The Connor Consultancy - Outplacement Services "We see things differently"
Outplacement: Our bios
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Paul Connor - Managing Consultant
Fraser Silvey - Senior Consultant
Kevin Howes - Senior Consultant
Penni Warburg - Senior Consultant
Jenny Barnes - Outplacement Consultant
David Spears - Outplacement Consultant
Katy Charles - Outplacement Consultant
Gina Rivett - Outplacement Consultant
Paul Connor MCIPD
Outplacement - Managing Consultant
Paul’s early HR career was spent at Marconi before moving to Hewlett Packard. He has also worked for Digital, Nortel and General Datacom in various HR, training and line management roles. In 1992 he established The Connor Consultancy to help businesses and people reach their full potential.
Paul remains a frontline outplacement practitioner and is highly regarded in the marketplace for providing outplacement support that is practical, relevant and communicated in plain English. His extensive network of contacts combined with his understanding of the job market allows Paul to offer practical outplacement guidance that is grounded in the ‘here and now’ and gets people into alternative work, fast!
Being proficient in outplacement services is only half the answer as it is vital that the Consultant really takes an interest in helping the individual. Paul has gained a reputation for caring about the people he works with offering a personal and responsive outplacement service. This aspect of Paul’s personality is well summarised below where he personally delivered an Outplacement programme for South Central Connexions Partnership:
“A decision was made to transfer the funding
for South Central Connexions directly to Local Authority control, as a result
over 40 employees were identified as being at risk of imminent redundancy
and we decided to appoint an Outplacement Provider who could assist our
employees to find alternative employment fast.
We appointed The Connor Consultancy who worked very closely with us all
during this difficult time. I was extremely grateful for their swift and
flexible response and I appreciated the way in which they were able to construct
an Outplacement Programme of work which was appropriate for us. I have been
very impressed with their ability to be equally accessible and supportive
at senior executive level as well as to the most junior members of staff.
The feedback I have received from staff in many different roles is a great
tribute to their professionalism and humanity.
I would highly recommend The Connor Consultancy to those organisations who
want their people to receive a practical outplacement service that is highly
personable.”
Pamela Charlwood
Chief Executive
South Central Connexions
Paul is married with two children. His main hobby is running and he is the Men’s Captain of his local running club, the Marlow Striders. The next time you are driving through Marlow that man in the black peaked hat that you have just passed, could well have been Paul!
Fraser Silvey - BSc (Hons) MA MCIPD
Senior Consultant
Fraser has nearly 10 years Outplacement experience with a proven track record of success at all levels, from junior employees to Senior Executives and business leaders.
He is committed to building outplacement programmes that are driven by the needs of the individual and not by a set process, or the ego of the consultant. His highly personable and pragmatic style has delivered results both in workshops and via one-on-one support and he is particularly proud of the number of successful businesses he has launched over the last 10 years and the number of people he has placed directly within his own substantial network of decision makers throughout the country.
He is passionate about applying his excellent commercial skills during the salary negotiation stage to the obvious benefit of the people he is working with.
Fraser is a keen cricketer and captains the Royal Ascot CC and is married with two children Aidan and Lara.
Kevin Howes Chartered MCIPD
Outplacement - Senior Consultant
Kevin has more than 25 years delivering bottom-line results in blue-chip companies and SMEs. Most of his experience and successes have been in the financial services IT, telecommunications, automotive, and, pharma sectors. People tell him they like his informal, practical, straight-talking approach and his knack of quickly pinpointing what needs to be done.
With some eight years outplacement experience, Kevin has developed distinctive skills delivering outplacement support and guidance that is both practical and caring. He has an extensive network of contacts and a detailed insight into the job market, both key ingredients in offering successful individual and group outplacement support. Kevin will quickly roll up his sleeves and get dirt under his nails and build enduring relationships at all levels based on mutual trust, personal credibility and a passion for achieving agreed results. Testament to his approach is many people retain Kevin in their trusted business network, long after the outplacement assignment is completed.
In his spare time Kevin and his family built a 50 foot steel narrow boat, renovated a 16th century mud hut in Devon and attempts to play the bass guitar - luckily he has no direct neighbours.
