TIM FEARON

When Tim Fearon speaks about leadership, personal development and customer service, it is from the heart-  because all of these are at the heart of who he is and what he does.

If 'portfolio careers' are the latest thing, then Tim may be one of the pioneers in the field. He is an outstanding example of the 'if you can dream it, you can do it' school.

'I'm not academic' he has been heard to utter in moments of quiet despair, whilst juggling with some weighty tome. Not academic, maybe, but hugely practical, pragmatic, challenging and entertaining.

Living up to his perceived lack of academic brilliance, he went straight from school to work backstage in the theatre via a brief period of sitting on the theatre steps until they got so fed up with him that they gave him a job. 

He had discovered at the age of sixteen that he could hold, entertain and influence audiences. The school debating society was the place he first vanquished the shyness that had caused him, as a youngster very tall for his age, to cross over the road rather than walk past a bus queue.

From the dizzy heights of assistant carpenter/chief flyman (one of the guys who hauls the scenery up and down) at a leading provincial repertory theatre he auditioned for and was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. 'If you can dream it, you can do it'

Eight wonderfully happy years followed, travelling all over the UK, North and South America and Hong Kong, performing in over seventy productions. The role of the romantic lead escaped him - too tall you see - but he gained a lot of audience sympathy as the boy who never got the girl. 

And then the 'portfolio' began! Realising that the theatre was not going to provide him with the sort of long term challenges he needed he took up step sitting again.

This time it was on the steps of a major new arts initiative on the South coast and again his perseverance paid off when he was eventually offered the job of managing the project. The project? To convert a derelict building into an arts centre and then establish a programme of events; visual, musical and theatrical.
So he became a site foreman and learned in two years more about the building trade than most learn in a lifetime. Three years later, the project up and running, he moved on as the 'portfolio' fever gripped him once again.

He had become involved, during the arts centre project, with young unemployed people many of whom had significant learning difficulties. He decided that this was the next part of his life and set up a company specifically geared to training them for the future. To the delight of the Careers Service, he determined that the only criterion for acceptance onto this training programme was that the young person could get to their place of work. 

In the face of tremendous odds, the company, now a registered charity, achieved a success rate of getting 70% of the young people into full time employment, a statistic completely at odds with their academic attainments. It takes one to know one!

This company was involved in ground breaking work and came to the attention of The Industrial Society, then Europe's leading independent provider of training and development in the workplace. They asked Tim to talk to other organisations about the work he was doing and one day popped the question. It's sometimes referred to as head hunting.

So, with the company now highly successful, Tim moved to The Industrial Society where he stayed for six years. He ended up as Head of the Voluntary Organisations Unit and Head of Youth Development. In these roles he quadrupled the amount of business the Society did in the not-for-profit sector (working with organisations such as Oxfam, Save the Children, Red Cross, MIND, etc.) and was responsible for establishing the structure of the Student Industrial Society - the largest non-political grouping of students in the UK - and the Graduate Industrial Society.

He moved from here to join Mercuri International, the world's largest sales, marketing and customer service consultancy. Two years after joining, his team became the most successful in the UK and retained this position for the remainder of his time with the company. 

As portfolio fever struck again, Tim left Mercuri to set up on his own as a trainer, coach and facilitator. And so he has been occupied, very successfully, for the past eight years, except for a six month period when he joined a client as a board director to set up a training academy for them.

Tim is a great believer in balance, so it may come as no surprise that he has recently qualified as a hypnotherapist, is an avid golfer and has a relatively new passion that sees him taking part in the British Indoor Rowing Championships each year - 12th in his age group last time round!

References

"Bodylife has worked with many good keynote speakers over the years - including Allan Pease, Jack Black, Frank Dick, Heather Mills, Geoff Burch and Joe Simpson. In my opinion Tim Fearon is among the elite keynote speakers in Britain. Tim is a superb communicator with a dynamic style and an extremely powerful message who leverages his theatrical training to great effect. Our audiences have found his combination of intellect, wit and sometimes mind-blowing common sense an irresistible combination. The breadth of Tim's experience makes him an ideal keynote or wrap up presenter for most conference audiences ranging from chief executives to front line staff."
Tim Webster
Managing Director, Bodylife


"I have seen Tim Fearon hold large audiences in the palm of his hand. He has a rare ability to deliver serious messages with humour and a light touch. He is one of a rare breed who can both make a speech to an after dinner audience, run an amazing event engaging 150 manufacturing apprentices and do a senior management strategy meeting - all on the same day. I would not hesitate to recommend him as a speaker."
Julia Cleverdon
Chief Executive, Business in the Community


"Well, what can I say? You were brilliant! These comments speak for themselves:

'The best presenter I have ever seen'
'I picked up loads of new ideas today'
'I'm inspired, motivated and ready to go get 'em'

What pleased me most is that you took our culture and philosophies and spread the message, but in your own special way. And that special way is passionate, enthusiastic, inspiring, motivating and challenging.

I think there would be an outcry if I did not invite you back, so stand by your phone!"
Andrea Withnell
Group Marketing Manager, DC Leisure

"Thank you for contributing to our Company Conference. As ever, your session proved to be a stimulating highlight. Even after the revelries of the night before, the delegates were still talking about you throughout Sunday"
John Davis
Group Managing Director, Resource Administration Group Plc

Tim Fearon .../Page 4



"I am privileged to have had the opportunity to work with and be inspired by you."
Jenny Stanley
Marketing Director, Life Fitness


"Thank you for the truly excellent contribution you made to our Directors' Conference.

From a very difficult position in the batting order you made a very significant 'score' and I am pleased to tell you that everyone was very impressed with the outcome of your session. There is no doubt that by the end of the day our delegates were buzzing"
Robert Carlile
Group training Manager, Harcross Timber and Building Supplies


"Everyone makes a fuss when a new star is born - I think it is more impressive when an existing star can still be seen to shine through grey clouds. It is not enough just to say thanks for what you delivered at our Supporters' Dinner. It demands admiration for the message, enthusiasm and commitment."
Chris Brooke
Area Manager, The Industrial Society


"Thank you so much for providing the highlight of the Annual Conference. 

One of our delegates summed it up very well:
'What presence he has. Invite him back. Please! If he really can't make it next year, make sure he comes the year after - the man is an invaluable asset' "
Jon Williams
National Campaign Leader, The Student Industrial Society


And Finally
Some items of feedback from a conference run for 100 people from a variety of organisations in the leisure industry on Customer Service:

'Tim was exceptional - inspirational and motivational'
'Brilliant, funny and interesting'
'Extremely good, very positive and I felt very motivated to make the changes'
'Excellent, he made you want to listen'
'A class act, able to hold attention, variety, challenging ideas, all mixed with a wicked sense of humour'

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