Cambridge entrepreneur offers free leadership coaching for ‘hungry’ Awards shortlisted companies
Currently Chris has two days a week that he can dedicate to the complimentary service – Tuesdays and Wednesdays. He is initially offering eight, one-hour daytime sessions but subject to demand will extend the offer by a further five evening sessions.
Based in Cambridge, Chris is a qualified leadership coach with 2000+ hours experience and has an excellent grounding in business having created two start-ups.
He says his experiences in business have given him an adaptability and an understanding of the unique challenges of startups which often have to plan scale-up against a backdrop of limited resources and rapid changes in the macro environment.
His in-depth engineering experience has also helped him develop his skills in terms of advising companies on developing often complex technologies – a criteria that will be well understood by a great many Cambridge business fledglings.
Chris’s own CV screams ‘experience’ and ‘know-how.’ A former engineering specialist with world-leading tech design consultancy PA Consulting, one of his challenges was to produce prototype parts from paper pulp to replace single-use plastics.
He also held several manufacturing management roles over a period of 20 years, including Project Manager, Project Engineer/Consultant, Contract Project Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer and Development Engineer, working for commercial manufacturing companies including Glaxo, Brot Engineering, British Sugar, Pitney Bowes, Domino Printing and Jabsco Pumps.
He also has experience in the property development arena.
While caring for his father who had dementia, Chris was able to complete an intensive one-year coaching programme and qualification at The University of Cambridge.
He gained a Diploma in Coaching and Psychology from the University and also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Management, Consultancy, Engineering (ACDMM) from the University of Cambridge to add to a BSc (Hons) in Industrial and Business Systems (2:1) from De Montfort University.
He is a member of the Association for Coaching. As Employment Coach, for the New Meaning Foundation Chris designed and delivered an employment training programme for Bracknell Forest Homes.
It enabled tenants and local residents to find meaningful work based on their strengths. Over this time, Chris personally coached and mentored 153 job-hunters and gained over 2000 hours of coaching experience.
As an entrepreneur, he started and ran Shakin’ Moos Ltd, a busy milkshake shop in central Cambridge. He trained and empowered a young and enthusiastic team, making use of his hard-won management and leadership skills.
And as owner of Lane Assured Homes he bought and held significant buy-to-let property to generate ongoing income. This venture enabled him to move into coaching, which he says is “my big passion.
It included initiating and developing the Lane Assured Homes brand, advertising, and sales – giving me terrific hands-on experience,” he says.
• Chris’s services are offered on a strictly first come, first served basis. Interested companies included in our official Awards shortlist should email Chris – chris@chrislane.co.uk – or call him on 07763 283914. Business Weekly CEO Tony Quested will co-ordinate with Chris regarding eligibility for the service.