Head Office Team
Introducing the TESS Head Office Team
Award winning provider of apprenticeships, funded training and learning and development.
Meet the Head Office Team
Teamwork Makes The Dreamwork!
Lisa O'Reilly
Director
Lisa has been at the TESS Group for over 13 years and sits on the board of directors.
Lisa is at her best when working to create fresh business solutions and has a determined vision to offer high quality learning experiences for our learners and clients.
Lisa loves anything fitness related, including running half marathons with fellow director Rod – and even ran the London marathon in April 2023 raising over £2600 for Angelman Syndrome UK.
Rod Doyle
DiRECTOR
Rod Doyle is a modern leader who believes in creating winning ways and habits through a mixture of theory and common practices. Rod Doyle and the Senior Leadership Team have built a business with a 21st Century spin on branding by creating a ‘community of businesses’ that all interact and interconnect to the betterment of each.
Lauren Doyle
Head of data & MIS
Lauren has over ten years of experience working in Further Education having started working in Administration and Audits for DWP contracts in Leicestershire. Since then, Lauren has developed a niche in understanding paperwork and ensuring learners are enrolled correctly. She is currently the Head of Data and MIS for The TESS Group, where she has been a key member since the beginning in 2009.
Stephanie Richardson
Head of Operations
Stephanie is highly experienced Manager previously working as Head of Retail for an Italian footwear brand. Her passion for training and development and in particular the apprenticeship sector is where she has chosen to pursue her career over the last 8 years. A strong people manager Stephanie has the ability to create team working environments which are collaborative and cohesive, delivering exceptional outcomes for our learners. In addition to this Stephanie is APM PMQ qualified, an IQA and heads up our safeguarding provision ensuring the welfare and safety of our learners is front and centre in all we do.
Ian Palmer
QUALITY ASSURANCE LEAD
Ian has worked within the education and training sector for over 12 years. Ian has also managed a large team of Trainer/Assessors/ Skills Coaches for over 4 years, ensuring that all Learners were receiving high-quality training and developing to their full potential. Ian has worked on projects supporting Northamptonshire’s unemployed to develop their Employability Skills and is now our Quality Assurance Lead, constantly developing our programmes to ensure all Learners have the best learning experience. Northamptonshire’s unemployed to develop their Employability Skills.
Jason Davies
TRAINER AND SKILLS COACH
Jason has worked in the Education Sector since 2007 and gained Outstanding knowledge and skills in that time, he worked in the Ceramic industry for 17 years where he gained management experience. The reason Jason enjoys his job role is because his passion is to ensure that all his learners’ progress and develop through their apprenticeship and achieve a recognised qualification and their careers goals.
Kaley Bannister
TRAINER AND SKILLS COACH
Kaley has 14 years industry experience in delivering apprenticeship programmes both classroom, and 1-2-1 workplace based, in Management and Leadership, Business Administration and Customer Service. Kaley is a qualified IQA and an experienced additional learning and social needs support tutor.
Mark Swales
TRAINER AND SKILLS COACH
Mark’s background is in sport where he built up a career in coaching and coach education, working for a professional football team and the FA. He then transferred his skills into secondary school education and spent 15 years as a teacher of sport in an “outstanding” 6th form, becoming a Programme Lead, Head of Vocational Courses and Quality Nominee. More recently he has delivered an apprenticeship programme at Leeds United Academy. Mark has vast amounts of experience in working with and leading people which, along with his passion and drive to help people achieve, supports our learners in attaining qualifications and gaining successful outcomes.
Richie Caines
TRAINER AND SKILLS COACH
Richie Caines, a dedicated professional with 23 years of service in the British Army, brings extensive expertise in Lean Six Sigma, learning and development, project management, and leadership. Now focused on applying his wealth of experience to support the development of others, Richie is committed to fostering growth and excellence in individuals and teams.
Elaine Denney
TRAINER AND SKILLS COACH
Elaine has worked in training and learning for over 20 years, as a tutor, coach, trainer, and IQA. She has supported learners through several apprenticeships including management, customer services, business administration, and professional coaching. She is passionate about supporting individuals to achieve
success and enjoys seeing individuals progress in their chosen careers.
Nicola Dulson
Skills Coach
Nicola has worked in a Learning and Development role for 18 years and initially gained her knowledge working within the travel industry. The last 10 years have been spent with a Training provider supporting many learners through many varied NVQ standards including Management, Coaching, Business Admin and Customer Service and celebrating their successful achievements. Her passion is the learner journey and their development and progression along the way.
