Mary Leishman

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Background

Mary Leishman is Principal of Mary Leishman Training Consultancy and an Associate with 4-consulting.

She began her career in retail personnel management. She specialised in training and developed her career between local government and the retail sector. She first moved into independent consultancy with a major contract to manage the Industrial Training Association's Youth Training Programme in the West of Scotland.

Following a family career break, Mary returned to work in local government training as a Senior Training and Development Officer, initially with Strathclyde Regional Council then moving to Inverclyde Council at local government reorganisation. Mary then restarted her consultancy business, gaining Investors in People advisory contracts with Scottish Enterprise. She became a Registered Adviser with Investors in People Scotland in 2007 and a Registered Assessor in 2008. Mary also continues to provide HR services to a range of private and voluntary sector clients. In addition, she has carried out research projects and evaluations of public sector intervention programmes.

She has experience as a visiting lecturer at the University of Strathclyde Centre for Continuing Education and at a number of FE colleges.

 

Relevant Experience

Provision of Outsourced HR Service

Mary provides an HR service to SME clients on an outsourced basis, ensuring that companies meet all HR statutory requirements.

 

Investors in People Adviser

Mary trained as an Investors in People Adviser in 1998, since when she has successfully assisted over 70 companies and professional practices, as well as over 30 voluntary organisations to achieve the Standard.  She is currently advising a range of client organisations which have committed to, and are at various stages of working towards, the Standard.

 

In 2001-02, Mary worked with SCVO on a collaborative pilot project to promote the Big Picture and IiP in Inverclyde with 10 voluntary organisations.  All the organisations achieved the IiP Standard.

 

Mary has also carried out a number of projects to market IiP to the voluntary, care, legal and engineering sectors, assisting the Scottish Enterprise to achieve commitment targets.

 

Mary ran (with 4-consulting) an Achievers Group for IiP recognised companies in Renfrewshire.

 

Investors in People Assessor

Mary trained as an Investors in People Assessor, gaining her registration in December 2008.  She has assessed over 20 companies in her role as a Specialist on behalf of Investors in People Scotland.

 

Mary has been a member of the New Ways of Working Party for the Investors in People Standard since July 2007.  She has regularly attended meetings in London and has worked on case studies for the New Choices approach.

 

Organisational and People Development

Mary identifies training needs and manages and delivers management development and training programmes and short courses for a wide range of public and private sector organisations.  Clients include, Golds, Partners for Inclusion, McKeating Ltd, Albann Architectural Ltd, Thomas Johnstone Ltd and Reid Furniture.

 

Mary has recently carried out a training needs analysis for a large construction client leading to the development of a CITB training plan  Mary has several other clients in the construction industry whom she has worked with to achieve the Investors in People standard  As part of this work she has developed, managed and evaluated their CITB in house training plan.

 

Mary was a member of a team that developed and delivered a continuing professional development programme for business advisers of the West of Scotland Loan Fund, a collaborative venture between 12 local authorities in the West of Scotland.

 

Mary has extensive experience in respect of Women into Management and Women Returners programmes.

 

Research Projects

For Lochaber Enterprise, evaluation of the Lochaber Leadership Initiative, a project aimed at increasing the take up of management education and training by local SME businesses as Associate with 4-consulting).

 

Evaluation of the EQUAL Theme D Development Partnership (as Associate with Hall Aitken).

 

Evaluation of West Dunbartonshire EQUAL Project (as Associate with Hall Aitken).

 

Evaluation of Action Research Project on the four Pilot Social Economy Zones (as Associate with Hall Aitken).

 

Conducted an Impact Study of an after school care project in Easterhouse, Glasgow.

 

Conducted a Childcare Provider Survey for a local authority.

 

Other Activities

·         Chair, Princess Royal Trust Renfrewshire Carers' Centre

·         (2003 - 2006) Director, Quarriers, one of the largest voluntary organisations in Scotland to have achieved the IiP Standard, with 1,600 members of staff  

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