CMI South West facilitates and supports professional development and networking for CMI members who live and/or work in the South West. The volunteers who form the Regional Board are all members within the region and believe passionately in the vision, mission and values of CMI and the importance of excellent leadership and management for all individuals and organisations.
Our focus is on our regional members, however we work closely with the CMI executive team and with neighbouring Regional Boards to support members in their development of management and leadership competencies aligned to the CMI Professional Standard and in the growth of their professional networks.
We work with members to organise events relevant to them, share best practice and information using a range of media, and build links with other professional bodies, higher and further education institutions, employers and other community partners.
Myself and the Regional Board look forward to meeting you and working together as we continue to jointly shape the future of leadership and management excellence in the South West and as Chair, I would like to personally invite you to join our community by connecting with us on social media.
If you would like to know further information about activities in your region or would like to get involved, get in touch.
+44 (0)1536 207394
Martin is an experienced leader, coach and mentor. He is passionate about developing people and businesses, enabling them to move forward and reach their potential. Martin is recognised for his ability to bring simple, elegant solutions to complex problems. He has a strong focus on the customer, aligning the needs of stakeholders and a strong reputation for developing new ideas that add value.
Martin has held several board positions, played key roles in merging business areas and delivered a number of major change programmes, including two market leading customer propositions. After 20 years working directly with businesses, Martin moved to become a project manager before working as Chief Operating Officer for the Commercial Banking
sales network. Martin has also led service and contact centre operations successfully and developed rectification and complaint management programmes.
Described as authentic and inspirational, Martin is respected for his subtle yet strong leadership. His is conceptual, reflective, influential, tenacious and realistic, adept at turning round difficult situations. Expect to be challenged and supported.
Engaged in the community, Martin has lectured on banking law; how to start up in business and succeed with your bank; and has worked with students on career development in the digital industries.
Terry Corby is Chairman of the South-West Regional Board. Terry knows the region and its challenges and opportunities well. He has lived in Cornwall for the past 25 years and has spent a career in growing businesses large and small. Today he combines a career that includes Interim CEO roles, with his NED roles and is also a professional coach to several CEOs and senior executives. He is also founded and leads Good Business Pays – a national movement to bring an end to slow and late payment to the UKs six million small businesses.
Terry has spent a career in growing businesses large and small. He spent 20 years in strategy and change management consulting leading major transformation and commercial growth programmes as a Partner at Andersen Consulting, Accenture, KPMG and The Foundation. He held senior commercial leadership roles in the private sector at Sainsbury’s, American Express, Crowdfunder and Medacs Global Healthcare. In the NFP sector, Terry has held commercial leadership roles at Creative England, the Creative Industries Federation and the Eden Project. He has grown three successful start-ups in the tech-healthcare sector: Ryalto, Roborecruiter and Medefer.
Terry has held a number of non-executive director roles, including the Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust, South West Screen, Artichoke Trust, South-West Film & Television Archive and Cornwall Film. He is currently Chairman of Eastside Educational Trust, Chartered Management Institute’s SW Regional Board and the national campaign for small businesses – Good Business Pays.
Terry is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the promotion of Arts, Merchandising & Commerce (FRSA), a Fellow of the Strategic Planning Society (FStratP), Adjunct Lecturer in Business & Marketing at Exeter University and a became Companion of the Charted Management Institute in 2006 (CCMI).
Liz is an experienced senior leader and people and change specialist with over 20 years experience working across the public and private sectors. She has guided and supported organisations and teams to deliver multi-million pound transformation programmes including outsourcing, digital and procurement led innovation.
Following 14 years at Sema Group Plc, Schlumberger, KPMG and Atos Consulting, Liz founded a micro-consultancy focusing on organisational and team development underpinned by positive psychology and strengths based interventions. She is a qualified coach and Master Strengthscope Practitioner. Liz is a volunteer mentor on the University of Plymouth’s Professional Entrepreneurial Mentoring Programme.
An experienced Non-Executive Director, Liz successfully guided the transformation of Age UK Plymouth including collaboration with local government and health to establish a Short Term Care Centre providing step-up and step-down care as part of the city’s health and social care system.
Liz became a Fellow of the CMI in 2017. She is passionate about people and is currently undertaking research into social identity leadership and the impact on wellbeing in the workplace, as part of her MSc Psychology study.
Liz lives in Plymouth with her husband, two children and a very chilled out Cocker Spaniel. Outside of work and volunteering you will find her on a SUP or a yoga mat, walking the dog (for miles!) or experimenting with Suminagashi art.
Dr Lois Farquharson is Executive Dean at Bournemouth University Business School. She is an experienced leader with a demonstrated background in the higher education sector and business engagement. Skilled in leading and managing change and organisational development, Lois believes in the value of positivity, appreciative inquiry and kindness in dynamic organisation/industry contexts.
Lois has undertaken research and knowledge exchange projects focused on these areas with various organisations including the NHS, IiP Scotland, Police Service, Higher Education Institutions and small businesses.
As a strong professional, Lois is a Chartered Fellow of the CMI, an Academic Fellow of the CIPD, and is certified to deliver the Strengths Deployment Inventory (TotalSDI) to support individual and team growth.
Denis is the COO of Ethical Equity, which is the UK’s first dedicated, ethically compliant investment platform connecting ethical start-ups/scale-ups with like-minded investors.
Denis has extensive senior executive experience and has spent a couple of decades leading large scale global investment programmes involving technology change, in well- known multinational companies.
Denis is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), and is a member of their South West Regional Board. He sits as a Non-Executive Director on the board of the Great Western Credit Union and is a member of the Advisory Board of the Black Professionals Network.
Professor Seamus O’Brien is Dean of the Faculty of Business & Design at Falmouth University, where he sits on the University Management Committee and is responsible for building the reputation and academic standing of the faculty, ensuring delivery of its targets for growth and diversification.
Seamus has dedicated his working career to the advancement and understanding of
entrepreneurship and small business management, both in the form of practice and academia. He is a Chartered Management Fellow of CMI and a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Passionate about the importance of industry engagement with pedagogic initiatives, Seamus has led and developed numerous innovative degree programmes that promote excellence in learning and teaching. Through the development of bespoke programmes and clearly established professional learning that have achieved industry accreditations under his leadership, he has contributed to increasing the attractiveness and awareness of education, research and career opportunities in business and management globally.
Seamus’ research focuses strongly on entrepreneurship and small business management, and he has published widely in this area. Through collaborative research relationships, he is currently investigating factors contributing to adaptation and resilience among micro, small and medium enterprises. He has been an invited speaker, columnist, advisor and champion of entrepreneurship for small businesses.
Chris has worked within the John Lewis Partnership for the previous 10 years gaining experience in a range of leadership roles. Currently managing the E-commerce department within a Waitrose business unit Chris enjoys the challenges of operational management in a fast paced business environment alongside working within a wider management team delivering branch KPI’s and business metrics.
Chris also line manages a team of twenty five direct reports and is enthusiastic about mentoring and coaching his team to progress and improve themselves. This has led to numerous members of the team moving into leadership roles themselves and into wider job roles.
Chris enjoys managing and developing projects and now having completed his Operational Management apprenticeship he is looking to complete a qualification within the project management field.
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