Olivia Murray
SKILLS COACH
As a dedicated Skills Coach, Olivia brings a compassionate and pragmatic approach to supporting learners on their professional journey. With a strong foundation in mental health and wellbeing awareness, she takes pride in providing holistic, person-centred support that empowers individuals to thrive both personally and professionally. Her coaching style is grounded in empathy, structure, and a deep commitment to helping each learner achieve their full potential.
Karla Corteil
SKILLS COACH
Karla has spent over 20 years in Facilities Management, having worked in a range of operational and leadership roles before moving into training, coaching, and people development. She has a strong grounding in psychology that informs how she approaches leadership and learning. As a Trainer and Skills Coach, Karla is passionate about supporting people to achieve their goals, building confidence and capability in a way that feels practical, reflective, and authentic.
Rick Whitehead
SKILLS COACH
For more than two decades Rick has been transforming workplace learning into tangible results. He began in hands-on training and coaching, honing practical delivery skills across vocational settings, then moved into further education and apprenticeship delivery where he designed job-centred curricula, led programme delivery and managed large cohorts as an Apprenticeship Stream Lead and Training & Development Manager. More recently he has driven Level 5 Operational Delivery Manager programmes and overseen large-scale apprenticeship cohorts, tightening EPA readiness and deepening employer partnerships. Rick combines strong people leadership with a relentless focus on practical outcomes, turning standards into clear learning journeys that help learners gain qualifications, boost confidence and deliver measurable impact in the workplace.
Laura Foot
SKILLS COACH
Laura is a Business Psychologist with over 15 years’ experience within the education and training sector. She has worked across a range of delivery, leadership, and quality-focused roles. Laura holds a First-Class Honours degree in Psychology and an MSc in Business Psychology, alongside an extensive portfolio of teaching, assessment, and quality assurance qualifications. Laura is passionate about helping learners to develop their skills, achieve recognised qualifications, and progress in their careers. Her learner-centred, evidence-based approach ensures learners are supported throughout their apprenticeships. In her spare time, she enjoys skiing with her family, martial arts and walking her two dogs.
Richard Bishop
DATA ASSISTANT
Richard spent over 40 years working in the IT industry and gained over 20 years experience as a delivery Project Manager. During his years as a Project Manager he qualified as a PRINCE 2 practitioner and became adept at using MS Office plus various bespoke IT systems. Richard is experienced in the management of finances, delivery timescales, matrix management of both internal and external workstreams. Richard took early retirement in 2014 but has returned to the workplace to use his IT knowledge and experience in the Delivery team. Richard loves to race radio control cars as a hobby.
Andreya Doyle
Website co-ordinator
After joining in 2023, Andreya currently co-ordinates and designs our websites ensuring our partners and prospective employers and learners have access to our latest offerings from apprenticeships, qualifications and commercial training. With a creative eye she enjoys keeping our marketing and websites up to date with our branding, and on trend with emerging workforce needs. In her spare time she enjoys reading, photography and ice hockey.
Bluey
Office clown
As one of the smallest members of the team, Bluey certainly has a larger than life presence in the office! Often full of energy and treats, he brings his own unique style of comedy to the office and contributes many thoughts to meetings and team get-togethers, helping to maintain our friendly and vibrant atmosphere. He is an important member of the team and lives up to each one of our values. With his goofy outlook on life, he inspires us to remain positive, he is a reliable team mate to make you feel better when you need some friendly support, bold in both nature and his red colouring, he collaborates on many projects, so long as the outcome results in treats and a pat on the head!
Pumpkin
Snack co ordinator
As a recent new starter for The Tess Group, Pumpkin joined in 2025 as our snack co-ordinator. She carefully plans food and snacks for the team in Head Office, always ensuring there is enough left over for her.
In Loving Memory of
Sherlock Doyle 2015-2023
During his time with The TESS Group, Sherlock took his role as Stress Management Coordinator very seriously. He always brought an element of fun to the office whenever he was in, ready to greet everyone with a smile. The positive energy and enthusiasm that he showed epitomised our values and he will be sorely missed.
Clive Doyle
FOUNDER
Retired from the police service having performed the role of Superintendent in charge of operations including the management of large sporting events and music festivals. Clive created a training company to ensure that safety staff were safety competent and skilled in customer service.
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