Testimonials

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S. Valentine, Employee Experience, Engagement, Communication & Culture Leader. “In mid-2022, I was giving serious, but unstructured, consideration to my career, my future and my path forward. A few months later, having worked with David for a few months, my outlook was transformed by the motivation, resilience and confidence that I took from the work that he and I did. This then helped me not only navigate a period of redundancy but to find and take career opportunities that are beyond what I would have imagined just 6 months ago.

I’m truly grateful to David – without his support and insight, I don’t think I would have been able to achieve the level of focus or clarity in terms of what I am suited to, or be as able to represent and articulate who I am on a professional level. This flows from David’s knowledge and skill as much as from his approach – which includes the evident care and empathy that he brought to our relationship alongside his ability to help me challenge and refine my own thinking.

The impact that David has made on my career has been huge and I would highly recommend him to anyone seeking to navigate work transitions, career planning or any similar situations.“

L. Bone, Lead Teacher British School of the Netherlands. “Considering a career change, I contacted David to see whether he would be able to help me in my journey of realising what I want and how I could achieve it. After the intake session, I was struck by how knowledgeable, and passionate David was. On top of that, he’s an incredibly well-humoured and decent man. Over 4 sessions, David and I plotted out what I hoped to achieve in the next stage of my career and set several thought-provoking ‘side-missions’ which helped me further clarify my vision. He asked difficult questions, gave honest feedback and shared valuable insights into the corporate/business world that I otherwise would not have known. For anybody looking to relocate to Cambridge or dive deeper into what they are looking for in their career, I highly recommend David’s tutorage. Thank you for everything, David!”

2022 update

“David’s knowledge of the career market was invaluable as I pursued a position in Cambridge. Our sessions were thought-provoking and he always knew the right question to ask at the moment which sparked a chain of reflective thought. I greatly recommend David for interview preparation, confidence building and career coaching. His blog is a great starting place to learn more about what he can offer!“

“Thank you so much for everything, David! Your guidance and advice in this last year have helped me endlessly.”

N. Hurd, CEO / COO “Transformational! Started the process in a state of despair, confusion and frustration, and ended with a sense of clarity, achievement and anticipation. David strikes the perfect balance between being a sympathetic ear, and an empathetic oracle. I thoroughly enjoyed the roller coaster ride…warts and all!!”

A. Dopadlik. Cambridgeshire Police Officer,   “David is clearly passionate about guiding and coaching professional development and this shines through the entire process. I felt that David took a genuine interest in my development and tailored his coaching towards my goals. The support offered throughout the process has been fantastic and I feel empowered and equipped to take my professional development forwards.”

S. Lawrence, International Marketing Manager “From the initial scoping conversation to the final session David was approachable and helpful. I especially valued his help in taking my initial career goals and creating achievable milestones. These ensured steady progression from session to session and have left me with a clear path to follow. The resources he shared with me gave me fresh insights into my key drivers and motivations and helped me to better understand my strengths.”

M. Bardají Cruz, Privacy Compliance EMEA Manager “David was a great help in preparing me for the next step in my career. I faced interviews with less fear and more self-confidence. He’s really capable of “reading” what’s behind your own words, which helped me to get the most out of every session.”

J. Nnamdi Chinye, Client Services Manager “Before I met David, I suffered from low self-esteem, I dreaded the interview process and I lacked a direction in my career. From a few conversations, David calmed me down, changed the way I perceived myself, highlighted my skills (and made me proud of them) and gave me the courage I thought I never had. On my very next interview, I got my dream job. David ‘completed me’ and I cannot thank/endorse/recommend him enough.”

S. Clark, Marketing Executive (Cambridge) “David coached me in preparation for a job interview. I thought I knew what I was doing, having got jobs before (but my last interview was 10 years ago) and having interviewed other people, reading lots of sample questions and ideal answers from the perspective of both interviewee and interviewer, and thoroughly preparing my answers to expected questions accordingly. David lifted the scales from my eyes and showed me what is truly important to an interviewer, the messages to give and how to get them across. I feel much more confident that I have the tools to succeed, in this and future interviews. I now have a job in marketing and I would highly recommend David.”

C. Thomas, Freelance Director (Cambridge) “David has helped me enormously re-focus and clarify my priorities for the next stage of my career. I am a freelance creative in television, used to being a sole trader. He has pushed me to articulate how and why I am setting up a new production company to develop my own work. I love his approach and unique set of skills – as a business trainer and mentor but also as someone with thoughtful psychological insights. He has a great way of identifying sticking points and coaching me to create paths through them. His personal coaching style also makes the sessions more productive, supportive and ultimately a lot more fun than I had expected. Highly recommended.”

