Ann Hawkins – Business Advisor And Mentor
A well-known and respected face on the local business scene, Ann started her journey qualifying as a Fellow of the Institute of Personnel Management while working for the British Printing Corporation. She studied Psychology, Economics, Statistics and Industrial Relations and was responsible for implementing Equal Opportunities Legislation and negotiating with five trades unions.
After leaving the Corporation to start her own training business, she set up The National Training Partnership, which she later sold to an international agency. This then led her to become an advisor and mentor to other business owners.
Always an early adopter of tech innovations, Ann started blogging in 2005, hosted the FM radio show ‘The Business Hub’, and was among the first podcasters with The Social Media Show which ran for 80 episodes. She enjoys experimenting with emerging technology and has long been an advocate of on-line learning.
In 2015 a publishing opportunity came her way as Ann was invited to co-author ‘New Business: Next Steps’ which was commissioned and published by Pearson plc and is used by thousands of small business owners for essential business lessons. A great book with a UK focus, unlike many books published about the business sector which are very ‘American’ in their approach! She also started the peer group learning community – Drive, The Partnership Network – named after Dan Pink’s book about motivation.
Ann’s clients range from sole traders to small businesses with up to 20 employees, from coaches and consultants to agritech suppliers, IT engineers, FSC Auditors and anyone wishing to build a business that gives them the balance and freedom to enjoy life.