Our Team
Meet the people responsible for making our programmes happen
Formed in 2021, we are proud of our exceptional team, responsible for administering, developing and delivering our programmes across the United Kingdom.
MEET our co-founder
Hey, I'm Nick!
Nick is one half of our founding team at Pioneer Leadership Ltd. With a diverse background including service as a commissioned officer in the Armed Forces, a business leader in private industry, and in voluntary roles across the youth sector, Nick has witnessed the transformative power of strong leadership.
His mission is to help teams and leaders at every level collaborate more effectively and achieve their goals.
Nick oversees the recruitment and development of our instructor team and also spearheads our programme design, seeking opportunities to deliver a mix of products that deliver maximum impact and exceptional value for money.
He is passionate about the role of coaching and mentoring, especially in the context of leadership development, and this can be seen across all of our programme activities.
meet our co-founder
Hey, I'm Heather!
Heather is the second half of our founding team at Pioneer Leadership Ltd. A qualified teacher with a successful first career in education, Heather brings first-hand knowledge of the challenges schools and youth organisations face in developing resilience, communication, and teamwork among students.
She is passionate about equipping young people with the skills they need to thrive in life beyond education.
Before co-founding Pioneer Leadership, Heather also held management roles within SMEs, giving her a solid understanding of the challenges businesses face in adapting to life post-Brexit and pandemic.
As the company’s lead on safeguarding, Heather ensures all our youth sector programmes align with best practices and integrate with the National Curriculum where appropriate.
She also works closely with schools and organisations to handle all required paperwork and administration for both our in-school and offsite programmes, ensuring a seamless experience from start to finish.
MEET our TECHNICAL EXPERT
Hey, I'm Mark!
Mark 'Baggy' Richards joined us in 2023 as our Technical Expert. With an exceptionally broad range of experience in the Outdoor Education Sector, he holds the highest qualifications for mountaineering in the UK (amongst an enviable CV of qualifications including climbing and caving and underground mine qualifications to the highest level possible in the industry).
With a Degree in Outdoor Education, and holding Qualified Teacher Status, Mark has an exceptional breadth of skills, and believes in the journey we are on.
As our Technical Expert, Mark takes on the role of our Critical Friend – offering the benefit of his experience to our Policies and Procedures, and ensuring that we remain up to date with best practice across the Industry, and consults on programme development for activities that both fall inside, and outside the scope of our AALA Licence.
Ready to Find out More?
To find out more, you can complete the form on this page, or get in touch with us using the email address or phone number below.
Completing this form will allow us to contact you with further information about our programmes and offers, if it’s not for you, you can unsubscribe at any time.
PA103 Technology Centre - University of Wolverhampon Science Park, Wolverhampton Glaisher Drive WV10 9RU