Bill Ragg
Bill Ragg - Employment History
August 2003 to date - Freelance Training and Business Consultant
RunRagged? Training and Consultancy/ WorkSense Consultants
- Recruitment, Fair Selection and Competency Based Assessment Training - Costain PLC/ Volkswagen Group PLC / Burgess Salmon (Law) Limited/ Harrow Council/ BBC Resources/ Highways Agency/
- Foods Standards Agency/ Department for Transport / The British Library
- Diversity, Understanding Individuals and Building Relationships - Berrymans Lace Mawer (Legal) Limited
- Employment Law and Equality - Berryman Lace Mawer (Law) Limited/ Essex Adult Education
- Equality & Diversity - Hackney Council/Southwark Council/Redbridge Council/Essex County Council/ HMCS
- Diversity and Impact Assessment Training - Essex County Council/ Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster
- Cultural Awareness Clients and Colleagues - HID Global Limited
- Delivery Customer Excellence - NUT/ BBC Resources
- Conflict Management and Resolution Training (Managers/ Senior Management) - Hackney Council
- Anti Bullying and Harassment Training incl. behavioural styles - Hackney Council
- Influencing and Negotiating Skills - Defra/ BBC
- Developing Personal and Team Effectiveness-Relationships and Communications - BBC Resources
- Committee and Management Team Development - Hackney Council (Housing/ Homelessness Needs)
- Managing Performance and Absence - City of Westminster Council
- HR Policy, Best Practice and Effective Management Training (Managers) - City of Westminster Council
- Managing Grievances and Reaching Successful Outcomes - City of Westminster Council
- Individual Training and Development Reviews/ Coaching - North East Lincolnshire Council
- HR Consultancy - Defra/ RDS Cambridge (- Genesis Project: Staff Redundancy and Redeployment)
- Assertiveness Training and Confidence Building - GMFA (Health Promotion Charity)/ Silicon Beach Training
- Preparing for Change (System Foundation Training) - Costain PLC
- Preparing for Change (Transforming HR -Staff Briefings/ Training) - Government Office
- Formal HR Review (Function, Structure and Policies) - The Housing Corporation
- Formal Grievance Investigation (Investigating Officer) - The Housing Corporation
- Change Management Project - The Housing Corporation
British Broadcasting Corporation - September 1995 to June 2003
Due to promotions and restructuring, gained experience through a broad range of roles including acting as an internal Change Consultant, each of which focused on improving customer service in complex and changing environments.
March 2001 to June 2003 - Strategic Development Manager,
Head Office (covering England Post Production, Outside Broadcasts, Studios and Resources Technology) BBC Resources
Following the launch of SAP, promoted to change manager for all bespoke business systems, policy, training and system development within BBC Resources and associated staff.
Managing a specialist development team of 7, key projects/achievements:
Business and Relationship Manager, acting as a consultant on policy and development for all areas of the business and central HR functions, and providing training to all senior managers, mediation services and investigations/ resolution of grievances;
Developed key job competencies and training strategies, and oversaw/ developed training to facilitate implementation of new IT systems and processes and coaching of staff into new roles;
Incorporation of BBC Conditions of Service/ HR Policy and Working Directive with Union negotiation/ agreement within the BBC Resources scheduling and business systems, including payroll and expenses payments and authorisation, and staff/ business training on application and management;
- Designed and implemented an improved revenue capture process for customers using SAP Portals (web based). This involved a national roll-out to 500 users and associated training;
- Re-engineered key processes with comprehensive solutions balancing local needs, full revenue/cost recovery, and compliance with BBC policy and strategy.
Business Development (Post Production), BBC Resources
Assigned as Change Manager for the implementation within Post Production of the business system SAP. The initial delivery of the RMS-SAP solution and interfaces was on time and to budget.
Key achievements:
- Coaching staff in roles and ways of working/ career enhancement, and resolving grievances;
- Consolidated roles for new ways of working and staff redeployment with successful union negotiation;
- Consolidated training to reflect changes in process for both IT technical operation and business protocol, and developed training for key competencies and development areas;
- Re-engineered all business processes, implementing a single automated sales order / invoicing process;
- Retained role as Business Manager for bespoke business systems, processes and protocols.
London Operations (Post Production) BBC Resources
Following restructuring within the business, offered the role of Business Manager.
Main responsibilities
- Responsible for the management of business critical systems, covering all resources/staff (200 facilities and 550 staff), and revenue management including invoicing (annual turnover approx. £38 million);
- Consolidated the team that had been fragmented, was under resourced and under-skilled, including resolving extensive recruitment, performance and capability issues with union negotiation;
- Line management of Sales and Scheduling Team responsible for all key client contact and management, operational staff scheduling and revenue generation of approx. £31 million);
- Job and role re-evaluation and staff re-deployment, identifying key competencies and measures, developing training strategy and delivering key training;
- Training strategies included on going development of existing staff and new starters.
