Keith Irving (keithirving)
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| Specialist in Performance Psychology & Psychometrics | |
| Anova Communications Group | |
| Henley-on-Thames, UK | |
http://twitter.com/keithirving www.anovacoms.com |
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| Joined: Jan 7th,2007 | Profile hits: 6083 | Network: 334 | Read: Articles | Blog | News | |
Profile Summary
Improving sport or corporate performance through mental skills and mental toughness
This covers:
- Achieving improved/winning performance in elite and professional sport
- Working with a range of abilities from youngsters with potential, through serious amateurs to professional sportsmen and women on all aspects of mental skills coaching.
- Psychometric assessment for sport and business (teams, whole person assessment, personal performance, career development, locating talent, hiring, retention, sales, customer service.
- 360º feedback analysis for teams and high performing individuals
- Leadership and performance psychology for senior executives and athletes including motivation for change, achieving KPI's and managing successful teams
- Senior management mentoring
I am a Director at Anova Communications Group - see 'What I Offer' for our complete range of services.
I am also the co-founder of iStadia and this networking website, istadia.com along with Rob Robson and hope to be part of something which will see real development of professional sport and exercise. Click on the video below to get an idea of the impact of social networking.
Have you joined the "How to use iStadia" Club yet?
I am here to help every member where I can with their profiles, their business development, referrals, sponsorship and anything that helps their businesses or their performance improve so feel free to invite me to be part of your network.
Anova Communications Group provides:
• individual performance improvement (performance psychology) focused on professional/elite
athletes and senior/board/'C' level executives
• psychometric assessment
• 360 degree feedback appraisals
• executive search and headhunting services both locally and globally
• individual relationship development: coach/athlete, coach/team, manager/team, boss/staff etc
We offer a highly professional and effective service which can be personalised to suit the client or organisation we work for. Our psychometrics and 360 degree feedback appraisals and analysis can be supported by onsite consultancy and workshops to ensure that results are achieved. This often includes individual coaching or mentoring to follow up the outcome of our assessments.
People experience covers all ages at all levels and classes across diverse cultures (Europe, Africa, America). This includes managing teams and individuals and has involved counselling clients with serious problems.
Psychology: sport (golf), leadership, corporate, sales management, psychometrics, 360º feedback appraisal.
Start ups: CNA Executive Search (KI) Ltd, Anova Communications Group, iStadia Ltd.
Business experience: finance, mergers & acquisitions, HR, sales &marketing, management turnarounds, product development, manufacturing, logistics.
Recruitment: executive search (headhunting) in ICT globally (UK, USA, Europe, South America, AsiaPac).
KEITH IRVING
Location: Henley-on-Thames, Oxon, UK Tel: +44 (0)1491 636 300
Driving licence: clean
EDUCATION: 2004 – 2006
MSc Sport Psychology, Brunel University, UK (part time), 2004 – 2006
MBA London Business School, UK (scholarship: Chicago Business School), 1978 – 1980
BSc (Hons) 2/1, Geology, Newcastle University, UK, 1969 - 1973.
INSTITUTIONS
2006 – 2008 Head Sport & Exercise Psychology Interest Group, BASES (British Association of Sport & Exercise Sciences).
CAREER HISTORY
2006 – Present iStadia Ltd www.istadia.com
Position: Director
BUSINESS: Community based web 2.0 site focused on the global professional sport, fitness and exercise sector.
DESCRIPTION: iStadia provides community based services which include member's business profile promotion, professional networking, publication/promotion of articles, clubs, jobs and online discussion through blogs and forums.
iStadia’s target market includes athletes, professional sportsmen and women, coaches, sport scientists (sport psychologists, physiologists, nutritionists, biomechanists, strength and conditioning specialists), sport consultancies (marketing, PR, law, licensing, sponsorship, events) and all organisations including academia supplying the sport, fitness and exercise market.
