Who is Switch Direction?
We fill the knowledge gaps in our client’s employees so their business can thrive.
The heart of Switch Direction is the belief that nothing should be boring: especially training. Working in partnership with individual businesses, we challenge the perception of staff development by providing a unique blend of learning and fun.
The objective is to always educate, enhance and build relationships within teams and with individuals, using training courses – both on and offline – to strengthen knowledge and understanding.
Our vision is to take the strengths developed within a business environment and grow the company by offering additional training to anyone looking to enhance their skills base in an enjoyable environment.
The ultimate purpose is to bring about change in behaviour through learning and fun.
Our values are to . . .
- provide learning through an engaging experience
- protect the individual and the experiences they hold dear
- ensure anyone we meet leaves our company feeling safe in the knowledge they will be looked after
- enjoy our job
- encourage participation at a rate the delegate is comfortable with
- believe in building lasting friendships and business relationships
- endeavour to turn misery to cheer
but, most of all, we will have fun!
Dan Cocksedge, Founder, Trainer & Consultant
Starting his career working at Buckingham Palace for Royal Collection Enterprises, Dan has grown many training functions. After a move to East Anglia, with his wife to start a family, he worked as the Training Manager where he integrated both performance related and personal development learning through bespoke qualifications and assessment.
Dan is an active, energetic and inspirational trainer. He enjoys delivering courses and coaching sessions that challenge behaviours to improve performance and generally enjoys watching people develop.
He is a qualified Myers Briggs Type Indicator Practitioner, holds a Diploma in NLP and extends his training abilities into Ability and Personality Training, 360 Feedback and Microsoft 365 and Google applications. Dan has a strong passion enabling and nurturing relationships using MBTI /NLP tools allowing people to understand each other’s perspectives aiding with negotiation and mediation of people whilst allowing others to explore their own behaviours.
Dan also helps businesses focus on quality standards such as ISO, IIP and BCorp extending his offering from training to quality systems. ‘I have a very interactive approach to learning and I like to ensure that my training sessions are engaging, interactive and fun – no matter what the subject is’.
He has a wealth of experience and qualifications he has a great ability to help people fill those knowledge gaps allowing businesses to move forward through their people.
Lisa Gaunt, Virtual Assistant
Lisa is an amazing VA with incredible patience and is Director of
Lisa has over 20 years’ experience in administration, business relations and special projects at a senior management level and has worked as a primary point of contact for and liaison between management, sales teams, personnel, clients, administration and vendors.
Lisa has strong oral and written communications, high problem resolution capacities together with confidentiality.
She thrives working under pressure, able to work independently as well as a team player. She has a strong and solid administration and finance background with Microsoft Office© experience.
Linh Pook, Executive Assistant
Linh is a dedicated professional with a passion for creating inclusive, high-performing workplaces and empowering individuals to thrive.
With a strong foundation in talent management and expertise across HR functions—including onboarding, policy development, and organisational strategy—she has expanded her journey into entrepreneurship. This is where Linh's expertise is helping Switch Direction to grow and expand.
Throughout her career, she has been committed to fostering environments that champion diversity, equity, and inclusion. Linh is also a big believer in unlocking the full potential of people allowing organisations to achieve lasting success. With a focus on collaboration, continuous improvement, and innovation, she aims to be a trusted partner and catalyst for positive change
Jen Irvine, Learning Enabler & Coach
Jen has 30 years’ leadership and operations management experience and has led managers and their large teams in a variety of industries, including health and wellbeing, hospitality, property management and insurance.
Her passion lies in developing people leaders by sharing her knowledge and skills with others to build strong leaders who also live and breathe the values of their organisation. Jen's operational ethos of high challenge, high support shines through in her interactive training sessions and Jen uses her coaching skills to engage individuals and groups to ensure they leave with increased confidence, new knowledge and a personal action plan.
Jen has recently completed the Institute of Leadership & Management Level 5 Operations Management degree and combines the theory of leadership development with her extensive experience in a variety of training sessions and webinars that can be made bespoke for delegates’ roles and objectives.
