Hemsley Fraser’s Directors

Hemsley Fraser’s directors are committed to learning which transforms the confidence, performance and motivation of people in their working lives. They believe that by working to understand your people and organisation Hemsley Fraser’s learning solutions will deliver immediate, tangible results back in the workplace.

Iain Lovett MBA - CEO

Iain Lovett

Iain founded Hemsley Fraser in 1991 and has been the principle architect of the company’s rapid growth and success in the intervening years. A visionary, Iain realised that the changing business environment of the early 90’s would necessitate the need for a new breed of learning and development organisation - a learning provider that was more attuned to the evolving needs of individuals and organisations.

Hemsley Fraser was born and Iain instilled the guiding principles of quality, professionalism and service that have stood the test of time and helped propel the company to its position as one of the UK’s foremost providers. He remains the driving force behind the growth and development of the business and the need to keep Hemsley Fraser at the forefront of the Learning and Development sector.

The entrepreneurial origin of the company is very much in evidence today in the way that Iain has fostered a lively culture of innovation and creativity. Everyone in the company is encouraged to contribute to improvements and to feel that they can make a real difference. Despite the rapid growth of the company, Iain is very involved on a day to day basis, and frequently ‘rolls up his sleeves’ to ensure that a major project is delivered on time.

Iain is pragmatic about the challenges facing organisations in the learning sector and states: ‘There are many challenges facing companies such as ours in a market which is both changing rapidly to meet client needs, yet facing continued price pressure and increased competition which restricts the ability of organisations to invest. For any outsider, it is not an attractive market to be in. However, we continue to invest, evolve, change and grow, successfully meeting the increasingly complex demands and needs of our clients in the most powerful and innovative ways.’

When not working, Iain’s primary focus is his four young children (all girls!), and the occasional burst of an enthusiastic drive for personal fitness through running, squash and football.

Wendy Brooks BA, MSc, FRSA - Director of Change

Wendy Brooks

Wendy spearheads our change management and innovation initiatives. Continuing to develop our capabilities is such a strategically central priority within Hemsley Fraser that it has board level representation. Wendy's role is far reaching and includes working on strategic client opportunities, supporting the research and development of new capabilities and providing focus on key change initiatives that need to be implemented across the business.

We all know that change is here to stay – we tell our clients this and we live by it as well. Hemsley Fraser is working as a company to stay at the forefront of the field of learning, to continue to develop leading edge capabilities and quality solutions that can be delivered to clients as fast and efficiently as possible.

Wendy’s background is in leadership development and change management, where she has worked with a number of blue chip organisations as an advisor and leader of client teams. In her earlier career, she has been a Head of Department and Dean, where she founded a Department of Design Management, growing it to become the largest in Europe, backed by considerable private and public sector sponsorship. She has been the Director of Education & Training for the Design Council and has worked in marketing consultancy and merchant banking.

Wendy describes her greatest pleasure as seeing people being able to do new things and achieve beyond what they thought was possible. The privilege of working in Hemsley Fraser is that the business is all about developing people so that they, and the organisations for whom they work, can benefit and as is so often the case, this also has a positive effect on their personal lives as well.

With a grown up son (who is training to be a civil engineer) a husband with a career in corporate finance, Wendy enjoys gardening, music (as a performer and member of the audience) and some gentle yoga (any more could be dangerous!).

Mike Spurling BA, AIB - Director of Client Engagement

Mike Spurling

Mike is the Board Director with responsibility for the two key areas of Business Development and Client Services. From the earliest contact with Hemsley Fraser, through to the final decision to work on the most complex project, Mike’s focus is on ensuring that clients see insight and value at every stage. Mike believes that Learning and Development is a relationship business, where clients work with people in whom they have confidence. He has a highly results focused approach, which links investment in learning to impact on the business and ability to demonstrate application and value.

Mike works closely on a variety of key client projects bringing strategic insight and direction to mission critical, strategic or large scale interventions and outsourcing projects. Under his leadership, Hemsley Fraser has continued its strong track record of growth, together with expanding both the client base and the nature of work that the company is undertaking. This is especially evident in the addition of a number of long term, strategic client relationships, where the work includes working at multiple levels, from the Board to the front line. Mike thrives on the challenge and dynamic pace at Hemsley Fraser and the demanding client work which drives the organisation to perform at the highest levels in the industry. This in turn leads to winning even more exciting work with leading organisations.

Mike is a highly experienced professional with a blue-chip background in strategic learning and development, in both internal and external consulting roles. Mike started his career in the Financial Services sector and progressed rapidly through front line operational roles before becoming Head of Learning for NatWest Group. He subsequently joined Oracle to head up learning in EMEA, before finally ‘jumping the fence’ to become a consultant with a US based HR consulting firm. His passion and commitment to learning was forged early in his NatWest career when he placed significant emphasis on people development as a key part of building one of Natwest’s highest performing regions.

‘With two young children who give me such joy and a wife who is very special, I have very little spare time!! The spare time that I have is dedicated to following, enjoying and worrying about Chelsea Football Club – a life long passion for me.’

