The Big Conversation team

Dr. Meredith Belbin graduated in Classics and Psychology at Clare College, Cambridge and gained his second degree for his doctoral dissertation on Older Workers in Industry. After training at the Institute of Engineering Production at Birmingham and taking up a Research Fellowship at Cranfield, he became a management consultant, working in a wide range of industries. Later he returned to Cambridge to become Chairman of the Industrial Training Research Unit; Director of the Employment Development Unit; the first lay member in Cambridgeshire of the Lord Chancellor's Advisory Panel on the Appointment of Magistrates, and Senior Associate of the Institute of Management Studies in Cambridge.

He has recently been appointed Visiting Professor and Honorary Fellow of Henley Management College. As an author, his books include Management Teams: Why They Succeed Or Fail (1981), The Job Promoters (1990), Team Roles At Work (1993), The Coming Shape Of Organization (1996), Changing The Way We Work (1997), Beyond the Team (2000) and Managing without Power (2001).In the capacity of consultant, Dr Belbin has advised the OECD, the US Department of Labor, the Commission of the EEC and many manufacturing companies and public service organisations. He is currently a Partner in Belbin Associates and active on the international lecturing circuit.

He created Belbin Team Roles which are used worldwide.

Simon Walker is a writer, leader, innovator and practitioner in the field of human development. He is the founder of The Leadership Community and Human Ecology Ltd, as well as author of many models, processes and instruments. All his work seeks to support, enliven and deepen other human beings to live more attentive, rich and undefended lives.

Simon has taught at Oxford University from 2003-9 and has lectured internationally to private and not-for-profit organisations in Africa, India, America and Europe. In his past, he has competed internationally at athletics, sold his art for a living, studied Biology at Oxford University under Richard Dawkins and is an ordained Priest. He has written four books on leadership (including The Undefended Leader trilogy), set up two companies and thousands of people have been influenced by his work. His long standing clients include Accenture and KPMG.

Simon’s major contributions have been to the fields of leadership and the advancing of his theory of Human Ecology. His most recent book (2009) is ‘Leading with Everything to Give: Lessons from the Success and Failure of Western Capitalism’.

Jenny Johnson is qualified as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (FCIPD), as well as holding both a Diploma and Certificate in Coaching and BA (Hons) in French and Geography from Liverpool University. She worked for 13 years for TMP / Harrison Willis, holding various roles there, including ‘Head of Training and Development’ and ‘Manager of Banking Temps’. She is Managing Director of Red Rocks Consulting Limited.

Jenny is Chair of the CIPD Coaching Special Interest Group and is a regular speaker at events. Most recently, she has addressed the Public Sector Management of Wales (PSMW) group, CIPD Coaching Special Interest Group and the Clean Business Exchange. In November 2009, she addressed Spotlight North Wales, with an audience of over 300 people.