Our Team
Annie Fine
Managing Director
Annie obtained a BA Hons in Sociology and then went on to do a postgraduate diploma in acting at East 15. She then worked in entertainment public relations as an account manager for many years before embarking on a teaching career. She obtained her PGCE at Goldsmiths University and taught Drama in three inner city London schools.
Annie witnessed the impact and influence that Drama had on individuals. It empowered pupils to think for themselves and understand the world around them by challenging and clarifying preconceived ideas.
Annie has also worked at Teach First on their residential programme and ran a yearly workshop on ‘How to use your voice in the classroom’ for trainee teachers.
Her experience in education and the belief that an actor’s tools can be applied to business is utilised in her current training programmes. Annie has written techniques that allow candidates to explore and flex their communication styles producing impactful results in the workshop.
She has written and tailored communication courses for global organisations such as Facebook, Prudential, Santander, HarperCollins Anglo-American, GlaxoSmithKline, Ernst & Young, RS Components, Institute Of Engineers, Bloomberg, Publicis Sapient, Leo Burnett, Network Rail, Sodexo, Vitality, Nuffield, CMS, Brunswick Group, Deloitte and MUFG.
David Fine
Marketing
David has 25 years experience in marketing, communication and business development across multiple sectors including, FMCG, retail, finance, healthcare and technology. He was most recently the Global Marketing Campaign Director for the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) where he developed brand positioning and drove partnerships and thought leadership around key business topics such as climate and sustainability, diversity, the future of work and AI. He spent 13 years at international Public relations firm Edelman, where, as Global Creative Strategist he consulted some of the world’s biggest brands on their integrated marketing strategy. Prior to that he set up Edelman’s pioneering content practice, enabling clients to story tell and produce multi platform collateral across paid, earned, owned and social channels. The practice won several industry awards with campaigns for clients including Microsoft, Shell, Wonderbra and Shake n Vac. David was also responsible for internal training of creative skills and developed and ran several international creative programs and workshops,
After reading English Literature at Bristol University, David trained as an actor at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and worked in theatre, film and TV. He also worked in corporate training facilitating and hosting workshops and in medical role play. He believes his grounding in drama technique has underpinned his achievements and enabled his career development. He is passionate about coaching and empowering people to reach their full potential in business.
Sharon Young
Consultant Psychologist
Sharon Young has an MSc in Organisational Psychology and has worked as a consultant in learning and development for blue chip organisations for 15 years. In designing the courses, she has used the theories of Organisational Psychology which underpin some of the techniques used throughout our work.
Cat Clancy
Facilitator
Cat studied English at Oxford University and trained at Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. Based on the belief that Acting skills are really Life skills, she has worked as a Communication and Voice Coach for over 12 years, delivering highly-tailored training to business professionals who seek to be more confident and clear while remaining authentic.
She has delivered communication courses for diverse organisations such as Shell, Time Inc, HSBC, Ernst & Young, Mott MacDonald, The BFI, Lazards, McGraw Hill, Fidelity, IFRS, MD2MD, Rothschild, Luxotica, Facebook, Publicis Sapient, Network Rail, Sodexo, Anglo-American, Prudential, Vanguard Asset Management, Vitality, Nuffield, Santander, CMS, Brunswick Group LLP, GlaxoSmithKline, and MUFG.
Her bespoke one-to-one coaching encompasses all levels, from promising executives to Senior Directors, at companies including McGraw Hill, Credit Suisse, Fidelity, Santander, IFRS, Global Forestry Investment, The Rank Foundation and Financial Ombudsman Service.
In addition, she has spoken at forums such as DAC Beachcroft’s ‘Creating an Inclusive Workplace’ event, ‘Breakfast Business Club’ and ‘ISES Powerhour Seminars’ and co-led business seminars for HealthTech UK. She has been featured twice in The Guardian and appeared as a guest Voice Coach on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour analysing the voices of female politicians.
Lulu Dale
Facilitator
Lulu trained at the Central School of Speech & Drama where she was awarded the Sylvia Strutt award for Verse Speaking and at Richmond Drama School where she was shortlisted for the Richmond Drama Awards.
Described by theatre critic John Thaxter as an “eminently watchable performer” and by The Stage and Television Today as having a double act that “should transfer to the West End”,Lulu has worked as an actress and has freelanced for BBC School Radio. She was also the lead presenter in a Royal Gala in the presence of HRH The Princess Royal.
From an early age, Lulu’s travelling background inspired her to become a trainer in debating and public speaking skills which has taken her as far afield as Singapore, Trinidad & Malaysia. Lulu is also a Voice Over Artist and appeared as a guest Public Speaking trainer at this year’s RippleFest Summit & lead 2 workshops on the same billing as Benjamin Zephaniah at the Chester Literature Festival 2022.
