Steve Vear – Nominated Candidate for Program Quality Director
Toastmasters member since 2014
Education : Bachelors Degree Business Studies – The Open University
Professional Management Certificate – The Open University
ILM Level 5 Certificate in Coaching
Diploma in NLP Coaching Practice
Samaritans Train The Trainer Course
Toastmasters offices held and terms of service:
District 91 Parliamentarian 2022/23
Wessex: Secretary 2014/15, VP PR 2014/15, VP Ed 2015/16, President 2016/17, VP Ed 2019-2021
TD : Founding President 2016/17
Mayflower Conference Logistics Director May 2017
Division A Director Dec 2016 – June 2018
Toastmasters honors and recognition:
Distinguished Toastmaster – July 2018
Club Toastmaster of the Year – 2015
President Distinguished Club as President 2016/17
Select Distinguished Division 2016/17
President Distinguished Division 2017/18
Division Director of the Year 2016/17
Relevant work experience and how it relates to Toastmasters and your role as a District leader:
I have held senior operational management roles in both the IT and educational services industry for the past 15 years with a proven track record in the leading and developing of diverse teams and complex processes. This is alongside an extensive portfolio of volunteering roles including the Samaritans where as well as Chairman of Trustees I was Deputy Director for Training – responsible for training our new Samaritans and leading the 8 person training team to do this . I also spent 2 years as Regional Training Officer covering the 20 branches in the South and running regional training events with the regional training team
In my previous company as Regional Ethics Advisor I ran training for 400 people and several ‘train the trainer’ sessions to on-board new ethics advisors across the company estate up and down the country.
What experience do you have in strategic planning?
As a trustee of University of Winchester Student Union and most recently the Hampshire & IOW Air Ambulance I have been involved in the forming and monitoring of strategic goals. In my professional life my current role as Head of Examiner Management for a leading exam board requires me to shape and drive strategy to ensure a best in class experience for our contractors and efficient processes to deliver service to our candidates
What experience do you have in the area of finance?
Chairman of Resources Committee at Limington House Special Needs School, Basingstoke
Budget management at the department level circa 2m in size
Trustee of Winchester Student Union SU and HIOW Air Ambulance
As Chairman of Salisbury Samaritans which involved oversight of the financial health of the organization and fundraising strategy
What experience do you have in developing procedures?
In my previous organization I was one of the major leads on an ERP implementation projects where the review and re-engineering of processes was a main part of the role.
I also took the lead in change management – which included a unique ‘simulator’ training day to try and emulate a typical day with the next systems.
I have been involved in several constitutional reforms and lead the disciplinary procedures and investigations in an number of organisations, complimented by my work as a member of the lay judiciary.
What lessons did you learn from previous leadership positions?
There are many …. I will focus on some of my top lessons so far
1. It is a privilege to lead people or organizations and that trust should never be betrayed
2. As leaders, we and the people we support have not yet discovered what the best versions of ourselves look like
3. Everyone is different – including their view on the world. Seeing different view points, understanding styles and personal value sets is critical to getting the best from people
4.No matter how difficult something might seem – you are not alone , and no leader should live on an island
5. People learn and connect to things in different ways – our approaches and styles must flex with this in mind
Why do you want to serve as a District leader?
I have a huge amount of passion for Toastmasters International and really enjoyed my time as a member of the DEC as Division Director. Lockdowns and the the move to a lot of Zoom meetings drained my love for it – but as the world adjusts and finds our new normal, I now feel ready to step up and step out
I feel that I have a wide variety of skills and experience that would benefit our District and will also help me to continue in my growth as a leader.
In your opinion, what are the District mission’s major objectives and how would you work to achieve them?
1. To ensure our existing club and district experience is serving our members to the best of our ability
2. To grow our District to offer the magic and power of Toastmasters to more people
3. To attract and develop diverse and talented leaders of future
4. To have fun.
Additional information about yourself:
I was made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) by HM The Queen in 2018 for my voluntary service to Hampshire
Since birth I have suffered from cerebral palsy – and I live by the ethos that ‘it is not a problem until it becomes a problem.