4th September 2023 – Lifetime is today announcing senior leadership appointments and organisational changes.
Since David Smith joined the business as Chief Executive in July, a new Senior Leadership Team has been formed. This comprises of Jason Smerdon, the newly appointed Chief Financial Officer, Di Gwinnell (People Director) who joined the team in April, and long-standing senior leaders Carl Cornish (Chief Operating Officer), Mark Denton (IT & Projects Director), alongside Dan Ball (Quality Director) and Louise Riley (Compliance Director) who were both successfully promoted internally.
The wider leadership team has also been strengthened with the introduction of an Operations Delivery Director. This role has been successfully filled internally, with the promotion of Amanda Nicholson-Hirst, previously Operations Director. This has created further opportunities for internal promotion within the Operations Management Team. Furthermore, Lucy Auchincloss will be joining the business from Avado in the new role of Partnerships Director.
The leadership team have completed a strategic planning exercise over the summer, focussing on growth and long-term sustainability which has encompassed a comprehensive organisational review. As part of these changes, approximately 50 of Lifetime’s staff are expected to be impacted by redundancy, and staff will be redeployed wherever possible.
CEO, David Smith, said:
“Our focus is on long-term sustainability and enabling the business to take advantage of future growth opportunities. We have been carrying out a cross-functional review to avoid duplication and improve accountability and ownership. The review also strengthens our Partnership, Compliance, Quality and Operational models of delivery, which are reflected in the updated governance structure, bringing further emphasis to high quality teaching strategies. We anticipate that changes as a result of the review will impact approximately 5% of our c.1000-strong workforce, and we will be supporting employees throughout this process”
Carl Cornish, Chief Operating Officer, said: “Operationally we continue to be in a strong position, following the full implementation of our Aptem Learner Management System which has seen record levels of engagement and interaction from learners and coaches alike. Several Long-standing partners have recently renewed contracts, and we are proud to partner with industry leading employers across a broad range of sectors. Lifetime remains dedicated to the business’ core values, including continuous investment in our people and commitment to quality for our employer partners and learners.”
With this new operational structure and committed management team, Lifetime is poised for a chapter of growth and success, underpinned by our focus on talent development and the potential of vocational education to empower individuals and support economic success.