B. Williams, MD Sten 10 “David is a great coach who expertly blends ‘plain/straight talking’ with a more facilitative style, which appealed to my need for tangible advice as well as business coaching more generally. His strong experience in business adds further weight to his perspectives. Strongly recommend!”

B. Cusack, Development Manager at Villiers Park Education “David enabled me to realise my potential, skills and experience. His confidence-boosting, supportive coaching helped me understand my brand and values. Because of David, I was able to work through issues that were holding me back, enabling me to reach the next step in my career. I would highly recommend David as a very knowledgeable coach and psychologist.”

D. Young, Associate Director AstraZeneca “Open, approachable and easy to work with, David provides great insight and structured thinking, helping crystallise career concepts and desires you may not have been able to vocalise yourself. I enjoyed my time working with David, and it gave me a lot of food for thought for future directions and how to leverage and fulfil my strengths and values”.

K. Dwyer, Senior HR Professional “My experience of working with David over the last year has been inspirational, demanding, challenging and thought-provoking. Initially connected through Lancaster University as part of my MBA course, David helped me prepare for a significant promotion. More recently David has helped me through a career transition, specifically working on my career brand – that was the demanding and challenging bit! David has an easy-going and approachable style that makes you feel at ease. I look forward to continuing to work with David in the future”.

A. Fox, Technology Director at Aurelius Environmental  “When it comes to professional development, David is an outstanding professional. His ability to engage, scrutinize and ask the right questions can unlock the hidden potential of just about any individual and organisation.

David has a real hands-on approach which he expertly moulds to suit the situation at hand. No task is too big or too small for David. Whether he is dealing with an MBA graduate, an organisation looking to restructure or a professional seeking a U-turn, make no mistake – David’s ability to motivate and to help his clients find clarity is priceless”.

E. Kasaj MBA, Consultant, Albania “David helped me externalize where I want to go with my career. His approach was fantastic and he helped me understand better the value of building and promoting a personal brand that reflects loyally who I am and how I can contribute to solving problems. It was an amazing journey that I didn’t think I needed at this point in my life, but I realized that it is really helpful and necessary. Going through it with David was also a lot of fun!”

A. Webster, Senior Police Officer (location withheld) “I worked with David as part of the Executive MBA program at Lancaster University. His coaching and support are exceptional. I will look to work with David again and would highly recommend him. “

L. Cawkwell, 6th Form Student, Cambridge “I want to thank you for all your help and support and notably in regard to my interview techniques. I have been offered a place to study for a nursing degree at Anglia Ruskin University a year early and train within Addenbrooks meaning I will get paid to earn my nursing degree with no tuition fees. I am over the moon with this opportunity and will be starting on July 4^th (2016). Thank you again for all your help, you really inspired and motivated me to improve my interview techniques for my apprenticeship interview”.

H. Holmes – Ink & Fold, Cambridge “David could pinpoint the areas he sensed I was inspired by and the directions which were just “clutching at straws” He helped me to find a way forward”. “Thank you for your time, advice and inspiration. Your experience accumulated from working with people from different mindsets and backgrounds is invaluable to a fledgeling business owner. Your insights into how to “make a noise” and be noticed on social media and to project values onto the business is my clear way forward”.

B. Perrot – MBA Candidate Lancaster University Business School “Perfect, He helped me a lot to find my management brand and to have perspective for the future. He asked me a lot of energy but in the end, I am very happy and confident about my future career”

Tahir Rauf, MBA Candidate –  Strategy & Advisory Local Government “As part of the Lancaster MBA Career Advancement Programme, I had the opportunity to get professional coaching from David. I had an excellent experience.

He is a thorough professional and has a deep understanding of the current job market requirements. He helped me to discover myself, which was an exciting experience. After having been coached by him, I felt confident about myself and came to know about my strong points.

M. Velloza MBA Candidate – I.T Project Manager “I’ve had the esteemed privilege of being coached by David as a part of the Lancaster MBA Career Advancement Programme. As a career coach, David challenged my approach to case and competency interviews, advised on effective interviewing techniques and provided insight into the complex job market. As a result of our interaction, I was better prepared for an upcoming interview which resulted in a job offer”.

