About Me
This is a brief overview of my history and experience for those curious about my background.
Professional Skills
Change and Organisational Development
- Engaged with stakeholders at all levels to agree shared vision and values
- Worked with boards, senior executives and operational units in multiple countries to define and leverage a coherent performance management process to be used across an entire financial services organisation
- Acted as an intermediary in sensitive performance related issues to ensure both parties reach a satisfactory resolution in line with people policies and good employment practice
- Provided support to operational units to engage with the new corporate policies and procedures
- Worked with organisations to align internal structures with culture
- Coached business leaders to create business cultures that are values led
- Provided workshops and spoken at International Conferences on change and communication
- Leader, manager and coach in fast changing markets and start-ups
Performance improvement initiatives (Learning & Development)
- Have originated and designed a wide variety of highly successful interventions that are focused on delivering tightly specified measurable improvements in the performance of the attendees
- Over 1,000 hours of coaching experience including individuals, groups and teams
- Used results from appraisal systems and competency frameworks as a basis for learning and development programmes
- Able to design highly effective programmes for people of differing intelligence, culture, and job role
- Make best use of technology to provide innovative, cost effective programmes
- Highly experienced in business, executive, career, life and performance coaching for senior and board level executives
- NLP Master Practitioner with a talent for modelling excellence and passing knowledge to non-NLP people
Recruitment
- Led and trained recruitment consultants to hit targets
- Built relationships with external recruitment consultants to deliver top quality CV’s to meet job specs
- Worked at all levels of recruitment both nationally and internationally, internally and externally
- Pre-Recruitment: role & job description definition, competency analysis & modelling
- During recruitment: psychometric and personality assessment, structured interviewing
- Post: promotion & contract negotiations, employment law, PRP structures, compensation & benefit plans
Performance Assessment, Measurement & Management
- Over 10 years using psychometric assessment tools such as NEO-IPR, OPQ, MBTI, Watson Glaser, Emotional Intelligence (EQ), Myers Briggs, Belbin, verbal & numerical reasoning and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) in a variety of real world applied contexts
- Application of assessments to: recruitment, performance coaching, team building & understanding, personal development and mitigating cultural communication issues
- Design and execution of 360 feedback questionnaires based on competencies, motivational preferences and personal development requirements
- Design and usage of inventories to explore career management, self esteem and motivation
- Behavioural modelling techniques to identify and share the structure of exceptional performers
- Experience of data gathering and analysis, statistical methods and tools including SPSS & relational databases
HR General Skills
- 8 years in senior management of international consultancy responsible for accounting, payroll, policies, performance reviews and implementation of ISO9001
- Advised and given workshops on employment law
- Implemented and advised on payroll and appraisal systems for SME organisations
- Experienced in structured process analysis and workflow design to improve productivity
Sales & Marketing
- I have worked with over 50+ SMEs and high growth start-ups to define target markets, branding, sales strategies, product offerings, marketing collateral
- Performance monitoring and sales model analysis
- Sales performance coaching
- Sharpening sales skills through workshops and group coaching at all levels of an organisation
Gathering, analysing and reporting on financial data
- Over 10 years experience with operational responsibility for day to day cash flow and growth of companies has given me the ability to analyse and interpret financial data to inform business tactics and long term strategy
- Experienced in aligning programmes to maximise profit/ROI and inform sales models and go to market strategies
- Degree in Economics helps with macro-economic market positioning
Problem Solving & Best Practice
- Use a wide range of tools to analyse problems and identify patterns and key issues. These include: mind mapping, force-field analysis, SWOT, PEST, Training Needs Analysis, Job Analysis, Balanced Score Card, Clean Language and many others
- Creative at applying academic research to real world issues and developing functional plans to resolve client issues. The sources I use include: Psychological, Economic, CIPD and NLP research literature
Blue Chip & multi-cultural experience
- Worked with blue chip organisations such as IBM, Natwest, Credit Suisse, Dubai Bank, Mashreq Bank,
- Have worked in and led multi-cultural teams in organisations based in: MENA, Europe, US and Asia
- Sensitive to cultural issues and able to align business goals with local cultural imperatives
Experience
CEO, Occupational Psychologist CGA Management Ltd Feb 00 – Present
- Chosen by the UK NLP conference to demonstrate my model of excellence
- Originated and designed ingenious programs, materials, e-communications and inspirational talks
- Designed programmes that have consistently improved productivity by 20% plus
- Worked with over 100 of people to change career, find new direction or gain promotion
- Coached over 300 people to achieve increased performance and productivity
- Enabled over 50 leaders and managers’ to reconnect to their vision, restructure and build effective teams and improve performance.
