with a law degree from Oxford University in 1994, George joined leading entertainment firm Frere Cholmeley Bischoff (now Eversheds LLP), working with clients such as The Beatles, the Estates of Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley, and Sir Elton John.
In 2006 George was appointed by Sir Elton as his personal attorney and General Counsel to his entertainment businesses. During more than a decade working with Sir Elton, George advised on a wide range of domestic and international projects spanning film, television, publishing, theatre and music.
George also held several executive positions within Sir Elton’s businesses including: Non-Executive Director of Rocket Pictures (film and television) and Rocket Stage (theatre), Partner in Rocket Music (music management, clients included Ed Sheeran, Lily Allen and James Blunt), Company Secretary of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and Chief Executive of the Elton John Group. George has now established a legal consultancy through which he provides his services to leading entertainment businesses.
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Graham Walpole
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Graham is presently heading up the new global sports/lifestyle content media business, KICCA Media.
He has worked in the sports industry for over 25 years. Qualified as a lawyer, after overseeing the European Legal Department for IMG, he ran their sports business in Asia out of Hong Kong involving the commercial representation of federations and the creation/management of major national and regional events, including the Chinese Professional Football League. On returning to London, Graham set up and managed IMG Consulting, a new division advising brands on their investments in sport and the activation of their sponsorships.
Graham has since held CEO roles in rugby union, with London Irish, and with Lyndhurst Racing, the owner of 20 national teams in the A1 Grand Prix Series. Graham has been involved in setting up a number of start-ups including One Media Group in Monaco and World Golf Aid Limited.
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Mark Ramsdale
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Mark Ramsdale is a stakeholder engagement specialist, focusing on advocacy and strategic communications in the sport and technology sectors. With 15 years’ experience, he has held positions in Parliament, Royal societies, and government bodies, and roles at the heart of the public affairs industry. He currently operates a Group of companies through which he provides the secretariat to the Parliamentary Groups for Golf and Rugby League, advocacy advice to various bodies in rugby league and technology, as well as others.
Mark has degrees in mechanical engineering from Imperial College London, and technology policy from Cambridge University Business School. He as a diploma in public relations from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations. Mark is a Freeman of the Public Relations Guild; a council member of Cambridge University Business School; a Member of Council, and the Nominations and Governance and Remuneration Committees of IPSE (21,000+ membership body); he is a former Council member of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
He played for Cambridge University Rugby League Football Club, and remains a Vice-President. He plays for the Parliamentary golf and rugby union clubs and is player/manager for politicians’ rugby league club Political Animals.
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David Paton
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David is the Managing Director at Kinross Sport and former Head of Sports Advisory at Grant Thornton UK LLP.
David has worked in the Sports sector for over 10 years. After overseeing the Sports Advisory team at Grant Thornton, he left to set up Kinross Sport in late 2012 with a focus on strategic consulting assignments for clubs and governing bodies. Subsequently, the business has evolved to include an elite and emerging talent management division and the creation and implementation of innovative international sporting events.
A keen sportsman, David played rugby to Premiership level in Scotland and National League 1 level in England.
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David Gill
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David is an experienced Trade Mark Attorney, with a particular specialisation in Sports Marketing, involving Intellectual Property, Brand Protection and Anti-counterfeiting. David trained at the London office of the international IP law firm, Marks & Clerk, before moving to Switzerland to work as in-house Trade Mark Attorney for ISL Worldwide and then at FIFA.
He is currently Managing Director of Gill & Gill an Intellectual Property law firm assisting clients with the global protection, exploitation and enforcement of their IP rights.
David regularly lectures on IP Law and anti-ambush marketing. He was guest lecturer on IP Rights in Sport at the CIES, the University of Neuchatel for over ten years. He has also lectured at the HSE University in Moscow, the Licensing Executives Society International (LESI) conference in Johannesburg, the Central St. Martin’s University in London, and a US Sports Law Association workshop in New York.
David services a diverse group of clients that range from major global brands to the smallest start-ups – from worldwide sports events to medical technology.
Clients include: FIFA, UEFA, Le Coq Sportif, FIBA, and many more.
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Eniola Aluko
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Eniola is a professional women’s footballer for Chelsea FC and England senior women’s team. Eniola has enjoyed a successful career for over 15 years in football and recently achieved the milestone of 100 appearances for England women’s football team.
She has successfully balanced professional football with a legal career after graduating from Brunel University with a First Class honours in Law in 2008 and qualifying as a solicitor with a specialism in Sport and Entertainment law.
Eniola also has a prominent career in Sports media and broadcasting and notably became the first female footballer in history to appear as a guest pundit on Match of the Day. Eniola recently launched sports careers recruitment consultancy, Crescenda Sport which is dedicated to developing the future careers in the Sports industry for university graduates and postgraduates.
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Gareth Rees QC
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Executive Counsel, Professional Discipline at The Financial Reporting Council
Gareth spent over thirty years at the independent Bar before his appointment in 2012 as Executive Counsel at the Financial Reporting Council with responsibility for investigations and prosecutions for misconduct by Auditors, Accountants and Actuaries in matters which affect the UK public interest. At the Bar Gareth took silk in 2003 and his practice was in corporate and financial regulatory, criminal and disciplinary issues.
Gareth played first class rugby with Headingley, Harlequins and represented Middlesex and now sits on the RFU Disciplinary panel. He is a member of the MCC and Queens Park Rangers FC. He is a Trustee of the Middlesex Sports Foundation.
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