Carolyn Elson

Senior Management Associate, Spearhead Training, U.A.E.

Carolyn is a U.K. national, who has resided in the U.A.E. since 1994. Throughout her working life, her professional training experience has focused primarily on leadership, management, customer service and personal development. Her training career began in the aviation industry, working with a diverse range of cultures and nationalities, and moved on to other global customer focused organizations.

Initially, Carolyn began working with Emirates Airlines in a flying capacity, progressing rapidly in the leadership and management structure of the organization. In 2001 she was selected to work in the Corporate Training section of the airline. In this role she trained cabin crews, providing guidance and orientation programmes for new recruits. The focus of these programmes was on standards of cabin service, including ‘Providing Exceptional Customer Service’, ‘Cross-Cultural Awareness’, and ‘Maintaining Customer Loyalty’.

After a period in this position Carolyn was moved to the Leadership Training Department, where she had responsibility for training, coaching, and developing Cabin Crew wanting to move into senior roles. As part of this role, she became involved in writing and amending existing training plans for courses such as Conflict Management, Leadership Skills, Assertiveness, Situational Leadership, Effective Delegation, etc. The key emphasis of these programmes was on continuous improvement of service, with focus placed on how to achieve successful flights when working with different teams of people on a daily basis. The main drive of the programme was ‘to be customer centric’ at all times. Additionally, the role of the front line management was to motivate and inspire teams to perform at their best, even when performing in very difficult circumstances.

Carolyn was also part of an Emirates project team which successfully designed, implemented, and delivered, an inaugural three-day Training Course for Senior Flight Pursers. This included topics such as Giving Constructive and Supportive Feedback, Employee Motivation, and Coaching.

Having left Emirates in 2007 Carolyn took up a position with a major property developer in Dubai. In this post she worked in the Community Management Department, designing and implementing new processes and procedures for handling customer queries to the Call Centre. She was also involved in designing quarterly newsletters, and writing and distributing notices for residents, as well as organizing events for residents in the different developments.

In 2009 Carolyn was offered a position as Sports and Events Officer, working for the Corporate Communications Department at the new Emirates Sevens Stadium in Dubai. The Sevens is a purpose built, state-of-the-art sports facility for sporting events, concerts, conferences, etc. Her principal management duties were to control and manage the scheduling of the venue’s sporting facilities, and the social and conference facilities.

Having worked in this role, Carolyn then made a career choice to move back to training, as this was the area of work she had always enjoyed most throughout her working life. In 2010 she joined Spearhead Training as a Senior Management Associate, based in Dubai.

Carolyn has exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, ensuring an inspirational connection with her delegates. She possesses an approachable manner, is empathetic to her delegates, and displays a responsible and caring approach. These attributes build trust, earn respect, and offer a dependable role model for delegates. Carolyn also demonstrates a highly structured and professional approach in the training room, which encourages delegates to implement their learning when they return to work, ultimately improving their overall business performance.

Carolyn’s key areas of expertise include:

Management & Leadership
>Supervisory Management Skills – For 1st / 2nd Level Supervisors
>Leading High Performance Teams
>Creative Problem Solving & Decision-Making
>Coaching For Optimum Performance
>Change Management
>Counselling Skills
>Planning & Organizing Skills
>How To Conduct Effective Meetings