Andy Caldwell

 

Job title and responsibilities
Graduate Development/Relief and Development Group Manager

Primarily I work alongside our clients, designing and delivering innovative learning solutions, with a major focus on engaging businesses into some of the issues that invariably impact upon them, from attracting, developing and retaining key graduate talent through to designing engagements that unite the expertise of the corporate and not-for-profit sectors to tackle global issues that will invariably affect business bottom lines – either now or in the future.

Areas of expertise

• With graduate and talent programmes I provide consultancy to clients, assisting them in understanding what they hope to achieve through these programmes, and then helping them to build the right programme architecture to deliver against these needs
• I work closely with clients to design specific elements or modules of a graduate or talent journey, ranging from Leadership and personal development through to projects that focus on applying Business Skills or incorporating key Sustainability themes into practical learning experiences with a clear return for the business
• I manage some of our key Global Accounts, providing high quality service to clients and bringing in the correct people and resources from within Impact to deliver against a range of learning needs they have
• Working with CSR/Sustainability teams, I help clients to discover what competitive advantage may lie within a strategic CSR or Sustainability project, facilitating discussion and offering my own insights into how they can influence key stakeholders internally
• I design innovative partnerships for corporate clients, engaging them with global NGO’s or social enterprises to work together on projects that will offer mutual benefit for both organisations

Your best day at Impact (so far...)?
That would have to be the first time we worked with KPMG in Romania. We partnered with Save the Children and had 40 graduates working in a remote community affected by flooding. At the end of the day the mayor laid on a BBQ, we had an impromptu Eurovision contest and the local mayor did all of us a BBQ! The kids who benefited from the work loved it, an amazing experience.

Proudest moment at work?
Going onto the stage after Lord Michael Hastings had addressed over 200 people at a KPMG Conference in Ho Chi Minh City, and talking about the Millennium Development Goals as a reason for 200 people going out into Ho Chi Minh the next day to work on some amazing NGO projects.

How do you deal with stress?
Ah, well better than I used to...I think I annoy people less! I probably get impatient though and feel like things all need to be sorted out now! To get some perspective and stop thinking I climb, and I’ve just started the Brazilian martial art Capoeira, which is amazing.

What makes Impact a great place to work for you?
Two words. The people. And also, the clients, the opportunities and the certainty that our work is essential at a personal level for all of our participants, and at a global level in terms of the way we help organisations to evolve to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Your heroes include?
Nelson Mandela – to retain the capacity to forgive and to then forge a new nation as he did is incredible. Sir Alex Ferguson – for building teams as consistently able to win whilst playing an amazing brand of football. Tim Broadbent – who you may not have heard of, but who started Hub Athletic, the football and youth development project I volunteer with in Waterloo, London

Favourite line from a film?
It changes all the time! So right now I am going to go with that classis from Ferrris Bueller “Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop to look around once in a while, you might miss it”

Who makes you laugh?
Me, when I take myself too seriously. Spunky is also a legend in his own time, and Blood Ax is never short of an amusing line. My footballers who play for Hub Athletic usually either make me laugh or cry – getting the bus to our matches with a group of teenagers and young people is never dull!

Last journey you took?
Had thee months off in the summer, and spent 5 weeks in a township in Cosmo City, South Africa before travelling around Zimbabwe, Mozambique and down the South Africa coast. That was followed by a flight to California for a friends wedding and two weeks roadtripping through wine country, Yosemite and down Highway 1. So a pretty amazing summer!

If you had a time machine where would you go?
Nowhere, I’d just use it to keep reminding myself about living in the present. But if that failed I might head to the Wild West for a gun fight.

Favourite place?
Difficult! Around the world...I love South Africa, although tropical islands with great diving like Borneo and Zanzibar are also up there. But when it comes down to it my favourite place is Dartmouth in Devon, for the history, beauty and amazing location.

3 people you’d have dinner with (dead or alive)?
Nelson Mandela – although I suspect a lot of people would put him so he could be quite busy. Neil Armstrong - to find out if they did actually go to the moon. Helen of Troy - She is known as “The face that launched a thousand ships”, which must make her, er, rather interesting

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