Introducing our new Essex Branch Chair Ross Chaplin

Your name: Ross Chaplin

Your title/role and company name: Owner, The Training Team Ltd and the Franchise owner of Sprint Communications, a fast growing Telecoms company based in Essex.

Your IoD branch: IoD Essex

Your IoD Branch Ambassador role: Chair 

Q: How long have you been involved with the IoD?

3 years

Q: Can you tell us a little about your career to date?

I have been in the training industry in the UK for nearly 20 years and I work with a number of key clients across the UK, delivering management and leadership and coaching and mentoring qualification programmes. These programmes are accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM). They range from Level 2 for Team Leaders, to Level 7, for Senior Managers and Executives.

I am also a qualified coach and I personally deliver coaching and mentoring programmes for those who wish to be workplace coaches and for organisations who wish to introduce a coaching culture.

I also work with many business owners as a mentor, offering business development support in a variety of areas, such as setting strategy, planning, sales and finance.

Q: What do you hope to achieve as an IoD Branch Chair?

As IoD Essex Chair, I want to play an active role in continuing to evolve services that are fit for purpose, desirable for our members and that add real value. Having been the Skills Ambassador for the IoD in 2019 I have had a good insight into the needs of members across Essex and I believe that I can make a really positive contribution to assist them in the future. I believe that the role must continue to encourage local entrepreneurship.

I have a strong desire to give back to the Essex business community and have developed a great degree of compassion for our IoD Essex members. I also work closely with several charities, believing that corporate social responsibility is both important and rewarding.

The IoD has provided me with opportunities to build greater resilience for my own businesses. Many business owners (of large and small companies) need the right level of expert support, delivered in the right way and appropriate to their needs to improve the survival rates of their companies. They also need to know that they are not alone in the challenge! A major focus of the role of Chair is to always be visible. I have observed how effective this has been embodied by the actions of the previous Chair Christine Bhatt, so I look forward to meeting many of you in the coming months at some of our events.

Q: If you could give your 21 year-old self some advice what would it be?

Firstly, that advice doesn’t stop at 21! We never stop learning. I would tell myself to be more relaxed and less emotional when things go wrong in business and to tell myself to be more confident in my own abilities, to be more authentic and to enjoy being unique (which only comes with experience).

Q: What keeps you busy outside of work?

I’m a keen sea angler and can often be found casting a rod on a river bank or from a boat. I’m also an amateur musician, playing guitar a little and singing a little. I have a very busy family life and am married to a chef, so keeping fit and keeping an eye on my waistline also take up a fair bit of my time.

Q: Are there any business related or policy issues that keep you awake at night?

I’m very concerned at the moment about the rising levels of stress at work in general. I’m also troubled by the financial pressures that are placed on small businesses. A prime example of this is the ever-increasing rise in rents and business rates. I’m also troubled about the vulnerability felt by many people who work in some areas of the public sector, where job security is constantly threatened.

Q: Why do you think business leaders should join the IoD?

To connect with other leaders who can support, provide guidance, share ideas and to build new connections as well as friendships. Business Leaders should also join who can play a vital role in using their own expertise and knowledge to help others.