About us
We build influence that lasts
For over 40 years, we’ve been doing one thing exceptionally well: developing people who know how to influence, lead, and drive change – even when they don’t have the title, the authority, or the easiest path forward.
We’re not interested in training that feels good in the moment but fades by Monday. We build the behavioural skills and habits that change how people show up, how they’re heard, and what they’re able to achieve. That’s influence. And it changes everything.
We only deliver influence programmes built around the Positive Influence model. It’s a framework we’ve refined over four decades of working with thousands of people across every sector, every level, and every kind of challenge.
Our programmes aren’t about theory. They’re about practice. Real scenarios. Live feedback. The kind of learning that makes you better at the hard conversations, the high-stakes moments, and the everyday interactions that determine whether your ideas move forward or die quietly in someone’s inbox.
We work with people stepping into new roles who need to establish credibility quickly. With technical experts who are brilliant at their craft but struggle to be heard. With senior leaders navigating complexity they’ve never faced before. With teams who need to collaborate more effectively under pressure.
If you need to influence outcomes, build trust, or lead change – and you want practical tools, not motivational fluff – this is what we do.
How we’re different
We focus on behaviour, not just mindset
Plenty of programmes will tell you to ‘be more confident’ or ‘communicate better.’ We show you exactly what that looks like – the specific words, the timing, the adjustments that make difficult conversations work. You don’t leave inspired. You leave equipped.
We practice, not just present
Our programmes are built around experiential learning. You’ll spend more time practising techniques in realistic scenarios than listening to us talk. You’ll get feedback in the moment – from expert facilitators and your peers – so you can refine your approach before you need it for real.
We adapt to your context
We don’t do one-size-fits-all. Every programme is configured around your specific challenges, your culture, your organisational reality.
Our approach
At the heart of everything we do is the Positive Influence model – a framework built on decades of research and refined through thousands of real-world applications.
It’s not complicated. It’s built around understanding what drives behaviour, how to adapt your approach to different people and situations, and how to navigate the messy reality of organisational life where the ‘right answer’ isn’t always obvious.
We don’t teach manipulation or political game-playing. We teach authentic influence – the kind that builds relationships, drives results, and leaves people feeling stronger, not diminished.
Influence programmes
Your guide to working with us
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Our values
We’re empathetic
We understand that changing behaviour takes courage. We acknowledge where you are, what’s hard, and what’s at stake.
We’re candid
We don’t soften feedback to make it easier to hear. We’re direct about what’s working, what’s not, and what needs to change. That’s what creates growth.
We’re practical
Everything we teach is grounded in real situations and designed for immediate application.
We’re energising
Our programmes are challenging, but they’re also engaging, collaborative, and designed to leave you wanting to practise.
Our track record
46 years of delivering influence programmes that change how people lead and interact.
Thousands of alumni across six continents and every sector imaginable.
Trusted by global brands who come back year after year because the impact shows up in performance, not just feedback forms.
Our team
Joe Munro
Director
Joe has run Chartwell Learning with a calm, tech-embracing ethos since joining the business in 2005. In his spare time he’s a gifted musician and loves motorsport.
Rebecca Holmes
Project Manager
Rebecca’s amazing eye for detail and process, coupled with an impressive work ethic, helps her create seamless learning experiences. She loves rugby and has recently moved to the countryside.
Dr Nicola Lincoln
Facilitator and Partner
Nic is a director as well as one of our most experienced facilitators, with a global track record across all sectors, and an infectious work ethic that drives everyone around her. She skis in the winter, cycles in the summer.
Vanessa McQuillan
Facilitator and Head of Community
Vanessa wears two hats at Chartwell Learning. She’s not only a facilitator, but also a driving force within the business. When not at work, she’s either walking dogs, feeding children or attending bootcamps.
Jono Scott
Project Manager
Jono handles all sorts of programme support for the Chartwell team, making sure participants have seatbelts on and bags stowed. When he’s not doing that he writes books.
Ali Willocks
Facilitator
Ali is always prepared and brilliant at delivering complex ideas in a way that makes them seem simple. You’ll find she’s always off somewhere later, and she loves wine and live music.
Dr Julia Eziashi
Facilitator
Julia is an avid learner of psychological theories. They underpin her coaching and work with individuals and teams to support behaviour change. In her spare time she enjoys long countryside walks and dancing.
Greg Spencer
Facilitator
Greg is a wonderfully gifted coach with the ability to change the atmosphere in the room with a few well chosen words. In rare moments of free time he is often to be found playing tennis.
Rob Mugglestone
Facilitator
Rob is an experienced facilitator and leadership development specialist who likes to bring intensity, focus and humour to his work. In his spare time he’s normally cycling, or competing in motor sport.
Vicki Curtis
Facilitator
Vicki brings a warm, empathetic and energetic presence to every situation. She’s equally adept at coaching individuals and teams, creating strong engagement. When not at work you can find her paddle boarding, kickboxing or painting.
Su Openshaw
Facilitator
Su not only has a wealth of experience, but she’s honest, supportive and intuitive, and will always challenge you to do better. She lives in the French Alps and adores skiing.
Yasmin ElDabi
Facilitator
Yasmin is half German and half Sudanese – a background which has fuelled her fascination in different organisational cultures. She’s direct, warm and fabulous to work with.
Vanessa Williams
Facilitator
Vanessa’s special skill is enabling individuals and teams to have the conversations that make a difference. In her free time she’s either sailing, jogging or working on her allotment.
