Elevating Leadership

“I was supported by a Merryck mentor during the Group CEO succession process at Admiral as well as my first 18 months in the role. It was important for me to have a safe space to think about my development as a leader and have dedicated periods of self-reflection. My mentor ensured that I put myself in the shoes of other stakeholders, he was empathetic to my situation and provided an external perspective. We discussed a diverse range of issues, some that were personally complicated, and my mentor provided an excellent sounding board throughout our time working together. The mentoring supported me through some difficult decisions, how to communicate these effectively, and as a result accelerate changes in the organisation.”

Milena Mondini de Focatiis
CEO, Admiral Group

“Merryck have been working with our Executive and extended senior leadership group for 18 months during a period of substantial leadership transition for us. We have benefitted significantly from their considered and impactful individual mentoring and group interventions.  Merryck collaborated with us to understand our needs and help expand both our thinking and approach. Whether initially working with us during the period of uncertainty and ambiguity or during the latter stages where the changes had been effected and the priority was building alignment and momentum around a change agenda. Merryck supported us throughout with tools, methodologies and first hand business experience which has strengthened our own leadership effectiveness and enabled us to stay focused on both the performance of the business and more effectively leading the organisation through change.”

Former CHRO
FTSE 100

“Working with a Merryck Mentor provided me with one of a limited number of opportunities to sit back and reflect, helped by some probing questions from an experienced business leader. My mentor gave me a truly independent perspective, offering different points of view or approaches and often a framework to help thinking and decision-making. The total confidentially in the relationship ensured I had a safe space to reflect and think about what I needed to do differently in the future.

Merryck had a significant impact on me as my roles have been very operational and without the ability to pause, reflect, and discuss issues I would not have delivered the change and value that I have been able to. My Mentor also observed several leadership events for me and met with members of my team individually. This allowed for a richer discussion in our sessions and allowed me to focus on helping my team deliver the transformation and growth in the business.”

Divisional CEO
FTSE250 Aerospace & Defence Sector

“As the new and externally appointed CEO it became swiftly evident that the company’s past successes would not be continued in the future without a major shift in direction, leadership attitudes and ways of working. Merryck developed with us, coached and then delivered an impactful 3-day retreat for the Group Executive Committee. In advance they conducted interviews with all the senior leaders to stimulate their thinking in the new context, pulled together emerging themes to drive content and set expectations. They took a holistic approach to the delegates as an individual, as a leader and in the context of their Exco role. The clarity of direction and the honesty, curiosity and respect for each other visibly grew over the 3 days and the momentum created continues. I often recommend Merryck for their 1:1 mentoring. Now I am happy to recommend them for their team mentoring”.

Former CEO
Puma Energy

“Merryck worked with me to hold a two day workshop with my Leadership Team as part of our development activities to create a high performing team. The way the workshop was developed really helped us develop as individuals and as a team and in two days we were clearer on who we were as a team, what we wanted to achieve and how we were going to behave to achieve it. What really stands the test of time is that as a team we re-visited the outcomes many times to ensure we were on the right track and truly were able to hold ourselves accountable; we use the tools every day and the leadership team then used many of the same approaches with their teams – always to a very positive effect. That workshop created the foundations for us to become one of the highest performing teams in the business”.

Brendan O’Rourke
CIO

“Merryck have been working with the BT Technology team on both 1:1 and team mentoring for the last 10 months. We found the individual retreats very helpful with thoughtful, quality interventions and appropriate challenges from our mentors. As the leader of the team I have found the time with my mentor very valuable in helping me to set out a clear agenda, actions and priorities for both myself and the leadership team”.

Howard Watson
Chief Technology and Information Officer

“Peter is an excellent mentor and been a great support for my personal development. He listens and coaches very well, has a wealth of experience to share and has given me a number of tools to use. Peter spent the time to get to know where I came from, the chemistry has been very good, and he is always available. We had clarity on what to focus on and set goals over the course of the mentoring programme. Kudos to Peter as he has been spot on… on a lot of things. I am very happy with the tailored mentoring as opposed to another leadership programme.”

Fritz Dzeklo
MD, Ghana & Regional Director Central Africa

“My first time being a direct beneficiary of working with Merryck rather than an agent.  Having experienced it first-hand I am even more of an advocate. Chris helped me to shape the composition of the day and the direction of travel.  You showed great understanding of what I was hoping to achieve.  The interview process was very valuable.  You helped to foster trust in the team.  The ability to change the agenda according to the energy in the room led to a very powerful pay-off for us. Getting to a clear purpose for the team and a charter for how we operate was a great outcome from the time we spent together. I valued the empathetic approach that helped to generate a huge leap forward in personal connections.  Taking the time to attend the dinner was much appreciated and helped to further build trust and standing with the group”.

Brendan Kelly
Credit Suisse

“I have a fantastic relationship with my mentor that has been built over an extended period, but which was established quickly at our initial retreat. The intensity and exploration of the retreat was a super charged way of getting to know and trust each other from the start. My mentor has helped me adjust to new roles and new environments, navigate challenging stakeholder relations and stay focused on what is important to me. She regularly reminds me how to use my strengths and gives me perspective. I know I wouldn’t have had the success I’ve had without her help.”

CEO
Yell

“Working with my Mentor has been immeasurably valuable in supporting me as a leader and an individual. From the initial power of our first session, the chemistry and connection with my Mentor was there, which has allowed me to be entirely open throughout our relationship. My mentor has the ability to check me and enable me to think very differently. We work on both a long term plan as well as on the day to day and Varda always goes back to the commitments which we made at the retreat which grounds everything to the longer term focus. My role involved a move to a new country and our focus on me as a whole person has been really important in supporting my smooth transition as well as being even more important in the last year as we dealt with the COVID situation. Working with Varda is not only beneficial to me as a leader, but also hugely enjoyable”

Gillian Doran
CFO, Anglo Gold Ashanti

“Mentoring from Merryck was a very positive experience during my time as CFO of Santander UK. I had moved from Spain and understanding the UK business and boardroom culture was vital to my success. My mentor supported me in talking openly about the different boardroom dynamics in the UK and how to participate, engage and influence with confidence. Working with Merryck ensured that I integrated quickly into my new role and improved my effectiveness as a leader.”

Antonio Roman
Head of Corporate and Commercial Banking Santander Espana

“I have a fantastic relationship with my mentor that has been built over an extended period, but which was established quickly at our initial retreat. The intensity and exploration of the retreat was a super charged way of getting to know and trust each other from the start. My mentor has helped me adjust to new roles and new environments, navigate challenging stakeholder relations and stay focused on what is important to me. She regularly reminds me how to use my strengths and gives me perspective. I know I wouldn’t have had the success I’ve had without her help.”

Clare Gilmartin
CEO