Lulu has had her poetry performed on the Southbank and is passionate about helping people to express their views with confidence, articulate ideas and influence through talking. As a Senior Assessor for the English Speaking Board she was invited to the Oracy All-Party Parliamentary Group Inquiry, chaired by Emma Hardy MP to improve the development of students' spoken language skills in schools.
Jo Lee
Facilitator
Jo completed her PGCE in Drama & English at Homerton College, Cambridge in 2002. The intervening decades have seen her develop Drama and Performing Arts pedagogy in top schools around the world. Giggleswick School, North Yorkshire (2002-2006); Garden International School, Kuala Lumpur (2006-2012); St. Christopher’s School, Bahrain (2012-2014) and Cranleigh, Abu Dhabi (2014-2022).
Jo completed her MEd at Trinity College, Dublin in 2018. Her thesis research focused on using Drama as a pedagogical tool to enhance learning in a variety of subjects and with all age ranges. Jo has presented her research at the World Alliance for Arts Education (Frankfurt 2019) and the IDiERI 10 (Warwick 2022). She works with teachers in the UK and internationally to enhance learning opportunities and build creative opportunities within the classroom for increased engagement and reflection.
Jo has thoroughly enjoyed applying her educational and creative knowledge to the corporate world, supporting and enhancing communication skills to help people in business navigate challenges with increased confidence working with a range of global brands including Visa, CMS, Barnett Waddingham and Co-op.
Jo has become an Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) / Tapping Practitioner with the EFT & Mindfulness Centre, using the energy system in the body to help re-balance, releasing negative emotions and triggers.
Being half English and half Chinese-Malaysian, Jo loves to travel and explore different cultures. She is passionate about building creative confidence for all.
Klaus White
Facilitator
Klaus gained a 1st Class Hons Degree in Theatre Studies at Brunel University before completing his PGCE in Drama & English at Reading University. He then went on to work as a professional actor in the West End and National Touring Theatre, performing the lead role of Buddy Holly in the show Buddy (1997-1998).
Taking a sabbatical from the creative industry, Klaus became head of sales at an energy sector start-up, Phoenix Forums and built a successful sales team with a mindset, habit-centred approach. Since leaving the conference sector he consulted with Smart Grid Forums on marketing and sales strategy and facilitated training for Mercedes Benz and Jaguar Land Rover. His professional writing work includes online and print campaigns for Raw Ventures, Fermata, Jay, Vindome, Valena, Sync MD, Skok, ZE Electra, Dillali, Resting Light, and Time to Sleep.
Klaus is the author of two personal development books and was lead writer and freelance consultant at TELL App, bringing the art of storytelling into the digital realm. He has co created lectures for UCL on the importance of narrative storytelling within systemic family therapy.
He works as a director with the Primary Shakespeare Company, running workshops on performance, vocal technique, improvisation and coaches private LAMDA sessions at Dwight International School London.
Sara Frith
Facilitator
Sara studied a BA (hons) in Performing Arts at The University of Salford. She worked as an actor in touring theatre for a number of years, predominantly performing in a variety of Shakespearean roles at UK venues.
Following this she took a temporary post at a High School in Greater Manchester and found herself still there 14 years later! It was there that she found a love of sharing her passion for language and theatre with young people. Along the way she successfully completed a PGCE with Manchester Metropolitan University in order to become a qualified teacher and has since worked in a wide range of settings across the Greater Manchester area, including Secondary, FE and Adult Education.
More recently Sara has studied with the Chartered College of Teaching in order to achieve Chartered Teacher status giving her an excellent knowledge of the principles of pedagogy and evidence informed practice. She has also worked extensively with trainee and early career teachers on the development of vocal and physical techniques in order to achieve presence and impact in the classroom alongside working with political candidates in the development of these skills in preparation for a public facing role. Sara is a passionate advocate for the use of Drama based learning to develop confidence and communication.
Bev Vincent
Facilitator
Bev Vincent has been involved in teaching communication skills for over 30 years. Bev has been Head of Drama and subsequently Head of Performing Arts at Copthall school, using drama skills to help students develop confidence, overcome their social anxiety and ‘find their voice’, in order for them to reach their potential.
Bev has taught presentation and public speaking skills to various groups in leadership roles such as educators, diplomats and the police. Over the past 7 years, she has been largely working with young people and adults, to develop their confidence and empower them to communicate effectively. She has delivered workshops to teachers in schools, professional youth leaders and workshop leaders, working also at The Globe Theatre, to help improve voice, language and non-verbal communication..
Her work with individual clients has been tailored to their individual needs; from coaching in interview skills, improving diction, public speaking or communicating in board meetings. She has also travelled to New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Boston coaching various community leaders, helping them to improve their communication and presentation skills.