Jen’s key areas of expertise include what makes a successful team, leading through innovation and change, communication, time management, influencing/negotiation, problem solving/planning techniques and motivation. Jen prides herself on delivering training that is relevant, memorable and fun!
Matt Tindall, Learning Enabler & Coach
Matt has over 30 years’ experience working within leadership, sales enablement, customer experience and team dynamics arena.
His approach is an enthusiastic tailored coaching-style of training, where he brings energy and passion to learning, creating a safe space to learn in a highly engaged environment. He brings learning to life, so everyone has the freedom to explore and understand where their new skills and knowledge really add value, professionally and personally.
Matt supports how the learner can really bring new experiences to life in an interactive way. Challenging how you think, feel and behave, so you can truly change habits for a more positive outcome on your road to success.
Matt’s 30 years as a learning professional brings everything to this moment, where he can also share extensive knowledge, skills and compelling stories that truly bring everything together, so you are able to apply the learning more effectively and truly understand what it means to you, your team and your wider organisation.
Alison Darrington, Learning Enabler & Coach
Alison has 30+ years experience working in management, training and coaching in global group industries, dedicated to continuous improvement in herself, individuals and teams. She is a qualified leadership trainer, holds a PTLLS certificate and is accredited by TAP in Coaching, and has a wealth of direct experience working to coach staff at all levels, from graduates to senior corporate management.
She is committed to delivering training and coaching interventions that have impact. Alison has worked in retail management, business development and training for Clarks Shoes and Game Stores Group, in both the UK and Spain, prior to setting up her own training business. She has specialised in providing leadership programmes, professional training and coaching, delivering customer service excellence as well as sales and management development skills.
Alison is proficient in training needs analysis, designing and delivering customer service and management skills training. Her key foci have been centred on development of individuals, teams and senior managers through succession planning and supporting under-performing divisions through to growth.
Ben Miller, Learning Enabler & Coach
Ben is a neurodiversity champion with ADHD and advocates for people who perceive, communicate, and learn differently. He is passionate about the role that divergent thinking and doing in classrooms, workplaces, and community settings will have on what comes next.
He blends personal experiences, industry insight, multiple interests and coaching to help people explore new possibilities and pathways.
Ben’s broad interests start with the brain because it influences everything we do — how we experience, sense, feel, think, relate, and respond. He supports and empowers leaders to shift from a “fixing-people” mindset to creating the conditions for people to flourish. He believes an ability to balance and integrate different outlooks, experiences, capabilities and thinking styles are a necessity for sustainable, inclusive, healthy and productive ways to live, learn, and work in the 21st Century.
Ben plays an active role in shaping the East of England culture. He supported the region’s NHS Mental Health transformation project and was chair of Healthwatch Suffolk during Covid-19, and remains a Director.
Katherine Cresswell, Health & Wellbeing Coach
Katherine is a highly qualified trainer, speaker and coach, passionate about bringing Wellbeing training into the Workplace to improve morale, motivation and make everyone feel valued.
As an NLP Master, Internationally Accredited Coach, Holistic Therapist and Mindful Mental Health Practitioner Katherine has a magical mental health toolkit on hand to help people over come challenges, be clear about what they want and help make that happen.
With a corporate background organising training at Goldman Sachs in London to being an International Credit Controller for AXA in Paris, she is also well versed in the challenges in the workplace and knows the importance of knowing tools and techniques to help you be at your best so you can bring your best to your role.
Since leaving the corporate world when becoming a mum she has focused on her family and building her own resilience and strength through all she's learnt and life experiences!
The importance of the wellbeing in the workplace cannot be understated with absenteeism rising and long term sickness affecting so many.
By looking after yourselves and your workforce you will get so many more benefits. “I really love delivering these training sessions and seeing the difference in people before and after. There are so many simple tools and techniques which can be taken into any situation to help you be more confident when faced with challenges. The positive impact is not only felt by the people attending but by all those around them too.”