“To bring about lasting change, you have to change hearts and minds”

Biggest inspiration

Nigel has managed many teams in his 40-year career across engineering, as well as health and safety – from teams of six to teams of 1,000. He’s managed large-scale projects too, including some worth up to a quarter of a billion. 

It’s a far cry from where he started. His father died when he was eight years old, plunging his mother and him into both grief and financial hardship. 

Nigel’s mother, who worked in one of the lowest-paying companies in his home town at the time, was “his biggest inspiration”, because of everything she achieved despite their difficult situation. 

“She did an amazing job. I still had a good childhood. And when I think of my journey, I’ve gone from growing up on a council estate and having free school meals to working as a member of the senior management team at a major energy company. Now, I’m running my own consultancy business and I’m a Chartered Manager.”

Thinking through the consequences

So, how did Nigel get to where he is now? By his own admission, he was “bored and lazy” at school, and although he was more than capable of going to university, it wasn’t for him. The practical, vocational route – via an apprenticeship with the South Eastern Electricity Board and later a Higher National Certificate in electronic engineering – suited him much better. 

It was the start of what was to be an enormously varied and intense career in engineering, project management and health and safety across the utility sector.

Nigel decided to become a Chartered Manager shortly after setting up his own consultancy business in 2016. He was also considering the chartered route in both the engineering and occupational safety professions, but he chose Chartered Manager accreditation because managing people is his “greatest experience and ability”. 

Ten years later, Nigel’s business is thriving. CMI has made him a better decision-maker, he says.