Continue to Learn Conference 2022 - Monday

Linda Moir has worked in a number of high profile businesses that have developed extraordinary reputations for outstanding customer service.

In 2012, she led the front of house Spectator Services team at the London Olympic and Paralympic Games where 15,000 volunteer Games makers hosted 9 million spectators. Prior to that she accepted the challenge from Sir Richard Branson to join Virgin Atlantic and ‘make flying fun’ As Director of In Flight Services she was responsible for the airline’s award winning on-board service. She combines a unique background in HR and customer service leadership to deliver exceptional performance through people.

During her five years at Virgin Atlantic she oversaw significant business growth whilst consistently driving the Virgin Atlantic service promise of ‘Brilliant Basics, Magic Touches’ She revised the recruitment, training, promotion and performance management of 5,000 Cabin Crew that led to the highest recorded customer satisfaction scores.

Before joining Virgin she was HR Director for National Air Traffic Services during the period of transition from public to private ownership. She started her career at British Airways and was involved in the organisation’s transformation to a customer led business.

Linda is a highly energetic and engaging speaker who shares lots of stories and anecdotes and clearly demonstrates the connection between employee engagement and high levels of customer advocacy.

Dr Marie Athorn joined the RSPB in January 2020 to undertake the role of Business Conservation Advisor to The R&A as part of the partnership between the RSPB and The R&A. Conservation and ecology have always been her passion and Marie has shaped her career in these fields. Marie has played golf her whole life and felt this role was a great opportunity to combine those two things and use her job to increase awareness and support for biodiversity conservation on golf courses.

Paul has been an agronomist with the USGA for 6 years and currently covers the south-central part of the country and was in the northeast for the last 5 years before his move to the southwest last November. In addition to consulting work, responsibilities include agronomic support at USGA championships, developing educational material and speaking at local and national conferences.   

Paul is originally from southeast Michigan and began playing golf at a very young age. His passion for playing golf led him to a career in turf management, which began in Michigan. Since then, he has also worked in the desert southwest at Tucson Country Club in Tucson, Ariz., Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., and Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif.

Fellow Environmentalist and Fellow Health and Safety Professional.  BSc (Hons), DipEM, FIEMA, CEnv, Dip2.OSH, CFIOSH

Arlette originally qualified as an Environmentalist and has two Post Graduate Diplomas in Occupational Safety & Health and Environmental Management & Assessment.  Arlette is a Fellow of the Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment and a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Occupational Safety & Health.  She has been advising and supporting organisations to ensure people remain safe and well at work but also protecting the environment for future generations.  Her approach has been to benefit people not just inside the world of work, but also wider outside of work with a focus on environmental sustainability.

During her career, she has led and influenced cultural change in a number of large multi-national companies including Vodafone, Royal Mail, Balfour Beatty Rail and Gatwick Airport providing strategic leadership, further the agenda and integrate approaches and resources following acquisitions and mergers.  Building on an organisation’s reputation and best in class programmes, her roles have taken her to promote new ways of working and approaches to holistic company cultural values.  As a key strategic member of leadership teams that delivered the logistics programme for public donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee, Arlette’s influence and approach helped deliver immediate emergency aid for global disasters.

During her career Arlette has also supported several academic institutions and Professional member organisations.  She has written and published sustainability publications, articles, commissioned research, and formed cross industry working groups.  She has also been a course advisor on Post Graduate courses.

Her range of cross-industry experience, unique wide approach and influence ensures she is regularly invited as speaker at many global events across health, safety, environment, and wellbeing.  Regarded as subject matter expert by professional organisations such as IEMA and IOSH and other industry prominent institutions, Arlette is asked to advise to the development of both industry specific Codes of Practice, Guidance but also advise and respond to Government position.

Arlette is experienced in both the private and public sector, is Non-Executive Director for IEMA, Chair of the IEMA Professional Standards Committee, Chair of the IEMA Fellows Nomination Committee, a member of the IOSH Performance and Development Committee and past Chair of the IOSH Broadcasting and Telecommunications Committee Specialist Group.  She is well placed to advise on the effectiveness of development and performance of sustainability agenda across many sectors and organisations to ensure organisations are accountable not only to their employees but also wider stakeholders and shareholders in delivering positive business change.

Christian Spring trained in Environmental Science at the University of Stirling and stayed there to study for his PhD focusing on soil science. Christian joined STRI in 2005 and has spent his whole career carrying out practical applied research into all aspects of turfgrass management and science. Christian’s current role within STRI is as Principal Scientist, where he works across the whole of STRI Group to support each business with the technical and science needs. Education and training is an essential element of disseminating practical science, as well as ensuring science is focussed on the challenges and problems faced by turf managers. Christian is a passionate and enthusiastic educator and communicator on all matters turf, soil and surface management related.

Kevin has over 20 years of experience in the Club Industry.  A former Club Manager at the Glen Golf Club in North Berwick (1999-2008), Kevin was named the UK Golf Club Manager of the Year in 2004. He was in the first group of Europeans to be awarded the CCM (Certified Club Manager) qualification in 2008.  Kevin went on to work for the National Governing Body for golf in Scotland (SGU) for 7 years, leading a team providing support to hundreds of Scottish Golf clubs.

As the Chairman of the CMAE Education Policy Board Kevin was responsible for bringing Management Development Programme (MDP) education to club managers in Europe. He regularly tops the presenter charts at MDP events whilst sharing his knowledge of Club Governance, Business Planning, Committee Politics, Customer Service and Professional/Personal  Development, as well as addressing the annual CMAA World Conference of Club Management more than a dozen occasions.

In 2014 Kevin became the first European to be invited on to the CMAA Committee for Professional Development, the body that oversees the curriculum and qualifications for the club industry across the globe.

Eric Chen is the specialist Biologicals Technical Manager for Syngenta Turf & Landscape across Europe, Africa & Middle East (EAME). With the growing importance of biological products to enhance the agronomy of turf management, his role is to further develop the company’s exciting new technologies. Eric graduated in crop and soil sciences from Beijing Forestry University in China, before continuing education and research at Michigan State and Rutgers University in the US. He gained his PhD in plant biology with emphasis on turfgrass management from Rutgers University.

During his work in the US he also pioneered new techniques to enhance management of turfgrass stress due to biotic and abiotic factors and published numerous research papers. Since moving to Europe and the UK, Eric has worked as a research scientist at the internationally acclaimed STRI (formerly the Sports Turf Research Institute) at Bingley in Yorkshire. He has been involved with collaborative university and commercial businesses to instigate, trial and develop precision plant management tools and techniques.