Ross is a U.S. national with over 30 years of corporate and training experience across a wide spectrum of business sectors. These include: Banking and Finance, Healthcare, Automotive, Jewellery, Retail, and Corporate Training.
Ross graduated in 1988, with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Management from Adams State University, Colorado. He began his working career, while still at university, as a sales representative in a Ford automobile dealership in Del Norte, Colorado. This retail experience, of putting into practice what he was learning in the academic world, created a life-long passion for Sales and Marketing, and a focus on always delivering top-quality customer service.
After his graduation, Ross was appointed as a management trainee in the retail section of Helzberg Diamonds, a major national jewellery retail chain, with over 200 outlets in the USA. Due to his sales, management, and leadership skills, Ross was promoted in 1989 to manage one of the group’s most successful stores in Denver, Colorado. Over the next two years his team consistently achieved and exceeded targets, due to understanding and developing their target market, and ensuring that training and staff development remained a top priority. After a successful stint in this position, for family reasons Ross decided to return to his native state of Idaho, to seek a new business challenge.
He found it in the Banking industry in Boise, Idaho, where, in 1991, he joined KeyBank, part of KeyCorp, Cleveland. The bank has over 1200 branches throughout the U.S. and is one of the largest American banks by market capitalisation. Having been introduced to the banking sector, through a one year management training programme, he was accepted for a managerial position with Scenic Falls Credit Union, Idaho Falls. For the next 13 years he worked for this organization, and increased its total assets by nearly 600% (over 15% average, year-on-year). During this period, Ross learned every aspect of the banking field: teller function, new accounts, consumer and commercial loans, customer service management, loan management, branch management, etc. It was also during these years that he fully realised the importance of ongoing staff training and development.
In July 2005, seeking a new challenge, Ross was appointed to the post of CEO of a U.S. Employee Federal Credit Union, in Pocatello, Idaho. After two years in this position – where he increased revenue by over 40% – he joined Wells Fargo Bank, Salmon, Idaho, as a Senior Manager.
In 2008, Ross accepted an exciting new challenge from one of his bank customers, taking on the management of a large medical facility – The Steele Memorial Medical Center. In this role his key responsibilities included: managing the daily operation of the business side of the hospital, improving customer service; streamlining processes to ensure top-class service for patients and families; managing and tracking patient flow, to ensure processes were efficient and effective; training staff in a new Electronic Medical Records System; planning and implementing outreach activities for the community – including diabetic support, ‘Quit Smoking’ campaigns, MS support, pre-natal classes, better nutrition programmes, etc. His success was very visible, as customer service surveys showed a significant increase in positivity. This was directly linked to the new processes and procedures that had been implemented, as well as the ongoing customer service training that Ross designed and delivered.
During his working career in the U.S., Ross always had a keen interest in staff development, and in all his roles he spent time developing and training his teams. This training ranged from identifying the skills required to deal with both external and internal customers, up to how to handle the needs of different stakeholders, such as Boards of Directors, as well as various Government Regulatory Authorities. Leadership, customer focus, teamwork, communication, and planning skills, have always been of key importance to Ross, who believes that focusing on them made the various teams he has managed, successful at every level.
Prior to coming to the Middle East, and finishing a two-year stint in the medical field, Ross returned to the financial sector, having been given the opportunity to manage one of the main branches of Meridian Trust, Federal Credit Union, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, a financial institution serving over 28,000 members in Wyoming and Nebraska, USA, with assets exceeding $US388 million. Ensuring that he was exceeding the expectations of the Corporate Headquarters, deposits and loan demands surged – due to the ongoing and continuous staff development and training. His training sessions focused on always creating a positive customer experience.
In 2012, Ross and his family decided it would be a great opportunity to live and work outside the U.S., and subsequently, moved to Abu Dhabi. This gave Ross the opportunity to fully concentrate on his passion for corporate training. Initially working with various UAE companies, as a freelance Trainer, Ross delivered soft skills training to organizations such as Abu Dhabi Police, and some large Abu Dhabi-based companies.
In 2017, Ross joined Spearhead Training as a Senior Management Associate. Concentrating mainly on soft skills programmes, Ross has had considerable success in helping others develop their careers, through improving the overall skill levels of the delegates. His extensive experience, across a range of business sectors, allows him to speak credibly about different real-life case studies, which adds greater value for his delegates.
In 2020, due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, Ross and his family relocated back to their home in Boise, Idaho, USA. He continues to deliver the same high impact programmes that he is known for, virtually.
Ross’s key areas of expertise include:
Management & Leadership
- Developing Management Skills (City & Guilds – ILM Recognised)
- Supervisory Management Skills (City & Guilds – ILM Recognised)
- Leading High Performance Teams For Stronger Business Performance (City & Guilds – ILM Recognised)
- Coaching For Optimum Performance (City & Guilds – ILM Recognised)
Business Skills
- Strategic Thinking & Planning
- Creative Problem Solving & Decision-Making (City & Guilds – ILM Recognised)
- The Fundamentals Of Project Management (City & Guilds – ILM Recognised)
- Planning & Organizing Skills – Achieving Your Highest Priorities
HR / Human Capital Management & Training
- Human Capital / Human Resource (HR) Management Skills (City & Guilds – ILM Recognised)
- Competency-Based Interviewing Skills – For Recruitment & Selection
- Train The Trainer – Group Training Techniques (City & Guilds – ILM Recognised)
Customer Service
- Excellence In Customer Service
- Customer Care & Telephone Skills
- Etiquette For Excellent Telephone Skills
Sales & Marketing
- Professional Sales Skills – The Key Elements Of Successful Selling (City & Guilds – ILM Recognised)
- Advanced Selling Skills
- Negotiation Skills – Learn How To Negotiate Like A Professional!
- Advanced Negotiation Skills – Learn How To Be A Master Negotiator!
- Managing A Winning Sales Team!
- Strategic Marketing – For Today’s Business!
Personal Development
- Presentation Skills – Making A Powerful Impact On Any Audience (City & Guilds – ILM Recognised)
- Advanced Presentation Skills
- Self & Time Management
- Stress & Anger Management In The Workplace
- Developing Effective Interpersonal & Communication Skills (City & Guilds – ILM Recognised)
- Assertiveness Skills (& Dealing With Difficult Situations)
Business Writing Courses
- Professional Business Writing Skills (City & Guilds – ILM Recognised)
- Advanced Business Writing Skills (City & Guilds – ILM Recognised)
Finance Courses
- Financial Awareness For The Non-Financial Person
- The Fundamentals Of Budgeting
Additional Courses (In-Company Only)
- Performance Management & Appraisals
- Writing Effective Job Descriptions & Person Specifications
- Conflict Resolution