creating leaders who inspire change
The future success of your company depends on your ability to your leaders with the skills that they need to drive your business forward. You need to develop and retain your top talent and ensure that any leaders have the skills and support they need to thrive.
Our 6 month, 5 session Leadership Academy is for any leader who wants to learn how to make the step up, or for any existing leader who would benefit from focused training to help them excel in their role.
This intensive and challenging programme is intended to enable participants to demonstrate the complete set of skills needed to become an effective leader. It will also provide a clear structure for them to make the step up and, for those already there, help show them how to be the best version of themselves.
Step up and stand out
Sessions overview
01
Create a compelling personal brand
We will kick off with an overview of what to expect and we will focus on giving delegates everything they need to make the most of the programme ahead. Delegates will learn how to create compelling content, broadcast their brilliance, deliver memorable client experiences and play the business development game to win. They will understand the key ingredients that all successful leaders have in common and learn the skills needed to articulate ‘who you are, what you stand for and why clients should choose you’.
02
Communicate & PITCH with confidence
The ability to communicate in a way that is both compelling and credible is an essential skill for any leader. Participants will understand how to make a high impact and memorable first impression and the day will cover the tried and tested communication methods needed to deliver a message in a clear, concise and convincing way. Delegates will learn how to influence with intention, modify delivery to get the desired response, control an audience, handle tough questions and communicate with confidence and conviction.
03
Psychology of Leadership & Personal Impact
This session will focus on understanding each delegates personal leadership skills, strengths and personality type. By better understanding their own strengths and weaknesses this session will create new levels of self-awareness in order to better understand why you feel what you feel and why you behave in a particular way. This will help individuals better understand themselves, their capabilities, expertise and personal values and will encourage them to make positive changes in how they communicate and lead.
04
Inside the Mind of a Business Owner: Connect & Convert
Connecting with entrepreneurs requires more than just a great product or service – it requires insight, relevance, and authenticity. This session, led by a successful business founder, will equip professionals with the tools and strategies needed to effectively engage, influence, and sell to business owners. Through practical insights and real-world experience, you’ll learn what truly matters to entrepreneurs when making buying decisions. You’ll discover how to craft a compelling personal pitch, how to position yourself as someone they want to work with, and how to tailor your firm’s message in a way that speaks directly to the entrepreneurial mindset.
05
Mastering the Art of business Negotiation
This session is designed to strengthen the core leadership skills that drive client trust, team performance, and commercial success. Focusing on enhanced communication, strategic negotiation, and critical decision-making, the course blends professional insight with practical tools you can use immediately in your work. A key theme throughout the day is why strong leaders must also be strong negotiators — able to balance assertiveness with empathy, resolve conflict, and bring people with them. Whether you’re leading teams, advising clients, or managing change, these skills are essential for building credibility, trust and results.
to reserve your place
Please contact our Leadership Academy Director, Charlotte Quince, to secure your place or to find out more.
Or call: 0207 965 7466 / 07908 749 444
MEET THE leadership ACADEMY TEAM
JOHN MAFFIOLI
Founder, leadership ACADEMY
An accountant by training, John became one of the youngest people ever to be internally promoted to the role of Director in a Big Four firm. With his previous professional experience, and as the co-founder of the FEBE Growth 100 (febe.com), John uses his abundant energy, enthusiasm and unique abilities to teach others how to build their own personal brands and realise their true market facing potential. John’s particular passion is the art of relationship building and teaching others how to develop fee generating opportunities. As the founder of Leadership Academy it is his ultimate goal to create a training programme that creates a life changing experience for everyone that participates.
JASON WONG
Actor & Communications Coach
Jason brings three continents worth of teaching experience, having trained executives and leaders all over the world. Jason developed business communication skills programmes for London’s Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. His clients included a wide range of CEOs, executives and other business professionals. Jason is also a professional actor. Notable credits include ‘Silent Witness’, ABC’s ‘Missing’,’24’, ‘Redemption’ and ‘Panic’, as well as several James Bond voice-over projects. He has also served as a guest lecturer for a variety of theatrical outreach projects and government funded initiatives.
TIM ROBINS
Leadership & Mindset Coach
Tim is a highly engaging trainer and coach. He draws upon 18 years’ experience in the fields of applied psychology, peak performance and communication and he combines this with his hands-on business experience to train individuals and teams in business development skills. Tim has coached over 4,500 individuals including celebrities, members of royal families and senior executives of multinational organisations. He specialises in personal impact, leadership communication skills, motivating and managing teams, influencing skills, pitching skills and selling skills. In short, Tim will help our delegates significantly improve their confidence, charisma and key leadership skills needed to become a successful leader.
