Professor Geoffrey Lloyd
MA Human Resource Management, 2004
About me
- Company Chairman at Ideas Transfer LTD
- MA Human Resource Management, 2004
ABOUT MY CAREER
After leaving school at the age of 15 with no qualifications whatsoever, I embarked on my working journey as an apprentice plumber and gasfitter, a profession not known for its glamour, with British Gas. Seven years later, armed with a couple of City & Guilds awards, I had achieved the status of a fully qualified craftsman. My turning point occurred when I enrolled in a degree programme with the Open University, eventually earning my BA degree seven years later.
At this juncture, I was employed as an economist at British Gas in Cardiff when I enrolled on a new MPhil research degree, generously sponsored by my employer. During this period, I developed a mathematical model for service workload planning. I was seconded for twelve months to work for the Manpower Services Commission, to manage one of the newly created ‘JobClubs’ designed to assist long-term unemployed individuals in re-entering the workforce. Our JobClub achieved remarkable success in Wales, to the extent that I was invited to London for a luncheon with the Secretary of State, Norman Fowler.
Following a secondment into Human Resources (HR), I obtained a Post-Graduate Diploma and MSc in HR Management and was transferred to British Gas Headquarters in London, where I was promoted to a senior management role and given the responsibility for developing the ideas and suggestions and obtaining patents, for the entire global workforce of over 80,000. This was successful and saved the company some £300 million in one year. I was again sponsored by the company to undertake further research study and I enrolled on a PhD at the London School of Economics.
On taking early retirement from the company, I transferred my research to the University of Wales and was appointed a Research Fellow at the newly formed Newport Business School, this was followed a year later as a Research Fellow at Cranfield University School of Management
I was ‘headhunted’ by a University in Amsterdam and appointed Professor of Management. This was followed by a 3-year appointment at the University of Sri Lanka as Professor of HR Management. I developed the first MBA programme at the University and was awarded with an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters. After returning to the UK, I obtained an MA in Human Resource Development at Manchester Metropolitan University, an MBA at Cardiff Business School and one year later, a Master of Law at the University of Glamorgan. This was followed by a post-graduate diploma in Psychiatry at Cardiff Medical School.
I am now a successful author, with ten published books and five more in the pipeline. I am also about to embark on my dissertation for a Master of Theology at Cardiff University. I haven’t even mentioned my 23 years as an Officer in the Royal Air Force Reserve, where I flew jets in the UK and Sweden.
I now sit as a member of an Engineering Council licensing organisation as a member of the academic panel and membership committee of the Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers to vet and approve future Chartered and Incorporated Engineers.
My work experience has been varied throughout my career. I have published many research papers and been lucky enough to speak at motivational events around the world as Company Chairman of Ideas Transfer LTD, my own consultancy.
MY TOP TIP FOR STUDENTS IS
Be honest and professional with whom you come into contact with, both inside and outside your organisation. Starting with nothing should be no barrier to success. Motivation, drive, and unwavering determination to succeed, are the keys to achieving your aspirations. Never give up, even in the face of setbacks, is what you need to achieve whatever you want in life. As the saying goes, “If you can dream it, you can do it.”
Create your own unique selling points (USP), strive to be a leader, not a follower.
I’M INSPIRED BY
Anyone who shows promise, determination and the willingness to succeed. Those who step out of their comfort zones, take calculated risks, and seize opportunities presented to them.
WHY I LOVE MANCHESTER MET
The interaction with fellow students and the professionalism of the staff.