Michelle Pilkinton
Facilitator
Michelle uses her passion for candour and empathy to drive real change in how teams work together. She enjoys jogging slowly and paddleboarding in the sun.
Jonty Leicester
Facilitator
Jonty has three decades experience as a consultant and coach, bringing a supportive, thoughtful strength to any room. He recently relocated to Edinburgh from Sweden and he has a really infectious laugh.
Catherine Vaughan
Facilitator
Catherine is pragmatic and direct, with a gift for grasping problems and creating effective solutions. She lives in Ireland, has a beautiful kitchen and can’t do without her morning walks.
Renuka Raj Singh
Facilitator
Renuka is an experienced leadership development consultant and a group process facilitator. She enjoys working with polarities in behaviours, blending group and individual learnings. In leisure time she searches for pottery, swims in the sea or visits fun destinations with her adult kids.
Clare Watts
Facilitator
Clare is a warm, approachable & pragmatic facilitator. She enjoys getting to the crux of an issue & inspiring others to be the best version of themselves. She’s a gym bunny & loves walking on the coast.
Our story
How we got here
How we got hereWe started in 1977 as an educational publishing company. Not the obvious origin story for a business built on influence, but it taught us something important early: how people learn matters as much as what they learn.
In 1983, we delivered our first Positive Power and Influence programme. And we discovered what we were really meant to do.
Ever since we’ve been refining, adapting, and deepening our work – always focused on one thing: developing people who know how to influence, lead, and drive change, even when the path isn’t obvious.
What drives us
Trust is everything. Our philosophy is built on mutual trust. We don’t operate from contracts and clauses. We operate from ‘we said we’d do this, so we will.’ And it goes both ways. We expect honesty from you about what’s working and what’s not. And you can expect the same from us – no overselling, no overpromising, just straight talk about what’s possible.
Reputation over revenue. We deliver programmes that genuinely change how people lead, not just programmes that look good on a learning calendar. That’s why clients come back year after year. That’s why our facilitators stay with us for decades. That’s why we’ll turn down work that’s not the right fit, even when it would be easier to say yes.
Community, not just clients. When you work with us, you’re not just buying a programme. You’re joining a community of people committed to getting better at influence. We stay connected to that community because they teach us as much as we teach them. They show us what works in new contexts, what’s harder than we thought, and where the model needs to evolve. That feedback loop makes us work better.
How we’ve evolved
We’ve delivered Positive Influence programmes for over four decades now. But we’ve never stood still.
We’ve built a team of facilitators with backgrounds in occupational psychology, organisational development, executive coaching, and psychotherapy. People who’ve worked across every sector, every level, every kind of organisational challenge you can imagine.
We’ve adapted our delivery to meet how people work today – from fully virtual to in-person workshops.
We’ve expanded our reach globally while staying rooted in Brighton, UK – our home base where we think, design, and continuously refine our work.
And we’ve woven innovation, best practice, and real organisational context deeper into everything we do. Not because it’s trendy, but because generic programmes don’t work. Context matters. We pay attention to it.
What we’re learning
We’ll be the first to admit: measuring the impact of influence programmes is hard. Really hard.
You can measure satisfaction easily – did people enjoy it? You can measure knowledge transfer – do they understand the concepts? But measuring whether someone’s influencing more effectively six months later? That requires nuance, honesty, and a willingness to look beyond simple metrics.
We don’t pretend we’ve cracked it completely. But we’re committed to getting better at it – working with clients to understand what’s changed, what’s stuck, and where the barriers are. Not because we need the data for marketing, but because we genuinely want to know: is this working? And if not, what needs to change?
Where we are now
We’re based in Brighton – a creative, independent-minded city that suits us well. While our network of facilitators work with organisations across the globe – from ambitious scale-ups to multinational corporations – helping them build the influence capability that drives everything else.
We’re trusted by clients who’ve been with us for years, not because they’re locked into contracts, but because the work delivers. And we’re excited to partner with new clients who are ready to invest in influence that lasts, not training that fades.
Organisations are facing complexity we couldn’t have imagined in 1983 – hybrid work, constant change, stakeholders spread across continents and time zones, influence challenges that don’t fit neat categories.
We’re adapting our work to meet that reality. Developing our programmes for new challenges. Using technology where it enhances learning, not just because it’s available. Staying curious about what’s changing in how people work, lead, and influence.
But the core of what we do won’t change: developing people who can influence with integrity, lead with confidence, and create impact that matters – no matter how complex the context gets.
What hasn’t changed in 40 years
Our belief that influence is learnable. You’re not born with it. You develop it. With practice, feedback, and the willingness to try things that feel uncomfortable at first.
Our commitment to practical, not theoretical, learning. If you can’t use it in your next meeting, we’re not teaching it.
Our focus on behaviour, not just mindset. Knowing what to do is useless if you can’t actually do it when the pressure’s on.
Our belief that the best learning happens in community. You learn as much from your cohort as you do from us. That’s by design.
Our conviction that influence should leave people stronger, not diminished. Manipulation might work once. Authentic influence builds relationships that last.
Why we do this
Because influence is the hidden skill behind every successful leader, team, and organisation. And when you help someone unlock it – when you watch them navigate a conversation they used to avoid, influence a decision they thought was impossible, or step into leadership with confidence they didn’t have before – that’s impact worth building a career around.
Forty years in, that still excites us. That’s why we’re here.