Learn from the world's most experienced training team
Whilst other providers build training teams with one-off contractors, we have a large group of permanently-employed training consultants, complimented by our experienced back-office team.
Aisha is the Operations Manager responsible for overseeing the larger, more complex projects that we do. She works in the back office, and is excellent at multi-tasking and communicating with the whole team.
Her role involves managing the expectations of those involved in the projects, and proactively managing change and risk to maximise the smooth running of the work Optimum undertakes. For many, she is the first point of contact and a reassuring voice on the phone.
Arienne joined Optimum as part of the graduate program having completed her BSc in Advertising and Marketing Management at Lancaster University. This is certainly an asset when working on our CRM projects. During her time at Lancaster she developed excellent communications skills which shine through during her project engagements.
During her early career, Arienne developed an interest in technology and how it can support and improve businesses and processes, so she brings a natural enthusiasm and energy to the training programmes she develops for Optimum. She is methodical and logical which is what is required in a structured training programme.
Dan joined Optimum as part of the graduate programme shortly after completing his degree in Chemical Engineering.
This background along with a year in industry has provided him with excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, coupled with his ability to quickly understand and breakdown complex processes allows him to create straightforward and easy to digest end user focussed training.
David is a long-standing member of the Optimum team. Having initially started out as a teacher, he redirected his talents to the corporate sector over a decade ago, and has provided high quality training ever since.
For several years David has worked as an integral part of the training and support team at the management consultants McKinsey & Co, delivering face-to-face and remote sessions to their staff.
Geof leads finance, reporting and technical training courses. He develops materials and courses, as well as carrying out classroom delivery for a range of sectors including banking, government, retail, media, energy, insurance and engineering.
He runs project team workshops generating discussions on how systems can be used, and what routes clients might take in the design phase. Geof has been an Optimum consultant since 2005 and is a member of the Learning and Performance Institute.
Harriet has a passion for languages and is fluent in multiple, after achieving a first at Cambridge university she went on to strengthen her skills by living and working in both France and Colombia.
Harriet is communication driven and has a natural aptitude for working with people, she is clear and concise both in a classroom environment and in her written training material.
Isabel has a background in retail which is an asset when working on our Retail and Customer services programmes. Her degree was in Business Management which she put to good use at SAP in their Sales division before joining Optimum.
She is used to working in fast paced, customer facing environments and dealing with the fast-moving nature of these business areas. She has a confident communication style and a real passion for supporting people. Isabel has worked with a variety of ERP systems and is able to put the needs of the end-user at the forefront of anything she develops or delivers.
Joanne has worked for Optimum since it was established back in 1998 and has progressed through the organisation to Director of Sales. She has overall responsibility for business development and leading the growth of the company.
Her role is to expand the value proposition to our clients and target markets, identify new markets, implement strategic partnerships and build valuable relationships with existing clients and system partners.
Jodie has a hybrid role at the company which reflects our commitment to evolving people’s roles alongside their skills and interests. As a long standing member of the team she has developed two specialisms: eLearning development and finance.
She is one of our leading builders of eLearning modules due to her excellent technical knowledge of current eLearning software. Wearing her other hat she manages invoicing, payments and general financial accounting for Optimum.
While Jordan was studying International Business and Politics in South Korea, he gained his first experience of teaching while working as an English teacher at the university. This is where he gained an insight into how valuable to the learner it can be to impart knowledge in a way that is simple and accessible.
He recognised these skills could be transferable to business systems training and hasn't looked back. Jordan now develops and delivers a variety of training solutions.
Having completed her undergraduate degree there, Julia opted to stay in Manchester to complete an MA in international political economy. She trained as a ski instructor and enjoys music, dance and hockey.
Keri joined the Optimum Sales & Marketing team in 2009 and is responsible for lead generation and researching new markets. She has 15 years' experience in commercial sales and account management. Her role involves working closely with external suppliers to implement new, and manage existing, sources of lead generation.
She also works closely with our marketing manager to identify relevant industry sector campaigns, conferences and events.
Kieran joined Optimum as a graduate after working in retail following his master’s degree in mathematics.
He is used to analysing and solving complex problems, has a keen eye for detail and used to working in a fast paced customer focussed environment. These skills enable him to find solutions for any number of processes and create bespoke training and courseware.