Ian Wheeler - Head of Sales

Ian Wheeler

Ian joined Hemsley Fraser in June 2005 as Executive Consultant, bringing with him extensive organisation change, consulting and commercial experience, gained through a variety of leadership roles in various consulting and learning organisations as well as blue chip businesses. Now, as Head of Sales, he sits on Hemsley Fraser’s Global Strategy Board.

Following a degree in economics and law, Ian began his career at the Boots Company where he held a variety of commercial and marketing roles. With this experience, he moved into marketing and strategy consulting, working with a diverse array of organisations in the SME, Blue Chip and Public Sectors. His various roles involved leading client engagements, managing consulting teams and capability development.

Ian’s main area of interest is around how you connect people with the company’s strategy and then enhance organisational performance through the development of mission critical teams and individuals. It is this commitment that took him into the L&D arena where he has worked with many world leading organisations, over the last ten years. With a highly collaborative, supportive but challenging style, Ian’s work focuses on partnering with client senior executives to determine how learning can be leveraged to drive improved business results.

Outside of Hemsley Fraser, as an enthusiastic if fading sportsman, Ian can often be found on the tennis court, desperately trying to avoid defeat at the hands of his son!

Becky Armentrout, BA, MA, MBA - President, Hemsley Fraser US

Becky is President of Hemsley Fraser Americas and is a central figure in architecting the company’s growing international footprint. Becky’s responsibilities include managing the day to day operations of Hemsley Fraser Group, Inc., a U.S. incorporated subsidiary of Hemsley Fraser. In this position she is responsible for all aspects of the client engagement process for our North and South American markets.

With a passion for leadership development, Becky brings a rich background of facilitation, coaching and organisational design experience to her custom program designs and client engagements. As a prior President and owner of her own private consulting firm and Executive Director of a not-for-profit service organization, she has a deep appreciation of the issues facing today’s leaders and the need to ensure proper business focus and results from the investment in learning and development.

Prior to joining Hemsley Fraser, Becky served as an Executive Consultant with a U.S. based leadership and development consulting firm, where she was responsible for business development, solution design, and implementation of large, strategic client solutions. Her consulting experiences have included public and private sectors, including both manufacturing and non-manufacturing environments

Becky graduated with honors from Wake Forest University with a B.A. in psychology. She also received an M.A. in psychology from the University of Toronto, and later completed her M.B.A. at the Babcock School of Management at Wake Forest University.

As for life away from Hemsley Fraser, Becky enjoys travelling, antiquing and spending time with family and friends.

Todd Turner, BS - Senior Vice President, Hemsley Fraser US

Todd Turner

Todd joined Hemsley Fraser in 2006 and is very much enjoying his new responsibilities as Senior Vice President of Hemsley Fraser Americas. Todd divides his time between business strategy, marketing, and managing client engagements. Under his leadership, the company has established a growing presence in the US federal government sector, leveraging the company’s core learning and development background to build a broad portfolio of services that includes training, human capital consulting, and strategy support.

Todd believes strongly that the power of leadership starts with the ability to articulate a clear and compelling vision and that ensuing results are most achievable in an environment where individual contributors are clear on their roles, have a strong sense of belonging to the team, and feel fully supported as they execute against their goals and objectives. A big believer in working smartly, Todd advocates strong communication skills and motivation techniques to bring about rapid success. Fun is always a part of the equation! Todd’s thoughts and experiences on leadership have helped to shape Hemsley Fraser’s emerging leadership development concept, Radiant Leadership. Radiant Leadership outlines 5 critical roles (Pacesetter, Strategist, Collaborator, Supporter, and Achiever) and the necessity for today’s leader to balance each of these competencies.

On the global scale, Todd serves as a member of the Hemsley Fraser Global Strategy Board and assists in direction setting and business planning for the company. He has also led several global project teams to foster internal process change and to support the company’s international expansion efforts.

Before joining Hemsley Fraser, Todd served in the US government’s prestigious Senior Executive Service, the top tier of career civil servants. As Director of Human Capital Management for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the US government’s third largest federal agency, he was responsible for leading all aspects of the agency’s human capital operation, including human capital strategy, policy, training and development, and HR information technology. Prior to DHS, Todd served as the Director of Human Resources Enterprise Solutions for the U.S. Department of the Treasury, with responsibility for all human capital information technology, payroll services and organisational development , including design and implementation of a web-based ERP system for the 160,000 employee organisation.

In his spare time, Todd enjoys spending time at the beach with his two West Highland Terriers – Angus and Barnes.

Tracy Dunne - Executive Assistant to the Directors

Tracy Dunne

Tracy has been with Hemsley Fraser since June 2000 and has recently moved to the position of Executive Assistant to the Directors. Previously Tracy has undertaken various roles within the Client Services team.

Tracy's key skills are her positive, flexible approach and her natural ability to undertake various tasks confidentially. All of these skills provide an efficient and seamless support to the Directors. She is an effective communicator and always very enthusiastic to new challenges.

Her trademark is her hands on and practical approach, combined with an enthusiastic and calm attitude, which stands her in good stead for the varied demands of her role.

Having previously worked as a PA within PricewaterhouseCoopers, Tracy knows the requirements of this role, both internally and externally.

With a three year old, Tracy’s spare time is hectic and she enjoys relaxing with a glass of wine when he is tucked up in bed!