Stuart Preston

Stuart is a Leadership and Management Consultant with over 20 years’ experience of designing, delivering and evaluating development programmes from Board Level to Front-Line Managers and has led large and small teams in British Airways, British Gas and the Inspirational Development Group.

He began his professional career at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and was commissioned into the British Army as an infantry officer serving in Belize, Gibraltar, Kenya and Northern Ireland.

After leaving the Army Stuart moved into the sales environment, notably spending 10 years with British Airways. He began as a Sales Executive in London, negotiating contracts for Trans-Atlantic travel with blue chip corporates. He then spent 2 years as a Sales Trainer based at Heathrow, designing and delivering sales programmes to Field Sales Executives as well as facilitating in-field coaching sessions. He then secured the role of Sales Manager Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands for British Airways World Cargo based in Johannesburg where he recruited and trained a new sales team. He was promoted to Head of British Airways World Cargo Africa with both commercial and operational responsibility across 13 different countries.

After leaving British Airways Stuart moved into consulting. He designed, led and delivered a Sales Development Programme for Sales Managers within SX3. He gained accreditation for the programme with the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management (Diploma in Key Account Management).

Stuart spent 2 years in Central L&D with British Gas and was responsible for the commissioning and delivery of Leadership Development Programmes across all parts of the business. He introduced an innovative leadership programme called ‘Project Me’ which placed responsibility for participants development firmly in the hands of the leaders rather than the organisation.

As a Senior Consultant and latterly as Head of Client Engagement in the Inspirational Development Group, Stuart facilitated on Leadership Development programmes for organisations as diverse as Nikon, Centrica,