SUE WILLIAMS
negotaions expert
As a senior detective in London, Sue led both the Kidnap and Hostage Crisis Negotiation Units at Scotland Yard. At the highest level, she played a key role in the UK Government’s crisis response efforts during international kidnaps and abductions. She frequently advised senior ministers through the Cabinet Office Briefings (COBRA), the government’s central crisis management structure. Sue became a qualified hostage negotiator 27 years ago, training with both New Scotland Yard in the UK and the FBI in the USA. Since then, she has been instrumental in resolving hundreds of kidnap and hostage incidents on land and at sea. In recent years, she has expanded her expertise to include cyber negotiations as a method for countering extortion. Sue was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in recognition of her outstanding service and dedication to kidnap resolution, negotiation, and the preservation of life.
Jack Zambakides
co-founder, D.LOUISE
Jack Zambakides is an entrepreneur with a passion for building and scaling high-impact brands and businesses. He began his career as a Business Development Analyst at CBRE Global Investors, where he gained a solid grounding in strategy and finance. In 2018, Jack launched LS Personal Shopper, transforming his love for trainers into a thriving business that generated £10 million in revenue and served over 500 professional athletes. Today, Jack is the Co-founder and CEO of D.LOUISE, one of the UK’s fastest-growing women’s jewellery brands. In just over three years he has helped lead the company to multi-million pound revenues.
BE INSPIRED
The formula for perfect business development
Deloitte’s global chair on breaking the glass ceiling, her passion for inclusion, and the impact of imposter syndrome
“Outstanding client service means delivering business solutions; not just legal advice”
From Geoffrey Boycott to inverted leadership pyramids… How Gideon Moore became firm-wide Managing Partner of Linklaters
Why businesses with ‘soul’ are magnetic
Why you need a not-to-do list
The Leadership Academy programme has completely revolutionised my approach (both internally and externally) to achieving partnership. The programme strategically and expertly targets key skills to develop to ensure each aspiring partner reaches their goals within a realistic and sustainable timeframe. Each session is delivered with impeccable precision, detail and dedication which places your career development and objectives at the forefront. Aside from the sessions, both John and Charlotte do a remarkable job in providing a bespoke personable service throughout the programme and are always on hand to assist and / or provide guidance when required. The programme is simply a must for any aspiring partner who is striving to fulfil their ambitions and to any progressive firm that wishes to truly develop and retain their top talent.
Asim Din – Senior Associate, Knights plc
The Leadership Academy course has truly been a gamechanger for me. Having worked for firms of vastly different shapes and sizes, I have always struggled to bring my full authentic self to work. Helpful advice in the past on ‘power dressing’, needing to work on ‘resilience’ and the challenges associated with being a woman in business had gradually eroded my confidence in my potential. I have learned so much about myself, about other’s view of the world and about what purposeful leadership means to me. I’ve started to shed the accumulated self-doubt and the child-like spring in my step is growing back. I’m crystal clear on my ‘why’, my ‘what’ and my ‘how’ and I’m ready to own that in its entirety. Thank you John and Charlotte for empowering me with the tools that I needed.
Emma Queen – Director, Fortus
Leadership Academy encompasses all that effective training should be: it is a hugely engaging programme delivered by genuine head-of-class expertise. Those lucky enough to attend will leave with an edge – you will learn how to use the tools for compelling leadership; understand how effective communication will lead to improved prospects; and how to cultivate a personal brand to separate you from the majority. For employers, you too will benefit: your leaders of the future will grow quickly with knowledge that experience alone cannot generate. This is a one-of-a-kind programme that is tailored to ambitious professionals – it is an investment that will bear instant fruit and will demonstrate the faith you place in top talent.
Peter Worsencroft – Partner, Knights plc
From the very start of the Leadership Academy, the course has not only provided many ideas and insights in to my journey to become a partner but also allowed helped grow myself as a leader through self-reflection. The topics covered on the course have been eye-opening to say the least and with the intimate group setting allowing a tailored approach to suit each of our individual needs. I can already see the benefits coming through in my day to day work which has inspired me to make subtle changes to the way in which I network, present myself and communicate with others. John and Charlotte have been there every step of the way to guide us through the process and are always available no matter what questions are thrown at them and I cannot recommend the course highly enough.
Daniel Hildebrand – Director, Gerald Edelman
Attending Leadership Academy has had a huge positive impact on me. Coming together with a group of like-minded people at similar stages of their professional development gave us a judgement-free environment in which to identify and reflect on our individual strengths and weaknesses at critical points in our careers. Each session explored different aspects of the route to partnership. The leader of each session brought their own energy and point of view, while providing unique challenges. Care was taken between each session to obtain feedback and enable reflections, which reinforced the lessons from each session. I would thoroughly recommend the Partner Academy to anyone looking to take the big step to partnership, or to any firm looking to empower its next generation of leaders.
Nick Bishop – Partner, BKL
For more information
Please contact our Partner Academy Director, Charlotte Quince, to secure your place or to find out more.
Or call:
0207 965 7466 / 07908 749 444
Copyright Partner Academy 2022
