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Effective Change Management: Naomi Brown

Naomi Brown attended the Effective Change Management professional short course.

This course is delivered through the Smart and Inclusive Leadership project, which is part funded by the European Social Fund. Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is pleased to offer free (fully funded) places on this course to support employees of small and medium businesses that are based in Nottinghamshire or Derbyshire.

This project is part-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF).
Naomi Brown

Naomi Brown, Effective Change Management course graduate

I would absolutely recommend the programme to other business leaders! Change is inevitable and sometimes it can be overwhelming, learning the skills to be able to deal with change has been really valuable.

Naomi Brown, Effective Change Management course graduate

Below is the written question and answer session with Naomi Brown, who took the Effective Change Management professional short course.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your business?

Prior to working at S Brown Paving Ltd, I was pursuing a career in law. The decision to join the family business came when my Mum became unwell in 2015, so I took a career break from law to help around the office but ultimately never returned to my legal career as I enjoyed my role in the business so much.

I started as an admin assistant, then I worked my way up to office manager and in 2022 I became a Director at S Brown Paving Ltd. The business has won family business awards for construction and property excellence and recently I was awarded as one of the 'Top 100 Influential Women in Construction 2022' by the National Federation of Builders.

What first attracted you to the Effective Change Management course? What were you hoping to learn?

I have previously done other programmes with NTU – the Women in Leadership course and the Help to Grow course. Both these courses have been incredibly influential on our business so when I was presented with another opportunity, I signed up straight away!

We are currently undergoing some exciting changes within the business over the next 12 months, and I thought it would be helpful to have the right tools to navigate those changes.

What did you learn in the course that you found particularly useful?

I found the theories for implementing change useful. It gave us a ‘road map’ of how to successfully implement change. It was also beneficial to be able to engage with other business leaders, something that has been impossible for a while due to COVID restrictions.

How much time would you say you invested into the course?

There were three face to face sessions at NTU with two online teams meetings, plus researching and completing an assignment.

The face to face sessions were inspirational. Speaking to other business leaders about the challenges they were trying to overcome within their businesses, was really encouraging and motivating.

What benefits would you say the course has had for you?

The report that we were asked to write on effective change management was really beneficial. It allowed me to implement the theories to a change that we were proposing in the business - in this instance it was the use of technology to improve efficiency and accuracy for quotations.

Since writing that report we have implemented the recommendations from the report and invested in the technology to begin this change! I have also signed up to another course at NTU for 2D Computer Aided Design.

Would you recommend this to other people? And if so, why?

I would absolutely recommend the programme to other business leaders! Change is inevitable and sometimes it can be overwhelming, learning the skills to be able to deal with change has been really valuable.

How to access the support available

If you are interested in our Effective Change Management course, please contact ECM@ntu.ac.uk.