Jill Howard

LCCI & CELTA
Senior Management Associate, Spearhead Training, U.A.E.

Jill has over 12 years of customer service experience gained through working for companies, both large and small, in the U.K., Turkey, and the U.A.E. She lived in Bahrain between 1978 and 1985, so with this experience, and the six years in Dubai from 2003, she is no stranger to the Middle East culture.

In 1994, Jill gained her London Chamber of Commerce & Industry qualification in Business French and European Studies. Since then she has worked in a variety of ‘client-facing’ and management roles in the following business sectors:
• Banking and Finance
• Real Estate
• Aviation
• Travel & Tourism

Her first major managerial role in the U.K. was as facilities manager with KPMG, where she worked closely with senior management to ensure the company needs were being met with regard to recruitment, training and continuous development of front-line office staff, for KPMG offices in the south-east and south-west of England.

With a passion for travel and foreign languages, Jill then moved to Turkey where she took on a key customer service role, working for a specialist tour operator, offering five star holidays to the discerning traveller. Her primary goal was to secure repeat business for the company. Her considerable client relations skills helped Jill to maintain the high standards that clients had come to expect, and repeat business was secured from many customers.

Since returning to the Gulf in 2003, Jill has worked in the commercial environment of Sales and Marketing, Business English, and Customer Service. In 2005, Jill obtained her CELTA qualification from the University of Wollongong, Dubai. Upon qualifying, she quickly moved to a major U.A.E. Bank Group as a Business Communications Trainer, where she developed and delivered tailor-made courses for Customer Service staff, many of whom were U.A.E. nationals. She also worked for International House in Dubai delivering English for Banking courses for key financial organizations in the U.A.E.

As a trainer, Jill displays excellent communication skills, first class planning abilities, and a total commitment to deliver excellence wherever she goes. Course feedback from clients and delegates has always been very positive, and Jill has a natural ability to communicate with people from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds. Above all, she firmly believes in making learning a fun, lively, and interesting experience for her delegates. At the same time she is committed to ensuring that learning outcomes and client objectives are fully achieved in her training.

Jill is trained in First Aid and is a qualified rescue diver. She is also very interested in the preservation of marine life and coral reefs around the U.A.E. Jill joined Spearhead Training in 2006. Her major areas of interest are Business English, Customer Service Training, Customer Relationship Management, and Interpersonal Skills.

Jill’s key areas of expertise include:

Management & Leadership
> How To Conduct Effective Meetings

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

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

Business Writing
> Business English Foundation Course
> Professional Business Writing Skills - Level 1
> Professional Business Writing Skills - Level 2
> Report Writing - How To Structure A Report For Maximum Effect
> Writing Minutes Of Meetings

Additional Courses:
> Foundation English Language
> BEC (Business English Communication) Cambridge University Examination course
> Banking English
> E-learning English Programme Facilitator
> Grooming For Success
> Greetings & Business Formalities
> Front Office Operations