As President of the Borough of Richmond upon Thames Chamber of Commerce, Christina knows a thing or two about business. However, after seeing a small advert for ActionCOACH some five years ago, she admits to some initial scepticism.
Yet her interest was piqued, and she soon discovered a business that was going places.
“ActionCOACH fitted in perfectly with my talents and ethos,” she says. “I joined up and found the training programme to be fantastic. I realised that I had found my niche!”
Before joining ActionCOACH, Christina had spent 30 years organising exhibitions and conferences around the world, but was looking to make the move to a more locally based role. ActionCOACH fitted the bill perfectly and all her clients now come from the south-west London area - her days of constant globetrotting days are over.
Although Christina’s client base is varied, she finds that more and more people are coming to her from the creative industries.
“I’m not sure why that should be,” she admits, “But I have always got on very well with creative people and I think the word has spread in that sector that I can help.”
Christina finds that most of her clients are working too many hours and have trouble coping with the financial aspect of their business.
“Even people who have been in business for many years can be worryingly ignorant about the financial side of things,” she says. “As long as the bank is quiet they assume everything is OK.”
Christina believes that as long as her clients are prepared to listen then she can help them.
“If they stay with me I can help, no doubt about it.”
Although she thinks that her commitments will be scaled down in years to come, Christina sees her future as being inextricably linked with ActionCOACH.
“Seeing the look on a client’s face when they finally realise that they can do something they thought was beyond them, is worth everything to me,” she says. “If I can give my clients just one thing that can help transform their business, then I have succeeded.”
Christina’s life does not just revolve around work. She also spends time with her dog, Archie, and is a keen gardener. In addition, she conducts guided tours of the London Wetland Centre in Barnes, and has tried her hand at activities ranging from scuba diving, flying planes to land yachting.
Christina’s ambition is to double the profits of every business within a 10-mile radius of her office, a mission statement that she has pinned up on her office wall.
ActionCOACH is the world’s number one business coaching firm, with more than 1,000 offices in 26 countries. To learn more, go to actioncoach.com.
