Meet the team

Chris’ has enjoyed what is now grandly known as a ‘portfolio career’. Starting out in Local Government, Chris moved steadily north from Dorset to Aberdeen, before running out of land to explore and jobs to fill.

Joining ICL/Fujitsu in the late 1980s, Chris transitioned from bureaucrat to salesman, acquiring sufficient skills to become a senior client manager. He would eventually go on to become a sales director, overseeing the introduction of Siebel CRM (for which he truly apologises to the entire sales staff).

Chris joined the Koru team in 2002, becoming owner and MD two years later.

Along the way, Chris read and researched – enough to acquire a PhD in politics – something that has helped him navigate the labyrinthine of large bureaucracies – in both the public and private sectors.

Chris believes that two things underpin what Koru do – understanding of the customer, and only ever doing the things that deliver real value (the kind you can measure in pence and pounds – the type that you can stick on a bar chart).

Brian studied Physics at Manchester University before joining the nascent computer industry in 1968.

Spending almost an entire working life on the frontline of sales and IT, his top-level management experience in ICL, Fujitsu and The Logic Group spans four decades, before he joined Koru Services in 2011.

Brian has led teams in the software and services sectors to create innovative solutions to customer and market business problems throughout Europe. His customer experience has touched on all major customer sectors in the B2B space, with significant recent experience in Financial Services, Telecommunications and Retail sectors.

A passionate advocate of customer- and market-focus, Brian has and continues to drive significant growth and success for businesses through this dedication.

Brian is a lover of all competitive sports and a keen golfer. Whilst age has forced him to hang up both his soccer boots and cricket whites, he is a Tyke and Tiger through and through – supporting Hull City and Yorkshire Cricket Club from his home in God’s Own County near Beverley.

Steve’s business background has been as varied as it has been successful. A computer programmer by trade, he has been a project manager, sales person, marketing manager, sales director and managing director. He ran two businesses for ICL and the Fujitsu Group, leading a profitable turnover of more than £200m in the UK and in Europe.

A great believer in customer-centricity and professional selling, Steve is an Advanced Member of the Association of Professional Sales, where he has been responsible for the development of the first 2 Sales Apprenticeships available in Britain.

A seasoned campaigner in sales and marketing management with a wealth of ‘coal face’ experience (with senior positions at Lenovo, Worldwide TechServices and Fujitsu), today Phil has earned his reputation for delivering strong sales results. You could say that Phil’s role has been diverse. He has personally performed and managed everything from cold-calling and presentations, to the recruitment of a sales team and the writing of compelling proposals. He has also restructured teams for improved results, implemented CRM systems and processes to support their combined use. He also advises and guides on all aspects of customer communications – for companies ranging from fledging, fast-growing start-ups to global blue-chip giants.

When pondering what lies behind his sales figures, Phil puts his performance down to a unique blend of best practice disciplines and processes, along with a flair for innovation and creative thinking.

Phil lays claims to be the second coming of William Turner – a true modern-day Vincent van Gough protégé. Alas, he’s still waiting to be discovered as a Watercolour Landscape artist of significance (any day now!).

Barbara is a pragmatic and tenacious business consultant, trainer and coach who utilises an inspirational leadership style to engage, enthuse and support entrepreneurial leaders to achieve their business goals in a rapidly changing global marketplace.
Specialising in transformational change, innovation and leadership excellence, Barbara has experience of designing, developing and delivering customised solutions for SMEs, public sector and not-for-profit organisations.