OUR PEOPLE

"Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much."
Helen Keller

OUr vision and mission

Our vision is a world where everyone, regardless of context, contributes their full potential, inspired by purpose, for the benefit of all.

Our mission is to change the way that individuals make career choices, by enabling them to create purpose-driven careers that help solve the world's greatest challenges as a result of using the research-proven INSPiRED career and life model and toolkit.

Meet the Founders

Carolyn Parry - Founder Director and Lead Coach

A languages graduate (London University) Carolyn has a passion for helping people identify and work towards achieving their potential with good reason. Her own very painful career crisis, following a successful, but ultimately unfulfilling business career working in property, software and publishing led to her identifying her true North and retraining as a career development specialist. She spent fourteen years at Aberystwyth University, ultimately becoming Deputy Director with responsibility for the university’s employer liaison strategy, and latterly Institute Director of Student Development and Employability.

She took Voluntary Severance in 2015 to set up Career Alchemy, a multi-award winning career coaching and training company supporting students via universities, recent graduates and professionals seeking to change their career, In 2017 Career Alchemy added Careers Advice for Parents to enable it to provide support for parents/carers and their teenagers as well using Carolyn's now research-proven INSPiRED Career and Life Coaching framework and toolkit.

A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, of the Higher Education Academy, and the International Enterprise Educators’ Programme, she is a Board Trustee of the Ceredigion Citizens Advice Bureau, a national trainer of career coaching for AGCAS, received the Career Development Institute's prestigious UK Careers Adviser/Career Coach of the Year Award in 2017, and now represents the CDI, the professional association for the sector, in Wales. For more, please see Carolyn's profile on www.linkedIn.com

Rhys Parry - Founder Director

An electronic engineer by training, Rhys has more than 30 years' software development and project management experience in the software industry for companies such as Helwett Packard and Easams. In this context he recruited and managed teams in excess of 100 people.

A change of career led him to spending over a decade as a teaching fellow in a UK top 15 computer science department in a British University.

He now divides his time between the IT, Finance and QA elements of Career Alchemy, supporting Welsh rugby and writing non-fiction books. For more please see Rhys's profile on www.linkedin.com

INTRODUCING MEMBERS OF OUR ADVISORY PANEL

George Ashworth

An accomplished senior finance executive with over 25 years extensive experience operating at board level in a variety of senior fast growth management transformational leadership roles within national and multi-national organisations, George is currently Managing Director of Santander Asset Finance plc. Previous roles include Managing Director of ABM AMRO Leasing (UK) Ltd, Aldermore Bank Plc (Asset Finance) and senior management roles in operations and sales at Fortis Bank Group in Brussels and Lombard/Royal Bank of Scotland.

He currently serves as a member of the Board at Aberystwyth University from which he graduated with a BSc (Econ) in Law and Economics. He also chairs the University’s Investments and Audit, Risk & Assurance Committees and is a Trustee of the Aberystwyth University Investment Fund. He is a Board member of Leaseurope, and has held a number of previous voluntary roles including non-executive director of Quantum Care plc in the care home sector. He is a member of the management board of UK Finance & Leasing Association.

Professor Kate Bullen

Kate originally trained as a therapeutic radiographer and worked in the NHS for over a decade before leaving due to an industrial injury. She gained counselling qualifications whilst studying for her undergraduate Psychology degree at Swansea University, and was later awarded a PhD from Swansea and an MEd from the OU in 2005.

Kate is a fellow of the HEA, a chartered psychologist and a fellow of the British Psychological Society. She is currently President of the Society for 2018/19, and was awarded an honorary DSci from the University of Buckingham in 2019 for her contributions to Psychology in higher education. With a passionate belief in the power of education to change lives Kate has over 35 years of experience in working across the education spectrum from A-level to professional practice. Other areas of expertise include research ethics for the Higher Education sector and the NHS, and supporting the work of AdvanceHE as a panel chair for the Equality Challenge Unit Athena SWAN chartermark awards.

Stephen Isherwood

Stephen Isherwood was appointed Chief Executive of the ISE in June 2013 following seven years as Head of Graduate Recruitment UK & Ireland at Ernst & Young, one of the largest recruiters of graduates in the UK.

Prior to EY, Stephen managed graduate recruitment and development programmes at PwC and Safeway as well as working in the public sector where he developed and managed a number of careers related programmes. Stephen has extensive experience in the recruitment and development of students, both graduates and school leavers. He has worked closely with Higher Education throughout his career and is focused on the career development and employment of students.

In addition to his current role, Stephen sits on several steering groups related to higher education and employment, he is on the board of HECSU and a trustee of Ashorne Hill Management College. Stephen works with the charity Speakers for Schools and has also recently teamed up with Roding Valley High School as an Enterprise Advisor through the Careers and Enterprise Company. He has presented to various committees in the Houses of Parliament and often appears in national and local media.

MEET OUR Consultants and Associates

Seb Waligorski – Digital Media and Technology Specialist

Seb is experienced and creative expert in digital media and technology who successfully combines his twin passions of business and computer science to create brands that stand out. A Business/Management and Computer Science Graduate, he has sound industry experience gained not least working agency side as Digital Manager for Ionize where he was responsible for web-based and marketing, social media and branding project management supporting a range of businesses in different sectors.

He now works as a successful laptop entrepreneur in the gig economy, running a team of IT and graphic design professionals to help start-up businesses including his own https://hiexplorers.com/ travel business develop into grown-up businesses. He leads on all aspects of IT and digital marketing at Career Alchemy, no matter which part of the world he may find himself in. For more, please see Seb’s profile on www.linkedIn.com

Gary Argent – Early Careers Employability Specialist

Gary has worked in the early talent industry since May 2000. After eight years delivering graduate recruitment and development programmes at a large international IT company he spent three years at the Institute of Student Employers (formerly the Association of Graduate Recruiters) where he facilitated collaboration between employers, universities and suppliers.

Gary went on to run the careers service at City, University of London for four years, focusing on Widening Participation, early engagement with students, curriculum-led careers guidance and developing employer partnerships. More recently he spent six months supporting the Careers and Enterprise Company’s Passport for Life project. This experience has given Gary an unusual opportunity to view the industry from different standpoints as he has worked as a recruiter, for the industry’s professional body, and for a university. For more details please see his LinkedIn profile.

Olymbia Petrou - Diversity and HR Specialist

With a background in business, diversity and HR, Olymbia has worked for public sector organisations, SMEs, charities, as well as owned and run her own businesses.

A fully-qualified business and executive coach, Olymbia particularly enjoys working with diverse groups on the unique challenges they face. Her humanistic coaching approach can help with any challenges or self-limiting beliefs that may be getting in the way, and by eliciting and nurturing individual skills and strengths, can help unlock and focus individuals on achieving their full potential and goals.

Olymbia also delivers diversity, business and HR consultancy to support organisations, individuals and businesses with practical and supportive solutions through her company Electra Business Services Ltd.

Interested in working with us as an associate?

If you are passionate about career coaching and are looking for a new freelance opportunity as a Career Alchemist helping people to create solid gold working lives, then why not contact us today to find out more.

Interested in working with us as a client?

We run a range of different programmes and services,
all designed to help you or your clients and students create inspiring and purposeful working lives.