London Post Production, BBC Resources
Promoted to Service Manager for the Format Transfer Services business. The team had customer support and operational roles. The area had poor reputation, low customer retention/ margins. There were also unresolved performance management issues and grievances, and poor attendance/ low motivation levels.
Main achievements:
- Reviewed services with the closure of several loss-making facilities, expansion of some existing services and creation of new services. Included successful Union negotiation of service and post closures;
- Increased revenue by 30%, reduced operating costs by 30% and response time by 50%;
- Identified key competencies and measures, and training for all staff including succession plans(training ranged from operation to sales/ customer service); Responsible for all line management issues;
- Total restructuring of the team and developed a customer support team focussing purely on service delivery. Additionally, reviewed operational roles and responsibilities with successful Union negotiation of new roles;
- Resolved several performance issues/ disciplinaries and formal grievances, including investigation and union negotiation.
London Post Production, BBC Resources
Part of the Sales and Marketing team responsible for a team of 15 Booking Managers.
Main responsibilities:
- Ensured effective customer service, consolidating team, identifying core competencies and measures;
- Designed clear job descriptions and grade evaluation and business objectives, developing360o appraisal process within the team, and all associated line management issues;
- Reduced costs (5%) from business errors (incorrect bookings, quality issues, client management etc).
January 1992 to August 1983 - Process Manager, Losely Dairy Products
August 1990 to December 1991 - Duty Supervisor, Express Foods (Honiton)
October 1989 to August 1990 - Graduate Trainee, Grand Metropolitan Foods (Express Foods)
Additional information: I've had a somewhat diverse career and throughout the focus has been delivering and managing change and strategy, be it recruitment, training, policy development, managing staff/ business units and delivery of business process re-engineering. I've been heavily involved in training, coaching, career and succession planning, managing suppliers, creating learning mechanisms and ROI, and working closely with internal, external and third party to deliver initiatives and change. This has been broadly spread across and with multi-cultural teams.
I have first hand experience of working with and developing relationships across not just multi-cultural and multi-role teams, but also across all areas of individuality and diversity (ethnical, religion, age, gender, sexuality and disability) and role/responsibility within the organisation. This would also include personal focus and agenda, and I have worked with elected members, representatives of regulatory/advisory bodies, volunteers and third party as well as employees and senior management.
In my more recent roles, I have been heavily involved in the design, development and delivery of numerous training programmes and strategy. These have been aimed at all levels delivering effective relationships and business objectives leading to more productive, inclusive and effective relationships and communications.
A significant focus and objective of these has been:
◊ Integrated- acknowledging there are differing needs, desires and objectives of all parties, and bringing these together
◊ Supportive- to the needs of individuals, teams, departments, the Board, and the Organisation, and the impact of any change
◊ Outcome-Oriented- to support organisations and individuals in generating change, and focusing on results rather than intentions, and on skills as well as commitment
◊ Practical- outcomes that deliver simply and effectively for all areas and individuals
Examples of areas and skills developed/covered include:
◊ Equality and Diversity
◊ Equality Impact Assessments
◊ Creating Inclusion
◊ Cultural Awareness
◊ Developing Self/ Team Effectiveness
◊ Developing Relationships
◊ Creating Effective Communications and Relationships
◊ Assertiveness
◊ Managing Performance/ Difficult Messages/ Absence and Sickness
◊ Recruitment and Selection
◊ Anti Building and Harassment
◊ Conflict Management and Resolution
◊ Influencing and Negotiation
◊ Train the Trainers
◊ Coaching and Mentoring
Throughout my career at the BBC, I was extensively involved in the selection and recruitment of staff, as well as the coaching and training of staff as part of change projects, succession planning, and evolving roles and processes to deliver customer excellence. I was also involved in the development of competency-based assessments within BBC Resources as part of the selection process.
The roles involved working across diverse and multicultural teams, from all walks of life, outlooks and cultures. A challenge was to develop, design and implement strategy and new ways of working (including training programmes). These covered both business and technical process (policy and procedure, operation of new business and IT systems, and technical training for operational staff), as well as personal development (delivering effective customer service, influencing and negotiating, assertiveness, managing relationships, self and team effectiveness and appraisals/ objective setting). My role reported directly to the BBC Resources Board of Directors, and was responsible for the delivery and shaping of policy, strategy and business process, and influencing the board and heads of the individual business units to adopt the selected proposals. In addition I managed several teams ranging from operationally based, customer and revenue focused and strategy/business development specialists.
My approach is one of building partnerships, delivering strategy, solutions and training with passion and inspiration, motivating and enthusing others. I'm ingenious in my dealings (both with people and events), and adept at analysing problems and finding creative and fit for purpose solutions. Naturally innovative, I have a talent for reading people well and responding easily to changes in moods. I believe in helping people to dream, aspire, change, and develop, and have excellent interpersonal skills. I can provide further details and evidence of client appreciation and feedback.