Richard Izard

A disruptor of traditional thinking around leadership and organisational change, Richard challenges the way leaders think and behave. Knowing intimately the challenges leaders face he supports and challenges in equal measure, helping leaders see new possibilities and organisations to flourish.

Believing passionately that leadership is an activity that can happen at any level of an organisation Richard looks to stimulate the leadership energy wherever it is found.

He has worked in senior positions across a wide range of organisations including the Kingfisher retail group (where for many years he was the music and film industry’s biggest customer) and Mars Confectionery. Richard spent eight years on the board of one business which became the largest company globally in its field and revenues more than trebled in that time from £300m a year to over a £1Bn.

With over fifteen years at board level Richard draws on this experience to act as a catalyst for change, teasing clarity and simplicity out of complexity. He has held board responsibility across diverse areas including Sales, Marketing, Commercial, Finance, Supply Chain and latterly as a Managing Director and CEO.

In 2005 Richard decided to shift his focus. Since then he has followed his passion for leadership, development, and organizational transformation by channeling his energies into coaching, leadership development, consulting and facilitation. He brings to GLA customers a deeply practical and creative approach to organizational change; having seen connections across and within industries, he is quick to spot where things are at standstill and where cultural patterns are stuck.

Richard knows what it takes to rapidly grow a business though he has also come to question the obsession that growth is always necessary, desirable and possible.

In addition to his professional life, he sits on the executive board of a global relief and development charity and is a keen sportsman, particularly passionate about rugby, skiing and golf.