Brian Nielsen


Consultant - Coverdale UK

Career in brief

Brian has succeeded in delivering business results in rapidly evolving environments across four continents. He has experience in aerospace, logistics, financial services and consumer markets both as a general manager and in consultancy. He learned the art and science of "training" as Programme Director for a corporate-wide leadership development Programme in EADS/Airbus.

In his work as a consultant and trainer he focuses on:
  • Gaining a thorough understanding of the client context is the key to good design. Content should be developed free of all the hype and jargon that surrounds many management ideas to get at the plausible and useful. Good delivery is about connecting with participants in their own context.
  • Brian has lived change management and leadership throughout his career and has a genuine interest in supporting individuals and teams in this fast-changing world. The skills required of change leaders can be summed up as thinking process, involving people and managing projects. These are the practical skills leaders need to develop which complement the life-long quest to better understand yourself in order to better interact with others.


Some recent assignments
  • Facilitated client teams in the identification of specific change impacts and transition planning for a large systems development programme in a UK/US insurance company. Coordination at senior level and the development of project management skills at lower levels
  • Developed and delivered an operational improvement course for a UK based global hi-tech company. A systematic approach for teams to work on key processes
  • Designed a change programme audit approach which was rolled out around the world for a global airline. The template for Regional Managers to review key programmes with their extended teams.
  • Supported the launch of a critical change programme designed to ensure future survival for a global green energy company. Organisational change design, change team development and individual leader coaching.
  • Directed the design, development and delivery of a leadership development programme for a European aerospace giant. This programme has been running for years touching hundreds of Senior, Fast-track and Front-line Managers and credited with delivering over €100m in benefits.
Previous career experience:
  • Oakland Consulting plc (European consultancy) – Director – based UK
  • DHL – Managing Director Southern Africa – based Johannesburg
  • DHL – General Manager CIS – based Moscow
  • Barents (KPMG) – Transaction Manager (M&A) – based Central Asia
  • RJR Petro (JV with RJR Nabisco) – General Director – based St. Petersburg
  • Kurt Salmon Associates (Global consultancy) – Consultant to Principal
  • Project Engineer to Production Manager working for Audi, Bowater & STC
References:
  • "outstanding performance in delivering development programmes at all levels across Western Europe"
  • "exceptional ability to distil complex business problems into key essential elements and shape solutions"
Education and training:
  • MBA – Manchester Business School – 1992
  • BSc – Bradford University – 1980
  • MBTI Step 1 qualified
Working languages:
  • Native English; good Russian; some German
Brian says:

"Structured learning and development comes in two ways. Ideas presented and supported with relevant examples and experiences is the classic way to transfer knowledge. However, it is always rewarding to experience the power of peer to peer learning when teams work together on relevant organisational issues." 		Brian Nielsen
Brian Nielsen
Coverdale UK