Introducing the
Blue Gnu Team

Elaine Gosden

Founder & CEO

Elaine is a highly gifted and experienced facilitator. A high proportion of her work is with CEO and Executive Teams in a diverse range of sectors - she has experience in Health Care, FMCG, Elite Sports and Pharmaceuticals. Her background is in Learning and Development focusing on Leadership and Management.

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Elaine’s objectives at each client remain consistent – to develop leadership teams, people and cultures to improve overall company performance, develop high performing teams and enhance personal relationships.

Nicola Blackmore

Management Development Specialist  

Nicola is an experienced and passionate Learning & Development professional, specialising in Management Development. She has worked in the L&D field for almost twenty years with a variety of organisations and was an operational manager before that, enabling her to truly understand what it takes to be a great manager – and how tough it can be!

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Her focus is helping managers to prepare for, transition into and excel in their management roles. Enabling them to understand themselves, their roles and their impact on others.

Lorraine Kay

Associate

Lorraine’s background is in leadership and organisational development where she has worked with leaders and their teams across a wide range of sectors and diverse cultures.  She’s an experienced individual and team coach who loves bringing the high energy and engagement of an Insights Discovery event to teams who are looking to raise individual self-awareness and explore what this means for personal success, engaged team working and high performance.

Lorraine believes passionately in the power of continuing growth as a key to personal and professional success.  On a personal note, she’s currently improving her sea swimming techniques!

Stephen Fortune

Coach/Facilitator

Stephen Fortune offers coach facilitation for many of the world’s leading organisations. With a focus on leadership capability, mindset and culture change, his approach is challenging, pragmatic and personal, providing clarity and enabling executives and their teams to exceed their personal and business goals.

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Stephen also has a passion for cycling and long distance triathlons which has led him to compete in 5 Ironman events and also cycling across the Alps and the Pyrenees for charity.

Kate Woodward

Associate

Kate has more than 20 years experience facilitating & coaching teams and individuals to achieve their potential. She is highly intuitive and is able to get right to the heart of an issue quickly & easily. She has diverse skills & qualifications enabling her to dip into an incredibly well equipped tool kit. She also has a wide range of experience over a broad set of industries. 

Kate’s passion is to enable and equip people to lead themselves and others professionally and personally as effectively & kindly as they can. When she’s not facilitating or coaching she can be found teaching yoga! 

Will Jefferson

Associate

After having served 12 years as a professional sportsman, playing both County and International cricket, Will transitioned into the business world as a successful business and sport consultant. Will has a plethora of skills that are founded on his background in professional sport and experience in business as well as his life-long passion for the psychology of human performance.

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Equally competent working one-to-one and with larger groups, Will’s thoughtful and empathetic approach combines his powerful ability truly to connect with people and to share his deep personal insights into the art and science of excellence.

Lindi Smit

Associate

Lindi’s previous career as team physiotherapist and as an athlete representing South Africa in Netball provided her with a deep personal understanding of how teams function both from a management and a player perspective.

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Lindi believes that we are stronger together and that the force of a truly high-performing team is infinitely greater than the sum of its parts. She helps individuals to understand, appreciate and enhance their unique strengths as a Insights Discovery Licenced Practitioner.

Alison Barnett

Operations Manager

Alison brings her ‘Cool Blue' planning and organisational skills to the role of Operations Manager, working behind the scenes to support Elaine with the smooth running of the business. Alison leads clients through the booking process and assists the facilitator team with a variety of logistical and admin tasks.

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Away from work, Alison enjoys HIIT workouts in the park with fellow mums and walking with the furry family member, Poppy the cockapoo.

Claire Trotman

Head of Marketing

Claire supports Elaine and the wider team from her home on the West Sussex coast through her business, Claire Marie Virtual. Her mission is to "help lighten the load" and assists with Blue Gnu's admin, marketing and design tasks. Elaine says that "Claire makes us look good on paper"! 

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When Claire isn't hiding behind her laptop, you will find her catching waves on her surf board or walking Laki, the Labrador pup, along the beach. 

Sam Elly

Associate

Sam is passionate about helping individuals, teams and organisations reach their potential, and loves facilitating, training and coaching.

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His background was in Deloitte, where he worked for 6 years in Financial Services and then enjoyed an 18-month secondment to Audit Learning. After a short period as a primary teacher and five years with a small L&D consultancy in Bath, Sam set up his own business six years ago and we are delighted to have him as an associate on the Blue Gnu team.
 

Outside of work, he lives in the South West with his lovely wife and two kids and is slowly indoctrinating them with his love of sport and outdoor life!