Steve is an accomplished and results-driven Board Member as specialist bid writer and business trouble shooting specialist with over 15 years of experience in winning contracts in the welfare to work, skills, and apprenticeship markets. He has a proven track record of securing contracts of all sizes through tender activities, creating and mentoring teams to produce market-leading performance, and developing market entry strategies to support diversification of services. Steve has also successfully created robust systems and processes to enable business buy-in.
Currently serving as the Director of SCLO Consulting, Steve has supported several organizations to secure new contracts, including T-Levels, Devolved and Non-Devolved Adult Education Budget, Welsh Government Training Support, National Lottery, European Structural Investment Fund, and Education and Skills Funding Agency European Social Fund Programmes. In addition, Steve has successfully supported organizations with their Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers applications. He has also provided support to organizations operating in the highways maintenance, contract cleaning, health and social care, and print production sectors.
Before establishing SCLO Consulting, Steve was the Commercial Director at Paragon Education and Skills, where he identified new national and local market opportunities, oversaw product development, and secured governmental and apprenticeship levy employer contracts. During his tenure, Paragon secured its largest-ever apprenticeship levy contract, worth £1.3m per annum, and created a new business pipeline of over £8.5m.
Prior to this, Steve served as the Head of Business Development at Learndirect Ltd, where he developed a Business Development Manager network across England, Scotland, and Wales, secured 22 ESF co-financed contracts worth £51.6m in 2016, and was the business development lead on approximately £365m contract wins since March 2009. Steve was also part of the business development team with approximately £480m wins since March 2009.
Steve’s professional journey began at Intraining Group Ltd, where he was a Business Development Manager responsible for winning circa £3.2m in business from March 2008 to March 2009. He also managed a skills development contract for a national employer, growing the value from circa £100k per annum to £1m per annum, between August 2007 and August 2008.
Steve’s qualifications include an A1 NVQ Assessors Award, Level 4 NVQ in Advice & Guidance, and an ILM Level 3 Certificate in First Line Management. He also holds a BSc Hons Recreation Management from Sheffield Hallam University and an HND Leisure Management (Distinction) from Loughborough College.
In his personal life, Steve enjoys playing competitive sports, including Rugby Union and American Football, weight training, and skiing. He also loves traveling to experience different cultures and spending time socializing with his young family and friends.