The People

Toby Leathwood

Specialist Consultant


Toby’s career has centred on the automotive sector, starting out as a commercial apprentice with Austin Morris in 1972.  Toby’s main arena of expertise is in network interface and development within MG Rover and its forebear companies.  Specifically, roles have included, Field Manager, Training Manager, Network Promotions Manager and Customer Satisfaction Manager.  More recently, Toby has exploited his extensive internal consultancy experience (working with teams from PA Consulting and Gemini Consulting) by operating as an independent consultant to the sector and beyond.  Toby has been part of the Organizational Edge team for over a year, providing expertise and in-depth automotive knowledge to actively support our client base particularly, but not exclusively within the automotive sector.

Toby is an active networker and is a fellow of the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management, a member of the Institute of Leadership and Management and Associate member of the Institute of the Motor Industry.  Throughout his career, Toby has recognised the importance of the human dimension within business life and has qualified to the British Psychological Society levels A and B in psychometric testing.  Toby’s commitment to the industry manifests in his being a BEN Centurion.

Toby’s main area of business focus, include:

  • Customer satisfaction and loyalty; designed and delivered a pioneering industry process for establishing a culture of continuous improvement within the network, aimed at driving new levels of customer satisfaction; provided coaching to individuals in the insurance industry in support of the FSA initiative, Treating Customers Fairly.
  • Originating and delivering training and personal development programmes; the range of experience spans developing effective presentation and communication skills for industry members involved in international trade negotiations, to devising ‘scripts’ to enhance call centre performance.
  • Getting results from national franchise and distribution networks; extensive experience in obtaining support for and commitment to innumerable and varied manufacturer sponsored programmes, at all levels across the business; designed and run network incentive programmes, ensuring adequate return on investment.
  • Coaching and facilitation at all levels; as a qualified coach, working with General Managers and Group Directors within networks to open minds and shift behaviour, in order to generate true value from the relationship with a manufacturer; coaching call centre staff to improve their ability to handle a call, balancing empathy, structure and focus.
  • TQM qualified practitioner; as a trained facilitator, have applied the range of TQM techniques, including Kaizen groups, root cause analysis and statistical analysis for process control to a range of business problems and opportunities.

Businesses, for whom Toby has worked during the last few years, include: Allianz, BAE, BEN, Board of National Curriculum, Ceridian UK, ETWB, Land Rover Jaguar, MG Rover, Nanging Automotive, Oxford University Press, Sewells Consulting, Smiths Industries, The GMB, Vickers.