Lawrence has been able to apply the theoretical concepts he learnt in his Finance and Accounting degree to the work he does developing materials on ERP systems such as Microsoft Dynamics and Oracle JD Edwards.
Lawrence has worked in a variety of sectors including energy, construction, manufacturing and education, creating training materials for classroom sessions, presentations, internal training teams and eLearning. His training delivery is very well received as he has a very open manner.
Mark is a long standing member of the Optimum team, specialising in the development and delivery of advanced Microsoft Office training. As well as this, he is part of the Optimum training and support team for McKinsey & Co and delivers training both face-to-face and via WebEx as part of their global team.
Mark's particular strength is in advanced Microsoft Excel courses such as VBA and data modelling, as well as providing consultancy on complex Microsoft Excel and Access topics.
Tyler started his journey with Optimum in an editing and quality assurance capacity, his keen eye for detail and degree in English means that he is adept at reshaping language where appropriate to translate complex details in to straightforward text.
He then joined the Graduate training programme to combine his editing skills with his previous experience as a Teaching Assistant after graduation.
As Director of Training and Development, Nicky's role encompasses Trainer Management and the development of Optimum's strategic training solutions. After 17 years as a trainer she has a wealth of information at her fingertips.
She scopes complex requirements and devises training plans to roll-out end user training, predominantly in bespoke business systems. She is able to analyse large organisations and user groups, presenting the information back to clients in a comprehensive and clear manner.
Olivia is a pragmatic, outcome-focused consultant who creates training materials that drive change and improve user’s confidence. After completing her degree at Durham University she went directly into training, initially working with the public sector upskilling workers on a variety of mobile devices before coming to work with Optimum.
Olivia thrives as a consultant. She understands the business, operational and system requirements of an organisation and builds these in to her training materials.
She’s experienced with ERP systems such as SAP, Unit4 Business World and Oracle JD Edwards, creating the full breadth of training materials.
A Maths degree from Kent University led Patrick to do a PGCE in secondary maths education and saw him teach in secondary schools. He is keen to continue teaching and sharing knowledge but is ready to do it on new subjects and different environments.
Peter joined Optimum as part of the graduate program having completed his MPhys at the University of Sussex. His foundational skills were in problem solving and the application of theories to real life problems, so he’s able to take broad brief and break it down into specific actionable steps.
Along with his understanding of code development and project management he has been able to take these transferable skills and understand complex processes and systems to create user focussed training materials for a wide range of systems and processes.
Rebecca joined the Optimum Sales team in 2012. With over 15 years' experience in commercial sales and account management, she was recruited to help expand our ERP training division.
Her role is to manage prospects and existing clients by helping to develop suitable training solutions which ultimately ensure customers make the most of their system investments. She is also responsible for negotiating business agreements and building valuable relationships with new and existing clients.
Simon joined Optimum after a successful career in the Education sector where his last post was Head of IT and Computing. His passion for technology and teaching is a perfect match for his role as business systems consultant at Optimum. He has been involved in system deployments including Office 365 and has recently developed a bespoke suite of end-user training support tools for a client implementing Netsuite.
Simon is able to quickly link the ERP technology and business processes for a client which means his training deliverables are always end-user focussed and relevant.
A large part of Stewart’s role as Marketing Manager is to oversee all forms of communication distributed by the business. In his time with Optimum he has managed a variety of projects such as the rebranding of the corporate image, the launch of this new website and a strategic review of the marketing plan.
Other responsibilities include PR, advertising, brand development, events and the constant improvement of our customer experience. Stewart is also a qualified member of the CIM.
Tanya is a business systems and Microsoft Office trainer at Optimum. She is a Microsoft certified trainer with over 12 years' of experience in course design and delivery. She has extensive experience of delivering classroom and virtual training in corporate firms including the banking, retail and insurance sectors.
Tanya also works on Microsoft Dynamics AX as well as UNIT4 Agresso, training everyone from new graduates to senior management. She has a very professional manner instilling confidence in those she works with.
Tom has been developing and delivering training for the best part of a decade. He is very skilled at quickly learning our clients' business processes and how they will be carried out on a new system.
This grasp on the synergy between people, process and technology is a constant element in the way Tom develops bespoke ERP training materials. He is also able to create engaging online learning as well as more traditional teaching materials.