Penni Warburg Chartered MCIPD
Outplacement - Senior Consultant
Penni's experience has been predominantly gained within the IT services and telecoms sector. Her early career was with Software Sciences, now IBM Global Sciences. Since this time she has worked either in a permanent or consultancy capacity with some of the foremost organizations in the IT and IT services sector - amongst others, CSC, EDS, Lucas, StorageTek, SITA, Parity and Worldcom.
Penni is a specialist in outplacement, having had extensive experience of delivering both one to one and group outplacement workshops. Penni's style of outplacement delivery is practical and commercial. From senior executives through to administrators, Penni works unstintingly with the individual to ensure they achieve their outplacement goals. Feedback from clients repeatedly points to the fact that Penni cares about her clients and that her success comes through their success. Crucially too, Penni has excellent connections to the job market and can give valuable insights to enable an individual find their alternative role fast.
Penni is married and has three children which keeps her pretty busy. She manages to swim and go walking with friends as a leisure pursuit and loves going to the theatre and cinema.
Jenny Barnes
Outplacement Consultant
Jenny has nine years' experience of providing practical and insightful outplacement support to groups and individuals at all levels, from a diverse range of industries.
She strives hard for success on behalf of all her outplacement clients, and has delivered effective career transition support to help people find alternative work, new rewards and career satisfaction. Whatever the clients' desired outcomes may be, Jenny is driven by their needs, adding her own style of professionalism, energy and enthusiasm.
In her earlier career, Jenny headed up HR teams within a number of IT companies, giving her an excellent understanding of different recruitment practices and methodologies within organisations. She has also maintained and continues to grow her professional contact network.
Jenny is married with three children (Kerri, Ellen and Aidan). She enjoys keeping fit, (studio classes, cycling, swimming and skiing). And she's forever organising social and charity gatherings or outings for the school PTA, family and friends.
David Spears
Outplacement Consultant
David has over 25 years experience working for both ‘blue chip’ data and telecommunications companies as well as having ‘gone-it-alone’! His Outplacement skills have been gained through a wealth of experience in a number of business practices, including; sales, marketing, service, strategy, project management, business development, change management, personnel and organisational development, through a number of diverse business & operations roles.
He is highly energetic, enthusiastic and a totally committed individual, passionate about helping people develop, achieve, and grow to realise their full potential, helping outplacement candidates to take their next career step with complete confidence. He has recruited many people over the years at all levels and knows what turns outplacement candidates into employees; and is passionate about applying his experience to the benefit of the people he is working with.
David is married with three children, is a keen yachtsman and loves cooking (although the two do not go together particularly well together – especially in a force 7!)
Katy Charles
Outplacement Consultant
Katy's background has been predominantly in Sales. She has worked in both the retail sector and in Business Services and IT as well as training. Katy's role as a senior Sales Manager involved her managing accounts worth in excess of £10million for Serco Solutions.
She has always had a keen interest and involvement with recruitment and HR. Whilst at Learning Tree International and the London Montessori Centre it was her role to assist with the recruitment, interviewing and training new members of staff. It was this area of her past that particularly attracted her to Outplacement solutions. Katy treats each candidate according to that Outplacement candidate's particular needs and is adept at working with all levels of an organisation's personnel from the most junior to the MD level.
Katy's approach to outplacement is to focus on the practical aspects of a candidate's needs. She is passionate about the outcomes of her outplacement candidates and strives to ensure that their outplacement provides them with the leverage to gain positive impacts on their working life.
Katy has two children and is particularly keen on swimming and walking. She prides herself on swimming in unheated outside swimming pools until as late as October! She is also passionate about cooking, reading and entertaining.
Gina Rivett
Outplacement Consultant
Gina came to outplacement from a varied career which in the early years included periods in the medical, insurance and travel industries; moving later into general management roles in both the retail and leisure sectors. Here she gained her coaching and mentoring skills as well as working for a time as a leadership coach.
She is committed to providing a highly effective results-driven outplacement service. With her enthusiastic and personable style, she is passionate about the outplacement service she provides, gaining great satisfaction from seeing her clients setting and achieving their goals with her practical support and guidance.
Gina says ‘One of the most rewarding things about outplacement consulting is to witness the transformation of the clients as they move through their programme – culminating in a happy confident individual who is back on track having been offered the job of their choosing.’
Married with no children, Gina is a keen golfer and also enjoys boating on the Thames.
