Online Independent Learning

Dr Simon Miles

BSc (Hons), PhD, RSA Cert. TEFLA ^[1], Cambridge Dip. ELTA ^[2]

Dr Simon Miles is a writing trainer and coach with a mission to help business leaders and technical professionals cause action and influence people. He’s worked at senior levels in the high-powered world of finance for well over 20 years. Clients have included national financial regulators, the world’s biggest investment banks and the best-known insurance companies. He’s trained and coached several thousand people globally, and he’s delivered workshops in 21 cities throughout Asia, India, the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

Since 2006, Simon has managed a team of exceptional trainers and coaches. Each is qualified to a high level in training and each has more than 15 years of training experience. Earlier in his career, Dr Miles ran the corporate training division of the Centre for Professional and Business English (CPBE) at the HK Polytechnic University. In addition to mentoring trainers and overseeing the development of materials for corporate clients, Dr Miles also conducted in-depth programs to develop teaching skills, thus opening up a new and valuable source of talent for the HK training industry. Simon has lived in Asia since 1993.

[1] Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults

[2] Diploma in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults

Dr Bryan Beaton

BSc (Hons), MA (TESOL) ^[1]

As a corporate trainer and a teacher trainer, with over 30 years’ experience in India, Hong Kong and China, and as a long-time contributor to Writing Coach Ltd, Bryan Beaton is a cornerstone of our business. Alongside his work for us, Bryan has held senior positions in corporate communications. Bryan's position as a Senior Culture and Communication Specialist with Microsoft in Bangalore, India was the culmination of his thirty years’ experience. In that role, Bryan was instrumental in aligning the writing output from a wide range of cultures and language proficiencies. He brings with him those critical skills; exactly the skills we need at Writing Coach Ltd.

In collaboration with Dr Simon Miles, Bryan helped pioneer the blending of workshop training and coaching that became the Writing Coach model. Our model allows Bryan to apply specific training or coaching skills in a targeted way. His energy and considerable affability create a vigorous yet intimate learning environment in the training room. His strategic approach to the coaching helps writers transform the way they write without overloading them. His attentiveness and compassion create a strong bond with each participant within which they feel they can ask questions and test hypotheses. Writers emerge with new, sustainable levels of competency in writing.

Bryan’s focus has been in the finance and legal sectors, while he’s maintained his connections to the public sector. His specialist areas of interest include self-directed, life-long learning and cultural influences on workplace writing.

For over a decade, Bryan has been a certified examiner for the University of Cambridge suite of exams, including IELTS. He is an active member of Toastmasters International.
Bryan is a Canadian, a native speaker and a long-term resident of both Hong Kong and India.

[1] Masters' Degree in Teaching English as a Second Language

Alison Ridley

BA (Hons) English, PGDip ^[1] (Applied Linguistics), Cambridge Dip. ELTA ^[2]

As one of Hong Kong’s best-known authorities in workplace writing, and the former head of the prestigious Centre for Professional and Business English (CPBE) at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, we’re thrilled that Alison has chosen Writing Coach Ltd for the next stage of her career development.

Alison has over 25 years’ experience in corporate language training in Hong Kong and London. Since 1996, Alison has been at the top of her field, holding positions such as Head, Director of Studies, Curriculum Manager, and Corporate Training Manager. In fact, as Simon Miles’ line manager, Alison was a leading contributor to the development of the Writing Coach model in the early 2000s. She was also a leading contributor to the development of two 120-hr train-the-trainer programs and, as such, she has been instrumental in raising the quality of corporate training in Hong Kong.

Throughout her career, Alison has focused on developing programs for clients in the banking, insurance, accounting and legal sectors, as well as on-going contributions to the public sector and tertiary education institutions. This breadth of experience has given Alison the deepest knowledge of the strategic purpose, the reader-focus, the subtle style techniques and the fundamental mechanics of text.

Alison’s passion for the written language shows, especially in her one-to-one coaching. She can quickly see beyond any complex content to identify which issues she needs to help a writer with. This targeted approach means that she is able to transform the way a writer writes without demotivating that writer. She’s able to maximize each writer’s investment of time and effort.
Alison is also a Team Leader and certified examiner for the University of Cambridge suite of exams, including IELTS, BULATS and BEC.

[1] Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching English

[2] Diploma in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults

Bill Lawrence (American Attorney at Law)

BA, JD, MA, CTBE ^[1]

Mr. Lawrence has been training professionals how to write since 2003. In that year, he graduated from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University program designed specifically to train trainers for the Asian workplace context. His rare combination of extensive experience in drafting workplace documents and polished expertise in corporate training gives him a rare advantage over other trainers, particularly in teaching writing skills to finance and legal professionals in Hong Kong. Having lived in Hong Kong for nearly 30 years, he is also sensitive to the culture, needs and concerns of local learners.

Mr. Lawrence is a graduate of the University of Colorado where he received both his B.A. and JD degrees. He speaks French (and empathizes with other second language learners) having studied one year at the Université de Bordeaux. He has a master’s degree in Business & Taxation. He is a past member of the bar associations of California and Colorado.

[1]Certificate in Teaching Business English

Vicki Vinning

BA (Hons) Sociology and Educational Research, BSC Healthcare Management, NVQ Reflective Practice

Vicki has worked in both the private and public sector in the UK. She has gained most of her experience from her varied management roles across the UK National Health Service. During her time at there, Vicki gained extensive experience in developing services, tendering for private and public projects and managing contracts.

Vicki has BA (Hons) from Lancaster University in Sociology and Educational Research. She also has a BSc in Healthcare Management from Birmingham University and an NVQ from De Montfort University.

Vicki is originally from the UK, and relocated to Hong Kong in 2014 having spent 4 years in The Netherlands