Cheryl Crosthwaite

Cheryl Crosthwaite

B.App Sc, MBA, PG Dip. Bus. Res.
Senior Specialist Management Associate, Spearhead Training, U.A.E.

With a Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Communication) and a Masters of Business Administration (International Management), Cheryl has well over 20 years experience in management, and brings a wealth of both theoretical and practical aspects to her training.

Her experience in the public service sector, and as a cost centre manager in Australia, has given her an excellent grounding in all avenues of management including: leading, planning, organizing, and controlling. As her experience has been with a very decentralised Human Resource function it means she was involved in many varied aspects of Human Resources, including: Job Analysis; Recruitment and Selection; Orientation and Induction programmes; Trainee programmes for indigenous (Aboriginal) Australians; Performance Appraisal; Counselling; Disciplinary Action and Termination. Many of these functions were carried out in a highly unionised environment in Australia, so industrial relations was also a prime consideration.

Her Australian experience included high level negotiation with, and advice to, Senior Ministers, and she was selected by the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory to be part of the Northern Territory Women’s Committee, advising him on all social, political and economic issues, particularly with regard to women.

In these roles she worked extensively in project development plans, and on high level reports. This work, combined with her undergraduate degree in Human Communication, led her to a specific interest in Business Writing, Communication and Interpersonal Skills.

In 1997 Cheryl moved to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where she entered the private sector and training arenas. Initially she was employed as a corporate advisor to a Malaysian owned company. Her role was to work on a ‘start-up’ company in a project team of four, consisting of three civil engineers and herself. She was in charge of Human Resources, Public Relations, and Finance and Accounts.

In this role she developed an organizational plan to privatise up to 700 government employees into a road maintenance company for all government owned highways in Malaysia. In this capacity there was considerable government and union consultation. Cheryl then took up a role as a management and training consultant with Systematic, providing two main areas of training: corporate training and accreditation from the National Vocational Qualifications in the U.K. (NVQ).
During this period Cheryl became interested in competencies and their measurement, and wrote courses to ISO 9000 standard for Permata, the training division of Petronas, as part of a ten module middle management programme. She also delivered courses to local and multinational organizations, such as Gillette and Nestlé, and worked with Southern Cross University, Australia, in their KL Campus, working with MBA Students. Here she ran the Research Methods Unit and redesigned a Distance Education Manual on the subject. In addition, Cheryl has taught at the American University in Dubai in the Business School, where she taught Management and Business Communication.

Cheryl joined Spearhead in February 1999. In her ten years with Spearhead, Cheryl has delivered an extensive range of programmes. Her brief has often been to design and deliver specialist programmes that meet the challenges of improving and sharpening management styles and levels of customer service throughout the Middle East. Cheryl has lived and worked in Australia, Malaysia, the U.A.E., Qatar and India. Thus, she has extensive experience of dealing with people from a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds.

With her educational background, practical experience as a manager, and her diverse experience, Cheryl is able to deliver programmes that are a combination of theory and practical work, always interesting, and specifically targeted to the needs of the people she is training.

Cheryl has worked on consulting and in-company training for large multinationals, through to smaller companies in the following industries:

> Communications & IT
> Construction & Engineering Consultants
> Banking and Finance
> FMCG
> Freight
> Hospitality
> Health Services
> Oil and Gas
> Maritime Industry
> Pharmaceutical
> Property Development
> Retail
> Trading Groups
> Aviation

Currently based in Hyderabad, India where her husband has relocated, Cheryl is now in her final year of research for her Ph.D. studies in the field of management and leadership competencies.

Cheryl has extensive experience with Facilitation and Consultation. Her recent assignments in these areas include:
> Facilitated workshop for New Product Development
> Facilitated workshop on Job Descriptions and Person Specifications
> Development and implementation of a Performance Appraisal System
> Development and implementation of two Job Evaluation Systems
> Development of an Orientation Programme for New Employees
> Developing Competencies
> Redesign of Organizational Structure

In addition, Cheryl can work as an Executive Coach, providing one to one guidance and support to top, senior and middle managers.

Cheryl is able to deliver the following courses for Spearhead:

Management & Leadership
> Coaching For Optimum Performance
> Driving Perfomance - Key Competencies
> Counselling Skills
> How To Conduct Effective Meetings
> Developing Management Skills
> Senior Management Programme
> Supervisory Management Skills - For 1st / 2nd Level Supervisors
> Planning & Organizing Skills
> Creative Problem Solving & Decision Making
> Strategic Thinking & Planning
> Change Management

HR Management &Training
> Human Resource (HR) Management Skills
> Interviewing Skills - For Recruitment & Selection
> Train The Trainer - Group Training Techniques
> Writing Effective Job Descriptions

Customer Service
> Customer Focused Management
> Etiquette For Excellent Customer Service
> Improve Your Telephone Skills - 'How To Win & Keep Customers'
> Telephone Skills & Customer Care

Administrative Skills
> Office Management
> Professional Secretarial & Administration Skills
> The Perfect PA - For PA's & Executive Secretaries

Sales & Marketing
> Presentation Skills - Making A Powerful Impact On Any Audience
> Advanced Presentation Skills

Personal Development
> Self & Time Management
> Developing Effective Interpersonal & Communication Skills
> Understanding Emotional Intelligence
> Brilliant Body Language!
> Be A Better Listener - Active Listening Skills
> Assertiveness Skills (& Dealing With Difficult Situations)
> Stress Management

Additional Courses:
> Business Planning
> Successful Cross Cultural Management
> Leadership Skills
> Innovative Leadership
> Team building & Leadership
> Team building & Team Skills
> Conducting Effective Appraisals
> Coaching & Mentoring
> Assertiveness Workshop