Bev also works part time at Rhodes Wood Hospital School for young people who suffer from acute social anxiety and low self esteem and she also runs workshops in residential care homes to help residents recall memories through music and discussion.
Sue Power
Facilitator
Sue Power has been an English and Drama teacher for nearly 30 years. Sue has a B.A. (Hons) and a master’s degree in English, awarded from Lancaster University (St Martin’s College); she also holds QTS and DBS certificates. Sue holds the professional qualifications PGCE and an NPQH from Manchester University.
For most of Sue’s career she has taught English and Drama, at GCSE and ‘A’ level, in UK secondary schools. For the past few years, she has transferred her skills online, linking with the UK and abroad, tutoring and training students to pass GCSE and ‘A’ level exams.
For more than 10 years now, Sue has worked as an English examiner for Cambridge, AQA and WJEC, at GCSE, iGCSE and ‘A’ level. She also marks on the Cambridge proficiency exams, the qualifications in reading writing and speaking, for students with English as a second language.
Sue’s English and Drama training has given her a range of skills to support and develop written and verbal communication. Her wide experience as a Drama teacher has given her the means to advise and model useful techniques for use in presentations to the public, namely the physical and verbal skills needed to demonstrate confident body language and strong oral presentation.
Sue has developed work on "Difficult Conversations". Looking at the challenging conversations teachers can have as part of their daily role, this includes discussions on parents' evenings and one-to one meetings. Sue ran these workshops with both serving teachers and teaching training students.
Mandy Johnson
Facilitator
Mandy Johnson has a BA (Hons)degree in Religious Education and English, a licentiate teachers diploma from the London Academy of Dramatic LLAM (Hons) and a MEd in Drama Education.. Mandy has been a very successful Head of Drama for over 33 years. She is also a qualified Mindful Life Coach.
She has been a trainee manager and subject Drama mentor for trainee teachers, as well as Drama subject lead and a coach for newly qualified teachers in Gloucestershire. Mandy ran workshops on “Voice and presence” in the classroom and “Scaling the peak” which encourages trainee teachers’ to deliver a given theme to a new class, using innovative methods of communication. Mandy was a workshop leader for teaching and learning at The Stroud Teaching Partnership where four Secondary schools integrated in one centre for CPD training.
Mandy trained with “The British School of Meditation” and now teaches mindfulness on the school curriculum and in Gloucestershire to local primary and secondary schools, to vulnerable groups of children, trainee teachers at Bristol and Gloucester University and to staff and parents as part of her well-being work. Her own school achieved a prestigious mental health award for her work.
Mandy has run two CPD training/coaching sessions for “The British School of Meditation” on her mindfulness work in Education. Mandy created Mindfulness resources to deliver in charities and in dementia care settings, demonstrating how this tool can be used to improve well-being, resilience and self-care.
Lynsey McCall
Facilitator
Lynsey obtained a BA Hons in Contemporary Theatre and Performance, later gaining Qualified Teacher Status through Middlesex University. As a Head of Drama for nearly a decade, Lynsey developed a passion for using drama and performance strategies to help build the confidence and presentation skills of hundreds of young people.
As a Teaching and Learning Specialist, Lynsey led the development of an innovative drama curriculum across the Harris Foundation. Leading a team of teachers to develop schemes of work and resources for students as well as planning, creating and presenting professional development workshops for the drama teachers of Harris Federation. She has also designed and led a variety of professional development sessions for trainee teachers, including how to respond and relate to a variety of stakeholders. After training as a mentor and coach, Lynsey also spent time observing and supporting more experienced teachers in improving the delivery of their lessons.
More recently, Lynsey has trained and worked with the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, One Day Creative and Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation, expanding her reach in using actor’s tools to develop the skills of others. This also included planning and delivering group and individual training in communication to prepare young adults for interviews and applications.
Katie Lewis
Facilitator
Katie trained on the MFA in Theatre Directing at Birkbeck College, University of London. She has worked as Resident Assistant Director for The Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre and Theatre Royal Bath.
She has directed plays at venues including The Library Theatre Manchester, Lowry Theatre and Arcola Theatre.
Katie works as visiting director and acting tutor in a number of UK drama schools, a trained LAMDA teacher and is an artistic associate of The National Youth Theatre.
Katie works regularly for theatre education and development departments delivering workshops in voice and text.
Katie’s work with actors and non-actors covers audition and interview technique, body language, presentation and communication skills.
Katie’s decade of experience training actors informs her approach and she regularly coaches and works with clients one on one to empower them in the work place with effective communication and public speaking skills.
