For the last 25 years I have worked in higher education most recently as a University Dean of Health Sciences and then Life Sciences and Education.

I have been coaching for many years. Since 2004 I’ve been leading by coaching; helping people be the best, most productive and content they can be. I have coached individuals, groups and teams in-person and online. I am now using my experience in my role as a qualified Executive Coach and Consultant. I have always been passionate in my work but mostly about supporting people in their work.

I was on the Executive Board, with a staff team of 250 and a budget of £25million. Prior to that I was a Deputy Dean, Associate Dean, Head of Department and before that I was a senior lecturer in sport as well as a lecturer in ‘personal and communication skills’. Prior to my work in Universities, I was in the public and charity sectors, working in sport and inclusion as a sport coach and national development officer. I have published a full student text-book and articles in peer reviewed journals.

I am also a husband and father of two. I’ve lived in Norfolk, South Wales, Kansas, London and, for the last 28 years I have lived in Chester. I love the outdoors, golf, travelling, funk and soul, a good pub and fine dining (actually just food really).

• I have cocreated with colleagues, and in partnership with professional bodies and businesses, 5 year and 1 year business plans, with clear and measurable targets to achieve agreed goals. I have then tailored staff objectives and appraisals based on individuals’ strengths and areas of development.

• I have significantly increased employee engagement and involvement (of a 250 staff team) through interventions agreed with staff achieving the highest scores in my organisation. From March 2020 – Sept 21, and in response to ‘lockdown’ and remote working, I established and lead ‘from the front’ an inclusive 2 way communications plan which received overwhelming staff support.

• I have extensive experience of leading on the creation of new initiatives with a wide range of key stakeholders (e.g. a) I was co-founder of a publicly funded Centre for Health and Development an innovative partnership between Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Staffordshire County Council and Staffordshire University. (e.g. b) I established and championed – through my negotiations with the Chief Executive - the University’s first partnership with Stoke City Football Club, providing fitness assessment for the 1st team and a 3 year programme of research and development, through PhD students, with the Youth Academy.

• I have extensive experience in the writing of articles and reports. I am a published academic who has written peer-reviewed journals, a core text-book, as well as short articles for professional press and reports for major organisations following completion of funded projects. For example, I led on a European funded project involving organisations from 19 countries. I submitted the completed report to the European Union on the state of disability sport policy across Europe and was commended by senior colleagues in the European Commission.

• I have given presentations, chaired workshops and delivered lectures to a wide range of audiences and from groups of 10 to 5,000. I have used in-person as well as Teams, Zoom and Blackboard to teach, engage, survey, discuss, listen and coach. I am a confident presenter who uses passion, authenticity and humour to gain and sustain high levels of interest. I have for example:

  Given interviews for BBC Midlands Today (about University Clearing)

  Chaired Quality and Approval events in the UK and overseas

  Been interviewed by Dame Tanni-Grey Thompson on Radio 4 about disability sport

  Presented Honorary awards at Graduation Ceremonies for Olympians and TV celebrities, including Laura Kenny, Gordon Banks, Clive Myrie and Ruby Wax.

  Presented research findings at National and International Conferences such as the Sydney Paralympic Games

  Hosted ‘Public Lectures and Q and A’s’ with Dame Tanni-Grey Thompson, Sir Lee Pearson, Alistair Campbell and Owen Jones

• BA (Hons). Human Movement Studies (Sport). 1986. Cardiff Metropolitan University.
  

• P.G.C.E. Further and Higher Education. 1996. Manchester Metropolitan University.
  

• M. Ed. Special Needs Education 1998. Liverpool University.
  

• PhD. Policy Analysis. 2010. Loughborough University.

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• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

• Member of the Institute of Leadership and Management

• I am a Professional member of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council and I subscribe to EMCC’s Code of Ethics

• Intensive Coaching Skills (Management Futures)

• Level 7 ILM Diploma for Executive and Senior Level Coaches and Mentors

  
  

Publications

Boath E, Machin R, Dixon M, Thomas N, O’Connell P, Taylor L. (2016). Stop with the FLO: using text messages to improve retention rates in University Students. Innovative Practice in Higher Education. Vol.2 (3) April 2016.

Smith, A and Thomas N. (2016) Sport, Disability and the Paralympics. In B.Houlihan and D. Malcolm (Eds.) Sport and Society. A Student Introduction. London: Sage.

Thomas, N, and Guett, M. (2013) ,Fragmented, Complex and Cumbersome: A Study of Disability Sport Policy and Provision in Europe. IJSPP.

Thomas, N., Chockalingam,N and Duval, L. (2012) Should preparation for elite sporting participation be included in the Rehabilitation Process of War-Injured Veterans?" Prosthetics & Orthotics International.

Thomas, N. (2011). All for Sport for All: Perspectives of Sport for People with a Disability in Europe. Reporting Factsheet. Disability Sport Policies. Lyon, France: European Obsertvatoire of Sport and Employment.

Guett, M., Thomas, N., Hovemann, G., O’Rourke, B., Digennaro, S., Camy, J., Fodimdi and Carscadden. (2011). All for Sport for All: Perspectives of Sport for People with a Disability in Europe. Summary report to the European Commission. Lyon, France: European Obsertvatoire of Sport and Employment.

Thomas N, Chockalingam N, Dunning D & Smith A (2011) By designing ’blades’ for Oscar Pistorius are prosthetists creating an unfair advantage for Pistorius and an uneven playing field? Prosthetics & Orthotics International, 35(4), 482-3.

Thomas, N and Smith, A. (2009) Disability, Sport and Society: A Student Introduction. London: Routledge.

Smith, A and Thomas, N. (2005) Including Pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in National Curriculum Physical Education: A Brief Review’. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 21 (1): 69-83.

Smith, A. and Thomas, N (2005) The ‘Inclusion’ of Elite Athletes with Disabilities in the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games: An Exploratory Analysis of British Newspaper Coverage. Sport, Education and Society, 10 (1).

Smith, A. and Thomas, N. (2004) Inclusion, Special Educational Needs, Disability and Physical Education in K. Green and K. Hardman (Eds) Physical Education: Essential Issues. London: Sage.

Thomas.N., and Smith.A. (2003) ‘Pre-occupied with Able-bodiedness?’, An analysis of the British media coverage of the 2000 Paralympic Games, Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 20(2):166-181.

Thomas, N (2003) Sport and Disability. In B.Houlihan (Eds.) Sport and Society. A Student Introduction. London: Sage.

Presentations

Thomas, N. (2007) Mainstreaming and the State of Disability Sport Policy in the UK. Invited Presentation. University of Lincoln.

Thomas, N. (2005). Mainstreaming: Do we know what it means yet? The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences, 5-7th Sept., Loughborough University, UK.

Thomas, N. (2005) Do we need another powwow? The Power of Sport. European Association for Sport Management. 7-10th Sept. Newcastle, UK.

Thomas, N. (2004) Policy process in disability sport. Invited speaker at “Sport, Disability and the Body”. British Sociological Association, the Warwick Centre for the Study of Sport in Society, and the Centre for the Sociology of Sport (University of Leicester, UK). 27th February. Warwick.

Thomas, N. (2002) Mainstreaming. The high road or the low road?, English Federation of Disability Sport. London: November 11th 2003.

Woodgate, T., Duval, L. and Thomas, N. (2002) The sporting experiences of women with a disability. Commonwealth Games Conference. Manchester. August 2002.