| Home |
| Curriculum Vitae |
| Interim Management |
| Management Consultancy |
| Recruitment |
| Training |
| Testimonials |
| Contact |
| Nick Gurney's CV | |
| Key Specialities | |
|
 |
| Profile | |
| Nick is a former Local Authority Chief Executive with 18 years experience at both district and unitary level in authorities serving semi-rural communities, affluent new technology suburbs and highly deprived inner city areas. He has a successful track record in delivering customer-focused organisational and cultural change and improved performance against key Government indicators. He has particular expertise in regeneration and in developing multi-agency partnerships with the health sector, police, voluntary agencies and community groups. Nick also has extensive experience of working with central government, the NHS, the armed services and private enterprise. He is a former non-executive director of Cadbury (UK) Ltd. | |
| Consultancy Experience | |
|
|
| Employment History | |
|
|
| Career Experience | |
| Nick graduated with First Class honours in History from Christ's College, Cambridge. After a year teaching in Belize on the British Volunteer Programme, he joined the Civil Service as a fast-streamer, working in a variety of posts in the Ministry of Defence and the Cabinet Office. He was Private Secretary to two ministers and a senior member of the project team led by Sir Derek Rayner, of Marks and Spencer, conducting wide ranging management reviews of the Civil Service. As Head of the Civil Service Commission he was responsible for recruitment to 11,000 Civil Service posts annually. He personally chaired selection panels for a wide variety of top level and graduate fast stream appointments. He was particularly involved in the development of best practice in psychometric testing and assessment centres and in ensuring equal opportunities in recruitment. At the Department of Health, he managed the successful introduction of new education, pay and performance structures for nurses and other key NHS workers. His work included equal opportunities, training, management development and the introduction of performance related pay to the NHS. Nick made a successful mid-career change to local government, as the Chief Executive of Wokingham District Council, combining the challenges of semi-rural areas with the high-tech "Silicon Corridor". At Portsmouth City Council he led a highly successful transition to unitary status, maintaining staff morale through a stressful period of organisational and cultural change. He focused particularly on the issues of crime reduction, urban regeneration, under-achievement in education and poor public health. After 10 years in post, he left Portsmouth so far improved on the deprivation scale as to no longer merit regeneration funding and with a flagship new inner city development at Gunwharf Quays. At Bristol City Council, Nick continued his focus on crime and regeneration, developing multi-agency partnerships across the public, private and voluntary sectors. At the same time he championed customer-focused cultural change at all levels of the authority. He delivered on his commitment to members to raise the council's CPA grading from 1 to 2 stars and left the authority "Improving Well". Nick has extensive experience of leading large, complex organisations, with up to 18,000 staff and budgets up to £307 million. His key skills include political awareness and sensitivity, strategic policy development and targeted financial management within tight budgetary constraints. Nick is highly regarded as a motivational speaker on senior management issues at the National School of Government. He has been a member of the Executive of ALACE and of various SOLACE groups and has maintained his professional development through action learning sets with fellow Chief Executives. He has been a non-executive director of Cadbury (UK) Ltd and a Trustee of the Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust. |
|
| For more information, please contact: | |
| NBJG Consulting Ltd | |
| Registered in England No. 6528519. Registered Office: 10 Horse Street, Chipping Sodbury, Bristol, BS37 6DB | |
 |
|