Britt Sarony
Facilitator
Britt studied Drama and English at Hull University and was involved in a comedy troupe for a few years. In recent years she has participated in workshops on improvisation, comedy and creative thinking for many organisations.
Her interest in different styles of communication, storytelling, ideas and psychology led her originally into the world of advertising.
She joined as a Planner using research and intuition to explore consumer behaviour, brands and how best to work with creatives. She joined the account management department to handle the Tesco client account and helped to launch the iconic ‘Every Little helps’ campaign. Here she applied her interest in Psychology, Drama techniques and emotional intelligence to deal with a range of people and
their various agendas.
Britt led large teams often including stakeholders with conflicting interests. Britt understood the difficulties of managing people and finding a way to communicate and negotiate, has prompted her to develop tools and tips to support strong and positive outcomes.
She has worked in various top London agencies for a range of clients large and small, such as Braun, Garnier, UBS, P&G , Lactofree, De Witt and Tesco, Abbey National and Tourism Ireland in the UK.
Since then her focus has been on consulting for brands, idea generation and developing training for those in the workplace who want help to find their voice and confidence.
She is also working to counter ageism in the workplace and advise on the benefits of intergenerational teams.
Paula Southgate
Facilitator
Paula studied English Literature and Drama at Sussex University before obtaining her PGCE from the University of Cambridge. Since qualifying, Paula has taught English and Drama in British International schools all over the world including prestigious schools in Malaysia, Perú, and Spain.
Despite diverse cultural backgrounds and often with English as their second language, Paula observed the unifying power Drama had on her students. As well as uniting them, she found that activities such as poetry performances, whole school productions, and speech competitions had an immensely positive impact on her students’ self-esteem as well as their communication and presentation skills.
During her 11 year career teaching English and Drama, Paula has also worked as a mentor for trainee teachers. Staying calm and collected in front of a group of teenagers is no mean feat for a new teacher but by using strategies from Drama, Paula was able to support trainees to create a presence and exude more confidence.
Sarah Lowther
The Smiling Assassin
She smiles. She puts you at your ease and then asks you the questions you don’t want to answer and she does it live. No retakes and no prisoners, Sarah’s career has developed from musician to economist to TV, radio and virtual host.
Her financial and city reporting background is comprehensive as the host of Bloomberg Business Breakfast, Morning Money on Share Radio and Daybreak when it aired on The Money Channel, as well as being one of the first webcasters for Thomson Reuters.
Sarah has worked The European Union, the Strategic Communications Unit at 10 Downing Street, the BBC, China Daily and The Guardian. She currently works for ProactiveInvestors, Total Market Solutions and lse.co.uk where she’s known for her flirtatious ferocity.
Working closely with the charity sector, Sarah is a podcaster and awards coordinator for muscular dystrophy concern Muscle Help Foundation and has co-hosted events on behalf of Success after Stroke.
She has lectured in Business Language at post-graduate level and conducts media training seminars across Europe for blue chips including Royal Dutch Shell, Allianz, SEAT, BMW and Tetra Pak. Educational establishments
Sarah has been involved with include Bancrofts School and the University of Bedfordshire.
Sarah is a sought-after voiceover artist for corporate animations and when not behind a microphone is behind a spade in her allotment. She’ll teach you how to react when you meet someone like her.
Mark Aldridge
Script Writing Trainer
Mark has worked in the Film and TV industry for twenty years, starting his career with three seasons on the influential entertainment show, ‘Soccer AM’. He has a diverse range of credits and has held several key industry positions including Commissioning Editor at Sky 1 and Head of Programmes at Sky Movies.
Mark has always developed drama alongside his factual and entertainment television work and produced the film, ‘The 51st State’ with writer Stel Pavlou. At college, Mark and Stel had always talked about producing a feature film, it took five years to get Pavlou’s raw script to screen with Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Carlyle.
Mark also developed the drama series ‘Utopia’ at Sky TV and commissioned Kudos to make the series. ‘Utopia’ was produced by Channel 4 and released to wide critical acclaim. Mark received an ‘original story’ credit on each episode. The second series of Utopia aired on Channel 4 in 2014.
Also working in factual, Mark was exec-producing the ‘Oscars’ and ‘Golden Globes’ for British television. He exec-produced the BAFTA Cymru winning ‘Ryder Cup Concert’ and developed and commissioned the ambitious ‘Rooftop Rainforest’ where a living rainforest, complete with over 1000 plants, trees and animals was erected on top of the Westfield shopping centre.
In 2013, Mark helped launch BT Sport and worked there as a creative consultant for the first three seasons. In the last two years, Mark has consulted for Endemol Shine, Classic FM, Wireless Group Radio and Dr. Pluto Films where he developed an off-the-wall game show for Channel 4.
Mark has lectured at the National Film and Television School, the BBC and Solent University.