Dianne Bown-Wilson

“Before establishing The M3 Consultancy in 2000, I’d spent more or less my entire career in marketing and management roles – latterly at board level - in many different types of organisation, from large commercial and public sector concerns, to owner-managed small and medium-sized businesses and professional services firms.

My particular specialist skills are founded in marketing audit and research, organisational management, strategic planning and personal development.

However, over the years I have acquired extensive practical experience in all tactical marketing communications actvities also, including copywriting, PR and advertising, corporate identity/branding, hospitality, print production, direct mail and database management, and website creation.

I have a degree in psychology, hold the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) diploma and CIM ‘Chartered Marketer’ status. I am an accredited advisor with the Institute of Independent Business, a trained business coach, and - until recently - was both Chair of Oxford Women in Management (a professional network within the Chartered Management Institute) and a voluntary business advisor for Oxfordshire Business Enterprises (a government backed initiative for start-up businesses). I am also an active member of Toastmasters International.

My overriding interest is in people in business – what makes them tick, how they work together and with their clients and suppliers and how, despite diverse backgrounds and objectives, they can still achieve – in the very best scenarios – quite astounding business outputs.”

Richard Ciechan

"Although, following University, I initially trained as an accountant within the chemical industry, I was headhunted to join Whitbread early in my career and spent the next 11 years rising rapidly through their Financial Management structure. During this time I also attained fellowships of two of the country's main accounting bodies (FCCA, FCMA).

In the light of my growing interest in the people side of business, I then moved to their Retail Division to become Personnel and Training Director of Beefeater Steak Houses, a business with over 8000 employees. This culminated in my appointment as Development Director of Whitbread Restaurants. In 1988 I moved out of industry into education and, having gained an MSc in International Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics, spent many years as a Principal Lecturer at Middlesex University teaching on postgraduate management courses, in particular MBA and DMS programmes.

 

In recent years I have used my experience to develop my consultancy career in the areas of Financial Management and Analysis, Performance and Change Management and Systems and Process management. Early in 2005 I also became a Member of the Bedfordshire and Luton Learning and Skills Council and Chairman of its Audit Committee.

 

My belief is that sound business performance depends less on the type, size or nature of a particular business but comes mainly from the clarity and consistency which business leaders apply in understanding and managing their processes, their people and their performance. The important thing is to look at the bigger picture, not at matters in isolation and from there to set priorities and goals linked to performance improvement."