Our Training Partners

We work with a group of hand-picked, specialist Training Partners, who are each experts in their fields and in the delivery of business training. Find out more below!

Our Training Partners
  • Bryan Leslie

    Bryan Leslie is an accredited coach and trainer, qualified in DISC personality and PIAV personal motivator profiling.

    Bryan started his career in Financial Services in London and Edinburgh, working in Operations Management, Business Consultancy and HR for the Royal Bank of Scotland and Standard Life. In 2003 he founded his own training company, Abacus Coaching Ltd, working with organisations to develop the leadership and management skills of their people. He has written three published books: “The Useful Guide to Goal-Setting”, “The Useful Guide to Process Mapping” and “The Seven Habits of Highly Ineffective Networkers”, each of which has sold enough copies to ensure he still has to work for a living!

    Bryan’s main areas of expertise are:
    • Growing leadership and management skills
    • Facilitating behavioural change through high impact training
    • Project, programme and change management
    • Developing high performance teams
    • Understanding key financial concepts relevant to your role in the organisation

  • Fin Wycherley

    A Senior Social Media Marketing Director with around 25 years’ experience in B2C and B2B marketing. Fin is the only accredited Facebook and Instagram trainer in Scotland and leads the #SheMeansBusiness initiative to support more women to start and grow their business with Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger.

    Fin has trained and worked with a number of leading organisations to improve their sales via social media including more recently Skyscanner, Shepherd and Wedderburn, Meltwater, Hiscox, Sustrans, TSB and Tesco Bank. Experience of marketing across all sectors, including startup, consumer, small and medium business, large enterprise, private and public vertical sectors, and global.

    Fin is a regular contributor to the BBC, both TV and Radio, on the digital and social media economy as well as publications such as The Guardian, Women in Trade, BQ Scotland, SBBN, and Scottish Entrepreneur.

    Fin has won a number of prestigious awards and accolades including:

    • Top 5 Marketing Adviser 2019 by Enterprise Nation
    • “Woman of Inspiration 2018” by the Association of Scottish Women in Business
    • “Outstanding Contribution” 2019 by ASW
    • Advisor to 10 Downing St
    • Advisor to the Scottish Parliament
  • Gary Dhanda

    Meet Gary, a dedicated business growth specialist passionate about helping businesses increase their revenue while optimising their operations.

    With over 15 years of experience, Gary has honed his skills across various industries, such as innovative technology companies, leading professional service firms, large financial organizations, and a multitude of B2C businesses.

    Gary empowers organisations by leveraging cutting-edge technologies like Automation, AI, and SaaS growth platforms to save time, enhance customer experience, and propel growth.

    His extensive knowledge and expertise in crafting powerful sales, marketing, and customer success strategies have enabled businesses to achieve transformative growth and emerge as leaders with pioneering technology.

    Earn More, Do Less!

  • Mark Douglas

    Mark Douglas is a Partner in Blue Ptarmigan, Management Consultancy focusing on ‘helping people achieve more than they ever thought possible’. With specific expertise in leadership and management development, coaching for both individuals & teams, change management, group and programme facilitation and project management, with a proven track record of delivering significant improvements and results. He has extensive experience in partnering with directors, senior leaders/ managers and professionals, in the design and delivery of leadership and management development interventions for SME’s, public sector bodies, third sector organisations and large corporations.

    He has been a retail manager, healthcare manager, change management consultant, led various functions including Supply Chain & Operations, HR, Learning & Development and Property Development for a major multinational company, he is also a business mentor and coach with the Princes Trust.

    When not working he is a keen cyclist, hill walker, skier in fact anything outdoors. And on the dark winter nights he can be found in his shed tinkering with old cars and motorbikes.

     

  • Mark Mackenzie Smith

    Mark started his career in Air Traffic Control, leaving to establish a personal and business brand development consultancy working with individuals, SME’s and an extensive range of UK Charities. He is an associate of Caledonia PA and owner of Boom, presentations training specialists. He delivers a range of business based workshops linking tried and tested techniques to practical solutions.

    With over 30 years of business behind him, Mark has developed a workshop method that is relaxed and activity focused. His seminars are challenging, pushing you to perform at your very best.

    He is chair of Lothian Young Enterprise and a Young Person’s coach with Edinburgh based charity Bright Light. Mark also sits on the Edinburgh Napier University Business Advisory panel and when he’s not working with clients he’s training his Guide Dog puppy.

  • Steve Berry

    Steve has over 30 years’ experience in International Trade. This includes working for a variety of manufacturing companies in order supply roles as well as a logistics focus with a shipping line and a freight forwarder.

    Steve has worked for Strong and Herd LLP since 2014 supporting clients in export and import compliance in a variety of ways. This includes; providing technical support, delivering training on a variety of topics and carrying out audits. This knowledge also includes assisting businesses in UK and US Export Control Compliance.

    By utilising his manufacturing experience, Steve can relate to clients’ circumstances to provide relevant assistance and support.

