Annabel and Parsons Talent Consulting have worked with STARK Group since 2016. They have supported us with executive Talent across all our 5 businesses in the Nordics and Germany. Annabel is a trusted adviser and has helped the Group to work on a combination of people and organizational issues which has contributed to strong business performance and accelerated integration of our recent acquisition. Together we have built up a method and framework that has led to having the right people in the right positions and this has proved to be a key factor in the success of STARK Group over the last 4 years.

Lene Groth, HR Director Group

CEO succession planning is probably one of the Boards most important and sensitive roles- sometimes it’s necessary to ask the difficult questions, even when the business is going really well. Annabel was recommended to us to help explore business succession and to work with our internal candidate in ensuring we had a viable plan.

The approach Annabel used involved an in depth assessment and  feedback to the Nominations Committee and individual. The thorough and detailed reporting promoted an informed, high level of discussion with the Board.

Annabel also set out a practical road map to build further resilience. This encompassed options on organisation and role design, succession readiness at tier two and progress indicators. This gave us confidence that we had a solid plan we could engage with and has resulted in Annabel coaching our internal candidate,  reporting on options and milestones at regular intervals.

Importantly, our succession candidate found the process interesting and engaging and the input and support has further enhanced our dynamic and dialogue with them too.

Overall, I feel this exercise has raised the awareness of the importance of succession planning for our business and put the Board in a stronger position as the business evolves over time. Lastly, Annabel is engaging, capable and professional and we would seek her input on other Board issues as the need arises.

Peter Boddy, Chairman

We engaged Parsons Talent Consulting to carry out an external Board review, which was delivered by Annabel Parsons and Steve Giles. The timing of the review could not have been more interesting from a governance perspective, starting on day one of the Corona virus lock down, covering a period of extraordinary activity and change in the profile of the organisation. The review involved interviewing members and attendees of the Board, there was also survey data collection, bench marking and governance review and benchmarking.

The report was extremely detailed and insightful. Thorough on the fundamentals, Annabel and the team were not afraid to address more challenging aspects and got to the core of issues impacting the Board and organisation. Annabel and Steve also facilitated a number of sessions with the Board, key executives and SID in reviewing and integrating the recommendations.  As a result, we have aligned on development priorities for the Board and Annabel has supported us in putting together a practical plan of action which we are now taking forward.

Annabel, Giles and the back office team are engaging and professional,  we enjoyed working with them and thought the Board review was well executed and delivered valuable insights which we are now acting on.

Lord Smith of Kelvin, Chairman

I have worked with Annabel for the past 5 years now and have always found her to be insightful and accurate in her leadership assessments and evaluation. This has been hugely helpful in assessing fit as part of an executive recruitment process as well as identifying potential and development needs for internal leaders.

Annabel has also worked closely with various CEOs in our business, both on their own development as well as in supporting the development of high performing executive teams.  Challenging and thought provoking she takes no prisoners when getting to the crux of an issue – however her supportive and non-judgemental approach encourages resolution. 

She has also proven to be a fantastic sounding board when seeking an objective view/second opinion. I cannot recommend Annabel highly enough.

Sally-Anne Griffiths, HR Director

On my appointment as CEO, I caried out a business review and engaged Parsons Talent Consulting to deliver insight on the Executives ability to deliver our business strategy. The PTC approach is built on business acumen as well as a deep understanding of individual ability and motivation to drive the changes needed. Annabel’s analysis was exceptionally accurate, enabling us to implement substantial changes quickly, triggering immediate positive changes to the senior team and business. PTC then supported us in defining competencies and critical skill requirements and assessing external candidates for Executive appointments. Annabel is very personable, precise in her findings and able to give difficult feedback in a way which engages executives. She has become a valuable sounding board and I would not estate to recommend PTC to other leaders building executive capability.

Jean-Michel Orieux, CEO