Bridget Marsh
Bridget is truly inspirational to work with. I recommended her services to anyone who is serious about creating and implementing change.” Leanne Popovic
Bridget currently owns a retail business and is a full time business coach. She teaches short courses at Auckland University Business School, is an accredited Member of the New Zealand Institute of Management, holds a Masters in Management specialising in strategy, and was head of the School of Performing and Screen Arts at UNITEC for 13 years.
Ph 09 412 9485 027 574 3438
Listen to Bridget speaking about her work - Click top right
Why I love this work
I know the challenges and rewards of inspiring and working with a team. I've spent my life doing that. Teams I've worked with have achieved goals others thought impossible. I love working with people, supporting them to create their business to deliver exactly what they want. The challenges we currently face in creating a sustainable and fulfilling world for all are immense and it is my privilege to work with business owners and leaders who are up for this challenge.
Client comments
"Taking an hour a week to sit down with Bridget and just focus on the business and its growth and development is very valuable. So often the small stuff drags you down and taking this time to see and build a vision for our future is fantastic." Alan and Susan Pumfleet. April 28 2005
Bridget is truly inspirational to work with. I recommended her services to anyone who is serious about creating and implementing change." Leanne Popovic,
"My staff are commenting on the new way I approach the business and leave them to get on with their jobs after I give them clear directions which they can follow and fulfil. I have more confidence in the way I approach the "business" .. good strategies, and direction which I am following." Johnny Givins Livingstone Productions 2004
Experience
I currently own a retail business as well as my coaching business, I teach short courses at Auckland University Business School, I currenty chair the board of an entrepreneurial start up, I am an accredited Member of the New Zealand Institute of Management, hold a Masters in Management specialising in strategy, was Head of the School of Performing and Screen Arts at UNITEC for 13 years, chair of a charitable trust for 4 years, am a member of the Sustainable Business Network and currently coach the CEO, work with the executive of ANewNZ (committed to improving the well-being of all New Zealanders) and since 2004 I have helped business owners and leaders discover more fulfilling ways of working with their teams.
Why work with Business owners and organisational leaders building sustainable businesses?
Sustainability means many things to many people. For me it is not just about the environment, it is also about how we live our lives and who is impacted by our choices. For me sustainability means, living the best life I can whilst ensuring I'm not depriving anyone else, especially our children and their children.
Colmar Brunton research in 2010 identified that 89% of kiwis want to buy more sustainable products so the opportunity help businesses be more profitable and more sustainable is massive.
It's time to stop thinking about sustainability as a green option. Sustainability is a core strategic competence for businesses that want to be around for the long term.
Personal
I've had the fun and rewards of spending many years travelling and working around the world. I choose now to live in West Auckland and work from a restful rural setting. My sons are in their last years of school and I'm privileged to be supporting them as they grow into young men. I do a lot of voluntary work including facilitating the Awakening the Dreamer symposium - an organisation committed to an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just world.
10 ways in which becoming sustainable will improve your bottom line
1. It makes good financial sense
Energy savings alone can cover any of the costs involved in becoming more sustainable.
2. The Y generation want to work for a business that is interested in more than bottom line and profits for the boss.
It's now proven that in a business with the feel good factor of a sustainablility, staff will work harder, give more of themselves and stay longer.
3. There's money to be made from reselling used products and materials
Many companies have found they can resell used products and materials that were formerly considered waste.
4. It's for big small and large companies
Smaller companies have an advantage because their competitiveness often depends on being lean, resourceful, and nimble, which sustainability enables.
5. Customers are asking for it
Sustainability is not just about environmental issues. Its about how you treat your staff, your customers, the livelihoods of the people where your supplies come from, its about more for all and less for none.
9 out of 10 kiwis want to buy sustainably produced products and services.
6. Becoming more transparent about what you do with your waste, how you are affecting your environment, what your policies are with regard to working conditions increases the level of trust.
7. Companies that set meaningful goals, and achieve them, have every right to tout their successes so the media takes note, which helps increase profile and exposure - for all the right reasons.
8. Partnering with NGO's adds to opportunity
9. Even if you don't make things - it makes good sense
Some companies claim that because they don't make things, they don't buy much, and hence don't have much of a sustainability impact. With their purchasing power, they have a tremendous opportunity to influence the supply chain and reduce their (indirect) environmental impact.
10. If you don't do it now it's likely that regulation will force you to do it and regulation is always more costly.
Becoming a sustainable business is a strategic decision.... Companies that choose to turn a blind eye to the benefits from becoming more sustainable are putting themselves at an immediate competitive disadvantage, and quite possibly set themselves up as targets for regulation in the long run.
More Client comments
"Bringing Bridget in to coach us from the beginning has been extremely beneficial. When we started we felt overwhelmed with so much to do. We didn't know where to begin, but each time we came away from a planning session with Bridget, we felt so clear about what we had to do. It gave us a feeling of confidence. It was inspiring."
"I presented Bridget with some very challenging issues and was consistently impressed by the intelligent line of questioning she responded with. This clearly demonstrates her wealth of experience and expertise at a senior level."
"I cannot begin to explain how important and transformational the exercise of creating values and vision was to us. Everything we do from the way we relate with our team, our clients, our proposals and customer service is aligned now with our values. It's so simple. We can measure directly the benefits from working alongside Bridget by the quality and the size of the projects we are now taking on."