Toolbox Marketing
Creative, inspiring & practical business development that works.
The Team
Neil Fletcher, Managing Director
Neil is the founder of Toolbox, which he set up in 1997 to bring practical sales, communications and marketing skills to growing businesses. His early career as marketing manager of BodyCare International, owners of the successful franchise The Tanning Shop, first inspired his interest in international business, working with the UK and stores in Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Canada, Turkey and Austria.
Neil is driven by helping businesses to grow; his natural enthusiasm for business development guides and motivates sales and marketing staff to look for new opportunities and make their organisations more successful.
Neil is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures & Commerce (RSA) and an active member of the German-British Chamber of Commerce. He loves the theatre, cinema, eating out and running.
Steve Shellabear, Senior Trainer
Steve’s training methods make a difference that his clients can measure. He encourages everyone he works with to develop personally and professionally and to concentrate on their customers – bringing immediate improvements in sales and customer service.
He designs and implements training programmes for management and leadership, and for their customer teams, motivating people at all levels and encouraging them to engage in their organisations.
He has shared his expertise and experience with top multinationals.
Steve currently tops our travel charts; as well as the UK, he has trained teams from India, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Iran, France, Germany, Holland, Norway, Sweden, Saudi Arabia and Denmark. When not training he swims and spends as much time as he can with his family.
Sarah McCartney, Writer & Trainer
Sarah is a business writer who is at the cutting edge of the current vogue for storytelling and Tone of Voice work. She is an inspiring and entertaining speaker and trainer and enjoys developing writing skills, particularly amongst customer service teams.
Sarah trains international teams in applying verbal brand identity in international organisations including one training course for a group of 18 writers with 11 different mother tongues.
Her first business book, The Fake Factor, was published by Cyan & Marshall Cavendish in 2005 and by Diamond Inc in Japanese in 2006.
Sarah is also a qualified teacher of Iyengar Yoga and enjoys growing her own vegetables.
Ana Sanchez, Trainer
Call centres, contacts centres or communications centres – wherever your staff come into contact with your customers, Ana Sanchez will use her coaching experience to improve their performance.
She specialises in training needs analysis, making sure that her clients’ budgets are used effectively. Ana is an expert in communications skills and applies her knowledge when she trains sales and customer care staff.
She uses her language and behaviour analysis skills to deliver creative, original training programmes which people engage with, remember and use to develop their businesses successfully.
She is passionate about communication, particularly the subtle use of language, and is an NLP Master Practitioner.
Steve Holmes, Designer
Steve studied graphic design at Leeds, then Bath, and now specialises in print work for clients large and small. Previously, he worked at design and advertising agencies in Bath, Leeds and London.
Steve is passionate about design and straightforward in his approach, making certain that he knows exactly what clients need before embarking on the work. Generally, he’s working on (re)branding, annual reports, brochure, advertising campaigns and other marketing materials.
Steve’s early career as a professional opera singer - including performing at the Proms in the Albert Hall and on the Harry Enfield Show - ended age 15 and fortunately he decided to become a designer instead. He supports Huddersfield football team.
Helen Mahan, Business Development
Helen is a business development expert who takes on challenging projects and always exceeds her clients’ expectations with her naturally friendly approach, combined with steel-willed persistence. Helen believes that it is her attention to detail that makes the difference.
She shares her expertise with her client companies by leading coaching sessions, inspiring teams to improve their internal and external communications, from telephone calls to marketing materials – the whole customer brand experience.
Helen trained as a designer and lectured at Lichfield College of Art in interior design, as well as setting up her own jewellery design company. She is a Justice of the Peace, runs fundraising events for charity and has a wide-ranging interest in photography, the arts and design.
Tigho Ayovuare, Event Manager
Tigho is Toolbox’s specialist in events and experiential marketing. After 10 years working in fundraising for the charity sector, she spent a year travelling in Australia and New Zealand then took a degree in events management at the University of Greenwich. Since her graduation in 2007 she has worked for organisations as diverse as London Zoo and The South Bank Centre, and makes our own Toolbox events run so smoothly that delegates hardly notice that we're there at all.
Tigho enjoys her work because it brings her into contact with so many different people. Away from work, Tigho enjoys travelling to European cities and is interested in feng shui. In fact, she has a foundation degree in feng shui and has used her skills on her own home. She takes advantage of living in London by going to the theatre and particularly enjoys musicals.
