Ian Kirkby

Senior consultant, Performance Works International

Ian is the founder of Aspire Management Consultancy Ltd. A former RAF aerospace battle management executive and squadron leader with extensive front-line experience, he is a well-qualified coach, mentor, trainer and consultant with an excellent track record. He has worked at very high levels in a variety of sectors and cultures in the UK and abroad. His current focus is on developing key leaders, teams and organisations using his wealth of experience to bring a gravitas and strategic perspective to help clients resolve issues and realize opportunities.

Ian’s previous roles included interim director, programme director/manager, strategic enterprise architect and organizational analyst. In addition to his work at Aspire, he serves as a trustee for a local charity with global partners.

Sample Client Assignments:

Sitek Engineering Ltd – Provided coaching, mentoring, training and consultancy to develop leadership, team-working and management skills.

African Bank Boards – With members of 2 boards (with a combined turnover of c.£850M), facilitated a workshop to enhance board dynamics and inform leadership development.

Delta Simons Ltd – Provided mentoring and workshop training to boost leadership and team-working skills of regional managers and directors.

Royal Swedish Air Force (RSWAF) – Co-authored the RSWAF’s Reconnaissance Capability Development Plan 2040. This required strategic, tactical and operational analysis of ‘as-is’ and ‘to-be’ states using information gleaned from interviews, workshops and documentation.

Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) and Police ICT Company – Provided programme oversight and direction to rationalise processes and procurement. Also worked with senior stakeholders to draft an accepted plan to restructure the APCC’s divisions of responsibility and meeting structures for the Commissioners. Facilitated collaborative ventures to enhance cooperation and quantify potential savings (£465M/year identified).

Core Competencies & Specializations:

  • Leadership, team and organizational development and evaluation
  • Executive/senior management coaching and mentoring
  • Psychometric/behavioural analysis
  • Management training

Qualifications and Affiliations

  • Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Management (Managing Development, Change and Resources – Open Business School)
  • MSP, PRINCE2 (Practitioner), APM, Certificate in Value Management (Stakeholders and Resources Management)
  • Business Practitioner in NLP
  • Certified Facilitator for Everything DiSC, Belbin Team Roles, TSDI and The 5 Behaviours psychometric/behavioural tools
  • Certificates in Consultancy, Business Analysis, Cyber Security, and Systems Thinking and Complexity
  • A1-Rated Executive Battle Management Instructor and Evaluator (RAF)
  • BSc (Open University)
  • Founder Member of The Leaders Club.
  • Member of the IoD and City & Guilds Institute