1998– Present Anova Communications Group www.anovacoms.com
Position: Director
BUSINESS: Performance psychology, psychometric assessment and headhunting consultancy
DESCRIPTION: developed business as a start-up offering executive search services to supply staff from middle management to board level and CEO’s to the ICT (information, communications and technology) sector on a global basis. This has developed into a performance and psychometric assessment consultantancy. This involves advising/coaching senior executives/professional athletes on career/performance development. A range of psychometric tools and 360º senior management assessments are offered to assist with improving performance, selection, retention, promotion, sales, customer service as well as boardroom/team cohesion.
Clients from sport are elite level athletes, professionals and serious amateurs.
Executive search involves developing job and character descriptions for candidates with clients, sourcing suitable candidates through extensive interviewing supported by psychometric assessments and background checking, and then managing the process between client and candidate through to a successful outcome.
Developed wide contact base: UK, US, Europe and S America.
Corporate clients: Sony, Vodafone, Siemens, MCI, Tandberg, BT, Dell, ntl, Polycom, 3M, Genesys, Global Crossing.
Private clients: professional golfers, (European and EuroPro Tours/national amateurs).
1980 -1997May 96- Sep 97 The Onyx Group (head office created May 1996)
Managing Director
BUSINESS: Onyx created to provide strategic direction to subsidiaries: Alexander Engineering, Bell Products and Communication Aerials (see below).
Originally led the team from Alexander Engineering which acquired Oddpak Packaging, Springal Steering Wheels, Communication Aerials and Bell Products, the latter two companies being run as autonomous subsidiaries – see below.
DESCRIPTION: Develop group structure so subsidiaries could become autonomous. To provide direction on strategic, planning and net profit objectives.
Please note that employment between 1980 and 1997 was continuous ie. company changes were brought about by development and acquisition.
July 90 - Sep 97 Bell Products Ltd (Wales, UK)
(acquired by Alex Eng Co Ltd - see below)
Managing Director
BUSINESS: Manufacturing blow moulded containers: fuel cans for the automotive market and bottles for the household, industrial and dairy markets.
ROLE: to turn the business around, develop sales and product range. Profitability attained within 9 months. Assisted sales staff with key account development. Managed £1.5m project to enter the dairy market supported by a grant from theWelsh Office.Customers: Reckitt & Coleman, Halfords, Dairycrest, Unilever, Unigate, Deb Gp.
Nov 89 - Sep 97 Communication Aerials Ltd (Wilts, UK)
(acquired by Alex Eng Co Ltd – see below)
Managing Director
BUSINESS: Manufacturer of antennas, printed circuit boards for marine/land applications and marine rescue equipment.
ROLE: introduced management control to a loss-making business; clarified business direction and achieved profitability within 17 months. Assisted sales staff with major account development across Europe. Grew business profitably from £380k to £1.5m.Customers: Marconi, RNLI, Trafficmaster, Racal, Sealine, Marine Products, BP.
1983 – 1992 Alexander Engineering Co Ltd (Bucks, UK)
Financial Controller(Retained Production Managers responsibilities for a further 5 yrs – see below)BUSINESS: Manufacturing automotive accessories and low voltage lighting.
ROLE: responsible for the finance function inc accounts, banking, currency purchase, credit control etc. Promoted to turn company around after bank gave company warning of foreclosure. Turned loss of £300k into profit of £200k in 12months on a t/o of £1.9m.Introduced budgeting, forecasting, cashflow planning, and capex justification process. Led acquisition team which successfully bought Oddpak Packaging, Springal Steering Wheels, Communication Aerials and Bell Products.
1980 – 1988 Alexander Engineering Co Ltd
Production Manager
BUSINESS: Manufacturing automotive accessories and low voltage lighting
ROLE: responsible for all aspects of production and logistics. Introduced costing, effective man-management and MRP (major IT project).Customers: Halfords, Maccess, Woolworths, Beneteau, Janneau
1978-1980 Full time Study: London Business School
Studied full time for a Masters in Business Administration (MBA), during which I won a scholarship specialising in finance and production at Chicago Business School, USA.
1977-1978 Unilever SA (Van den Bergh & Jurgens), South Africa
Assistant Industrial Engineer
BUSINESS: Production of fats, oils and margarines.ROLE: project work aimed at improving production efficiency using various techniques such as method study, time study, MTM2, operating efficiency etc.