    Steve is an ICC Registered Incoterms ® 2020 Trainer in the United Kingdom.

  • Sue Wright

    Sue Wright, Manging Director of Exporter Services, began her International career over 30 years ago as a junior Shipping Clerk for an Engineering and Manufacturing Company. Inspired by her work she quickly progressed and saw this as a career path going on to study to post Graduate level with The Institute of Export.

    Sue moved on after several years to take up a Shipping Managers role for an engineering company. The work involved project managing contracts of supply and delivery across the world and working with Letters of Credit for payment.  There were multiple parties involved in the cross-trade movements with Customs and HMRC compliancy being paramount.  Some of this work involved Special Import Procedures, Import Licences and Controls of various items.

    In 2010, with this vast amount of knowledge, Sue started Exporter Services. Initially as a trainer, she delivered courses in various areas of International Trade. Training expanded as planned and in phase two of the growth plan, the business developed into a support service for those SME’s who required technical support and assistance in the how and why of International Trade movement of goods.

  • Tim Hiscock

    An international sales and marketing professional, with more than 20 years’ experience in business development, Tim has field sales experience in a variety of sectors. He is skilled in the development of international distribution networks, advertising, promotions and public relations management, event management and project management.

    Tim is responsible for delivering training to a wide variety of organisations, both face-to-face and in a “Virtual learning” environment. His specialist skills are in the areas of sales, research, customer relations, marketing management, research and export sales.

    Tim speaks French and German.

    He is an ICC Registered Incoterms ® 2020 Trainer in the United Kingdom.

  • Sarah Adams-Greener

    Sarah has over 18 years’ experience gained within HM Customs & Excise (latterly HM Revenue & Customs) and was heavily involved in the implementation of the National Export System (NES).

    Sarah’s expertise within the export regulatory environment is extensive, having worked in HMRC’s Export Unit of Expertise, applying legislation through practical application and providing export advice to colleagues, trade bodies and companies. Sarah was involved in the creation of HMRC’s Export Best Practice Guide which can be found on GOV.UK.

    Sarah is responsible for delivering training to a wide variety of organisations, predominantly in the area of EU Exit. She also undertakes export consultancy and audit wok for Strong & Herd.

    Specialist areas include exports, CHIEF replacement, UK tariff, customs duty reliefs, Returned Goods Relief and the Community System of Duty Reliefs (Samples, Goods for Test).

    Sarah is a fluent Welsh speaker.

  • Andy Baker

    Andy has over 19 years’ experience in freight forwarding and logistics. Covering Airfreight Imports , Sea freight and Road freight logistics. Having worked for various freight forwarders within this period he was responsible for all aspects of logistics and supply chains , customs entries and compliance.

    Andy’s expertise covers import and export entries, inventory link ports, NCTS and ETSF warehousing and various customs entry software along with customs audits and compliance.

    Andy is responsible for assisting and delivering various courses including the our new NCTS course, along with assisting our clients with our onecall service, shipping office, consultancy and audit work.

  • Susi O'Brien

    Susi has worked in Human Resources (HR) management since 2003. She’s a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD and has masters’ degrees in both HR and Employment Law. Her professional mission is to combine a technical understanding of employment law alongside a softer but equally important understanding of workplace cultures so to help organisations succeed through their people.

    Since early 2022 Susi has been an independent HR consultant, working under the brand of Susi O’Brien HR. Prior to that she spent fourteen years working in the social care sector, and before that worked in retail. Susi has significant experience working at a senior management level and her areas of expertise cover employee relations, pay and reward, employee engagement, and recruitment.

  • James Tudor

    James Tudor has been working with Exporter Services since August 2022 and has developed a passion for all areas of International trade training. James focuses on all areas of Export and Import processes, with a particular interest in Incoterms, Commodity codes and Rules of Origin. He develops training courses which encourage engagement and discussion among delegates in an effort to allow delegates to explore both their own and each other’s experiences.

     

    Before moving into International Trade James’ career was primarily in Secondary School and Adult education, working in this field for 12 years. James is also a Geography graduate who specialised in Economic and Political Geography. His knowledge, therefore, has a strong rooting in international trade and global economic systems.

  • Ryan Till

    With more than 20 years’ C-suite experience, and 7 years growth and innovation consulting, Ryan brings a wealth of experience, growth strategy and innovation frameworks to help leaders grow their business.

    As Chief Operating Officer of a £50m business, Ryan garnered the operational experience to help businesses diagnose and design solutions for growth in an era of disruption and transformation.

    His consulting experience spans a wide range of industries including data, renewable energy, software-as-a-service, construction, IT services, furniture manufacturing, digital, media and entertainment. This includes developing new products and services, guiding start-up entrepreneurs to break-even, expanding internationally, and devising and implementing strategies for growth.

    Most recently he has designed and is delivering a New Product Development Programme for Highlands and Islands Enterprise to help their businesses innovate to grow.

    Ryan is based in Edinburgh, Scotland, and works with businesses based in South Africa and the United Kingdom.