About Gradient
Gradient offers unique training programmes, business mentoring and hands-on consultancy services, guiding you to develop a strong, influential structure for your business. We are experts in helping businesses and people develop. With our support, your business can get to exactly where you want it to be.
How we work
Your route to maximum business improvement is navigated through three key points:
• Where to compete
• How to win
• Readying your organisation for these challenges
By motivating you to focus on these key points, your underlying strategy will become the driving force behind your growth. How you win must come from a strategy designed to engage and serve customers better than your competition. Satisfaction is no longer enough. Nowadays, demanding customers have choices and indifference to your service will see them drift towards the competition.
Our expertise covers aerospace, automotive, chemicals, paints, adhesives, paper and textile manufacture, lubricants, OEM equipment, metal working (forging and casting).
Recent projects include:
- COVID19 recovery strategy for a large player in the marine industry.
- Market research on packaging trends for home cooking kits.
- Tendering programme for a logistics company looking to upgrade their video telematics system.
- Raw material sourcing in India and China for a global player in the O&G industry.
- Leadership training programmes to an international manufacturing group.
David Cottrell
Founder and Director
Coach, Mentor, Non-Executive Director, Trainer, Hands-on Consultant, safe pair of hands.
David is a highly experienced and versatile consultant/trainer. When he tells you that he has over 40 years of experience he can point to a career that started in a quality control lab, progressed into polymer research and on to sales.
In the mid-80’s he moved into sales management for National Adhesives and Resins and progressed through that organisation into Marketing, Business Management and finally General Management where he lead the Vinamul Polymers business. Here he managed a multi-million dollar organisation with three sites across Europe and a team of over 300 people.
Working as part of the ICI group David also help set up a global procurement organisation and revamped the European internal audit group to make it more of a risk assessment organisation and been involved in mergers and acquisitions.
David’s consultative approach to business has taken him across Europe, India and North America, and has led to his gaining a wealth of experience in a wide number of B2B industries and applications – including aerospace, pharmaceuticals, polymers, textiles, paper, coatings, adhesives, automotive, metalworking and lubricants.
Your team will benefit from his natural training skills, easy presentation style and innovative approach to problem solving. Be it at a strategic level or tactical work David will be with you for the long haul in order to help you extract the maximum value for your business.
Contact David now to discuss your challenges – david@gradient.uk.com
Testimonials
I worked with David in my role as Marketing Manager as well as Senior Technical Service Manager. I experienced David as a real People Manager with an excellent touch for the business. He is great in stimulating people by helping them towards the right direction and most and for all by giving his people the faith that he is supporting his people. I am pleased that I worked with David, because he demonstrated great value to the team as well as for me personally.
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David and I worked together at Vinamul BV in his role as General Manager. We worked together on a project charged with delivering £ multi-million benefits through the implementation of Operational Excellence. David has a sharp, quick mind with a direct approach to people and coupled with a good sense of humour. He is a strong leader. Most importantly of all – he is fun to work with.
{I worked with David at Acheson and he was an excellent team leader, giving support where needed but allowing people the space to do their work. He put people in roles that were appropriate for them and wasn’t scared to move people if that was the right decision. His leadership was an inspiration to the team empowering them to do what they believed was correct in the knowledge that he would guide them to achieve not only the company goals but also ensure they satisfied their own personal needs connected with getting satisfaction from doing a job well. The result was the team grew in confidence and achieved results far beyond their expectations. I endorse David as a great team motivator and leader.
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David is a specialist business mentor for the Prince’s Trust and regularly delivers the marketing session of the 4-day business course for young people wanting to start a business in Dorset. Here is some recent feedback from young people attending his sessions: … I learnt a lot about myself as a seller and my customers … I feel more confident … really useful and learnt A LOT! … good session … lots of info, fun, interesting … delivered in a charismatic and enjoyable fashion …’
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David is top notch with his research, ability to translate a vague scope into a polished finished product, and is an excellent communicator to boot. He has extensive and far reaching contacts around the globe and is very trustworthy, as well.
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