IoD Midlands Summer

The perfect environment to develop
and challenge: IoD Masterminds
What are IoD Mastermind Groups?
Mastermind groups are designed to
provide a support system for directors,
helping you grow as a leader. They are a
place where can you find a group of
people who all know the responsibility of
being a director and who you can speak
candidly with about the challenges of the
position. Leave the sales pitches at home
and come to have real conversations with
experienced directors who can offer you a
different perspective.
How can you join?
You have to be a member of the IoD! To
ensure that members can have candid
conversations, these groups are made up
of non-competing industries and every
meeting is under Chatham House rules.
If you are interested in joining a local
group, please contact Cari.Grice@iod.
com. Potential members are sent to the
group facilitator, who makes sure we build
groups that don’t have members from the
same disciplines/sectors.
How do they work?
Masterminds are currently held via
Zoom but this will change to in-person
events in the future. The dates/times are
set by the facilitator and group and
can be held as frequently as
you wish, but is usually once
a month.
When life is back to
normal, Masterminds will
revert to taking place in
hubs situated where each
These groups
are strictly member
only to ensure there
are no competing
organisations.
Please contact
cari.grice@iod.com
for details.
branch is. Discussions are held over a
two-course meal, and usually a glass of
wine, but this can be dependent on the
group’s requirements.
The cost of this is £32 per person.
Are there any rules?
We ask that when attending
Masterminds, you don’t use it as a sales
pitch. We want members attending each
group to be genuine and want to help
with/discuss business queries that
they or members of the group
might have. We also ask that
members, where possible, are
consistent with attending
these meetings, as it helps the
group build a solid foundation
with each other.
EAST MIDLANDS
In the East Midlands region, we currently have four Mastermind groups: Leicester,
Nottingham, Lincoln and Derby. At present all are run via Zoom but we hope to return to
face-to-face sessions at some point later this year.
The Leicester Mastermind group is facilitated by John Tucker. It is held on the third
Tuesday of every month.
The Nottingham group is facilitated by Carole Harvey.
The Derby group is facilitated by Andy Leask.
The Lincoln Mastermind group is facilitated by John Hebblethwaite.
It is hoped that venues will be confirmed as soon as possible once face-to-face meetings
are allowed.
If you wish to be a part of an East Midlands Mastermind group, please send a short
biography to cari.grice@iod.com.
WEST MIDLANDS
The West Midlands is currently running three Mastermind Groups: in Birmingham, the
Black Country and Worcester & the Marches. Each one is led by an experienced and
respected IoD member, who facilitates the session.
Ian Priest is the facilitator of the Black Country Mastermind; Michael Donaldson is the
facilitator of the Worcester & the Marches group; and Glenn Cameron is the facilitator of
the Greater Birmingham Mastermind.
The first two groups meet monthly; Birmingham meets fortnightly.
Michael Donaldson said the groups, “have an ethos of sharing collective
knowledge, experience and expertise to address the issues, challenges and
opportunities members bring to the table... no rapid-fire questions and
solutions from people I don’t know, who don’t know me. It’s a relaxed,
friendly atmosphere that helps build respect and trust.”
In addition to these groups, a number of dormant groups plan to
resume their activities after summer.
For a listing of the active groups, IoD members can submit an
application of interest via the IoD website, or for further
information, please contact cari.grice@iod.com
What members say about
Mastermind Groups
“I have been attending Mastermind
events for a couple of years. They are
excellent in a couple of ways. For
those who have a problem they want
advice on, it is a confidential forum,
with uninvolved but intelligent,
experienced people from different
backgrounds and skillsets who can
offer a new perspective on the issue.
For others, it is an excellent way to
develop meaningful business
relationships as it provides scope to
hear new views on a range of topics,
which is a great way to get to know
people ...”
Alexander May, Mastermind group
member, West Midlands
www.iod.com/westmids/events
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