- 95% success rate in enabling clients to achieve their goals
- Set-up policies, systems and procedures in alignment with ISO 9001
- Managed the logistics, contracts negotiation and performance of consultants global delivery
- Managed multiple successful bids and tenders in public and private sector
- published and appeared in various publications, and been paid speaker at national and international conferences
Founding Partner ASP (Part of ASE Occupational Psychologists) Dec 98 – Jan 00
- Used psychometric profiling to provide a placement service for high performing recruitment consultants
- Built a client base from scratch
- Responsible for contract negotiations
- Establishing marketing and branding for ASP website and offerings
International Consultant Progressive Computer Recruitment Ltd Aug 94 – Sep 98
- Top performing recruitment consultant working with global blue chip organisations.
- Recruited across all functions up to Senior Consultant and IT Director. Salaries ranged from £25,000 -150,000.
- Started two new divisions including Account Handling which involved bringing on board companies like IBM, Cap Gemini and CMG to work exclusively with Progressive
- Moved team’s performance from 2 placements a month to 11 placements a month
- Responsible for contract negotiations
- Have worked with clients to solve talent shortages and reduce staff attrition.
- Provided advice on salaries and benefits
- Coached to technically gifted but difficult to place applicants and improved placement results 100%
- Advised on international recruitment law
Sales Co-ordinator Purup Pre-Press (Part of the LEGO group) 1991 – 1994
TEFL Teacher Na Trang, Vietnam 1991
IT Help Desk Analyst Societe Generale Bank 1989 – 1990
Education
MSc Occupational Psychology from Birkbeck University 2008 – ongoing distance learning
NLP Master Practitioner from Sue Knight 2005 – 2006
Diplomas in Coaching Performance & Small Business Finance 2002 – 2003
BA (Hons) Psychology from Open University 1993 – 1996
BSc (Hons) Economics & European Studies from Manchester Metropolitan University 1984 – 1986
Christina is also a qualified Assessment Psychologist (Level A/B)
Additional Information
Professional Memberships
- British Psychological Society: Coaching and Occupational Psychological Divisions
- International Coaching Federation
- Organizational Development Network
- Institute of Directors.
I hold the equivalent CIPD qualification as Licentiate member
Interests
Theatre, Music, Dance, Cooking, Dog Training, Travel
Testimonials
“What a great and valuable work this is. In my job, I see a lot of market and other research and Christina’s ability to 1) get the message across without jargon and 2) shape, but not get in the way of or distort, the key findings is impressive.”
– Elizabeth Corley, CEO, Allianz Global Investors Europe commenting on a report for the Microloan Foundation for which she is a trustee.
“I have been Christina’s client for 10 years, firstly recruiting on behalf of my company & global clients, and for the last 5 years as an outstanding executive coach. Christina is a successful sales person & businesswoman with a background in psychology. She is a unique & inspiring person” – Steve Norton , Interim Recruitment Manager, SAB Miller
“I have no hesitation in recommending Christina. She has helped our company in the areas of team building and coaching. Her people skills, team building experience and coaching skills have helped our team and as a result we have been able to improve our communications and client service.” – Alex Maddox, Managing Director at Telmar Communications Ltd
“I have worked with Christina on many occasions and she has made an incredible difference to how I perform in my role as MD and keeping the staff motivated. She is brilliant as a coach and has kept me sane throughout the years and helping me achieve my goals. I also attended her productivity masterclass last year and I’m still practicing some of the tricks I picked up then – invaluable, brilliant, inspiration, talented are just a few words I would use to describe Christina and we always could have a good giggle too.” – Sarah Green, Managing Director, Tailored Time Ltd
“Christina Griffiths delivers amazing results. After one afternoon with each of my sales team I was hearing words describing the sessions as uplifting, inspiring and enlightening. All of the sales team involved thanked me and this was after the feedback on the individual areas that were holding back their personal performance. I have seen a noticeable change in their behaviour around the office and I can’t wait to see the improvement over the next year as Christina works with the team to improve their individual and collective performance. Working together I am sure Marcom will hit its 70% growth target in 2010.” – Mark Casey, Founder and Managing Director of Marcom Communications