Lamya Aubert – Senior Program Manager – Bing Apps Media & Publishing / International Markets – Microsoft Gulf “I highly recommend David as one of the outstanding career professional coaches I came across. I’ve been through multiple professional styles analysis and met with many career coaches as a result of that, David stood out to me as one of the most insightful, optimistic and original thinkers. In one hour session with David, I felt he put the nail on the head on the key hidden areas that needed care. David has a pleasant way of building a safe environment and making you feel comfortable and happy to deep dive into the self-reflection. Without a doubt, David is talented in what he does and I’m delighted to recommend him and continue working and learning from him”.

J. Shettey Managing Director, Venture General Contracting LLC “David has been very helpful in bringing clarity to my thoughts and doubts I had. I really enjoyed the session and I would certainly recommend David. He dealt with the most important aspects of my report and I am surprised by the discoveries I have made about myself. Thank you, David, you were awesome :)”

B. Meagher – Technical Manager at BESIX, UAE “David helped decode the results of my personal professional development reports. He offered explanations for conflicting information and framed the necessary context in which to understand the big picture. Armed with this information David offered sound guidance on career-enabling priorities to unlock potential and increase job satisfaction. He also answered all queries in a direct manner giving me the required clarity on the subject”.

M. Elhamy – Regional Account Director, Middle East and Africa at AT&T “I had the pleasure of working with David on a coaching exercise. He carefully analysed my weaknesses and strengths and was able to engage me in excellent and highly constructive discussions. The recommendations made by David were concise, accurate, and indeed invaluable. I would be delighted to work with him again and always seek his advice and guidance. “

C. J. Colasanto – Special Projects Manager “David Dean provided great insight into the analysis of my personal, professional and career development portfolio. Throughout our session, David worked to identify my strengths and weakness while offering constructive advice on how to increase and decrease each of the aforementioned accordingly. The session with David was not only refreshing but also extremely illuminating. As my development continues, I will continue to keep in contact with David”

A. Phillips, Cambridge “My son has Aspergers/high functioning autism and had been looking for work for nine months.  Despite being well-qualified and attending many interviews he had not been successful in finding employment.  He had lost confidence in his abilities and his anxiety level was very high.  David worked with him over several sessions to find his key employability strengths and give him strategies to manage his nerves and anxiety around stressful situations.  David gave him the confidence to believe in his strengths and transfer this to an interview situation.  The work that David did with my son made a huge difference to his outlook on life generally as well as enabling him to find employment and I would recommend David to any young person who needs help in starting their career”. 

Update to above – “I thought you might like to know that “L” now has a permanent position as a receptionist/administrator in the cardiology department.  His confidence has dramatically increased and he has already been to San Francisco on his own this year, Finland and New York in the next few months and possibly Japan next year!”

A. White, Sawston “I am now far more confident in my ability to move forward than at the start and far clearer about which direction I should be moving in both of which are huge positives. Allied to that David has been a very supportive and reassuring influence so all in all I am very pleased that I signed up for the course, very pleased with the outcomes and very pleased I chose David as my coach”.

L. Gwinnutt – Head of Communications APIL “I couldn’t recommend David highly enough. I was a frustrated senior manager with borderline anger management issues and he showed me a whole new way of looking at things which made the world of work much more fun, creative and successful. He has a direct but easy manner and is a delight to work with“.

S. Hughes – Global Product Manager at Tribal Group “David was very perceptive and creative in revealing and enhancing my core leadership and interview strengths in a very positive and practical way without once resorting to pop psychology. A great experience I can highly recommend”. 

C. Patel – Head of interprofessional studies at Swansea University “David was brilliant at delivering a session on the psychology of leadership. David was able to simplify the theory behind leadership styles & apply them to individual scenarios. What was particularly good was his interactive nature as well as his persistence at making us identify areas that we would immediately use in the workplace. Can’t thank him enough for such a good session”.

Prof L. Lawton – Robert Gordon University “It was good to be challenged about my leadership style and I have been shown positive ways to become a more proactive leader”

A. Brassett “David made me feel relaxed when I was feeling dreadful. David helped me to focus and make better career choices”

G. Liley Programme Development Manager “David is very engaging and promotes a great environment to help me become a better manager”

G. Thompson, Papworth Trust, Huntingdon “David proved highly effective in creating a Condition Management and Employability Training Programme that exceeded Government target requirements, raising the bar for others to follow. His strength in matching monitored reflective practices to the requirements of multiple partnership organisations, raising his profile whilst promoting & achieving best practices at all times.

David was an absolute pleasure to work with being tenacious, creative, hard-working and ultimately a true expert in his field”