1974-1977 Anglo American Corporation (South Africa)
Rock Mechanics Engineer
BUSINESS: Deep level gold mining
ROLE: Consultant to Free State Geduld gold mine, Welkom, South Africa. Advised on new/alternative ways of deep level gold mining and problems associated with stress related rock failure ie. deterioration/collapse of the mine’s haulages, shafts or stopes (mining areas).
1973 Geophysical Services International (Texas Instruments subsidiary)
Junior Geophysical Engineer
BUSINESS: Seismic oil exploration
ROLE: processing seismic data from the North Sea.
CAREER EXPERIENCE
- company/business development - man-management
- strategy inc. implementation - individual performance
- major account development - mental toughness
- forecasting - goal setting- product differentiation
- achieving potential - new product implementation inc
- ISO 9002 implementation - design management
- project management - financial/cashflow management
- production management - budgeting/financial modelling
- finance - gp/company banking relationships
- exp'ience with diff.manuf.technologies - capital expenditure analysis
- acquisitions - company turnarounds
- system (software) implementation - leadership
LANGUAGES
French: working knowledge
Spanish: learning through Open University
INTERESTS
Golf, skiing (racing), cooking, football (passionate supporter of Newcastle United FC), ballroom dancing.
Sport
Touring golf professionals
Business:
Vodafone, Sony, Dell, Siemens, 3M, BT, Canon, Virgin Media, MCI WorldCom, Global Crossing, Loral Cyberstar
Academic
2005 - MSc Sport Psychology (ongoing)
1978-1980 MBA London Business School including scholarship to Chicago Business School (finance)
1968-1972 BSc Geology
Workshops/seminars
Mar 2007 Psychology of Golf (BPS & BASES)
May 2006 Clinical Issues for Athletes (BASES)
Mar 2006 Approaches to Performer Assessment for Sport Psychologists (BASES)
Mar 2006 Psychology and Football (BPS, FA & BASES)
May 2005 Performing under Pressure (BASES)
Apr 2005 Understanding Psychology Disciplines & Approaches to Sport Psych Consultancy (BASES)
Non-academic
2005 Psychometrics and 360º feedback analysis (Profiles International)
1998 Executive search/headhunting techniques (CNA International)
I have considerable experience in management at at the 'C' level running a group of companies across a diverse range of industries. Along with my recently gained expertise in sport psychology, I have a lot to offer senior executives and those in professional and elite sport who want to improve their performance. I get a huge kick out of helping anyone improve what they are doing or helping them overcome issues that prevent them from getting better at what they do.
On a personal note, I am a Geordie origninally from Newcastle upon Tyne and now live in Henley-on-Thames, UK with Jane my long suffering partner. I have three kids, one of whom (my eldest son) is doing the gap year(s) thing travelling through India, China, SE Asia and at the moment working his way across Australia. My youngest who is 19 is going to be a computer whizz kid (when he can stop thinking about girls) solving everyone else's IT problems .
My interests are golf, performance psychology (professionally too), ski racing, music, cooking and supporting Newcastle United with a daft passion.
Golf is what I love to do either playing (handicap 8), watching or supporting other golfers through sport psychology.
As for ski racing I still get to take part when Jane lets me. I have a go at all events (slalom, GS, SG and downhill) on the Masters circuit which is global but mainly based in Europe. To be truthful I am crap at slalom but it's balls out for downhill which for me usually ends in hospital but the adrenaline rush is unbeatable. This adrenaline thing has also encouraged me to do the odd bungee jump which is not bad when you consider I have vertigo. Yes you're probably right, just plain stupid really. My kids seem to have inherited this as they have already had a go at free fall sky diving (not paired up either). Now that's barmy!
My muscial taste is quite wide ranging but I like mood, motivational and dance music in particular so into soundtracks, classical, rock and disco. Motivational stuff that gets me going: Proud (Heather Small), Land of Hope and Glory, the Rocky stuff, Nessun Dorma.

