About our people
Anthony Austin
The senior Consultant is Anthony Austin, a Chartered Member of the Institute of Personnel Development.
He was Head of Personnel, Administration and Finance for BBC Radio News and Current Affairs He was substantially involved in the 1980’s merger of News and Current Affairs Radio and Television negotiating the integration of staff into dual working and negotiating with the Unions for new contracts and conditions of service. Following the successful merger, he was appointed News and Current Affairs Manager for Special Projects and Foreign Bureaux with the remit to re-negotiate the BBC’s operational and staffing remits in Russia, India, Japan and America at Government and Diplomatic Foreign Office level.
From 1990 to 1998 he worked for the National Health Service as Executive Director of Human Resources for a large NHS Trust in Kent and then for a similar Trust in Fife in Scotland. He was seconded to 2 Scottish Office committees dealing with NHS Staff Employment issues.
Anthony was a Non Executive Part Time Board Member for British Rail Western and Southern Regions for 8 years. This was during the time of major reorganisation for British Rail prior to privatisation.
He has been an advisor for schools in the Independent Sector for over 25 years.
Anthony was recently asked to set up a division of his Consuktancy to support several Farm Businesses on their HR needs and has developed processes and procedures to support Farmers as Employers in the increasingly complex processes they now face. The Agricultural Division s tailored top the Agricultural Industry.
Juliet Austin BA Hons. Eng Lang. & Lit, Birmingham
Juliet Austin has spent over 30 years in Independent Sector Schools.
Appointed to Downe House in Berkshire as Head of English in 1973 she became additionally the first teaching Housemistress with responsibility for over 60 mixed age girls and the pioneering of the teaching housemistress role.
In 1982 she was appointed Head of Combe Bank School near Sevenoaks which, until her appointment was a Convent which had been owned and run by Society of The Holy Child Jesus. She was the first secular head and led a very enthusiastic team through a decade of change and expanding the school and its ecumenical base.
During her time in Kent she became the South East England, Secretary and later Chair of the Girls’ School Association.
In 1993 Juliet was appointed Head of Kilgraston School in Perthshire, a single sex girls’ boarding school which was a Sacred Heart Foundation. She was appointed to introduce a secular management.
Juliet’s acceptance of the Sacred Heart ethos involved her in the Sacred Heart European network and conference circuit which led to a substantial involvement and commitment to the internationality of Education.
Juliet has been on the Girls’ Schools Association in Scotland becoming Chair of the Scottish section, a member of the council Boarding Committee and has also been involved in developing the Boarding Schools Association’s Post Graduate Diploma in Boarding Education.
She is, today, a Governor of an Edinburgh Independent school and a Director of this company providing HR services to the Independent Schools sector. She been a Governor of 4 other Independent schools and is committed to ensuring excellence in Education and the Education processes.
Andrew Walker Chartered Institute of Secretaries
Andrew Walker is Managing Director of Ashley Harvey Associates Limited, an executive search, recruitment and Human Resource consultancy with offices in London and Scotland.
Andrew was previously Managing Consultant of Wheale Thomas Hodgins plc for their London and International practises. Following an early career in accountancy he then held various roles in the City of London within the Inchcape Group, The Bank of London & South America and The Sterling Credit Group latterly as Group Company Secretary. At Reed Elsevier he held a variety of positions during a 15 year career with the Group including Executive Assistant to the Chairman and Chief Executive, Vice President of Reed Wallcoverings in the USA, and Managing Director of a group of 40 weekly magazines and newspapers within their IPC Publishing Division.
He has travelled extensively working across Europe, Australia, South Africa, South America and the USA. Andrew entered Executive Search in 1993 and has been Managing Director of James Wrightson Walker, a joint venture with a past Chairman of the Joint Defence Chiefs to facilitate the transfer of graduate Officers from the TRI services into industry under “Options for Change”. He has served as a Non Executive Director of an NHS Trust and Managing Director of WWP Associates. In early career he qualified a Chartered Secretary, studied at the Bar and was a member of Gray’s Inn. He is a Licensed Practitioner in Occupational Psychometric Assessment.
Andrew walker is co-founder and is Director and Joint President of the International Executive Search Federation, now the world’s largest group of independent search consultants located in 36 countries and 87 cities around the world.
Other Support
Anthony is Chief Consultant for HR for Ashley-Harvey Associates; the full resources of Ashley Harvey are available to support this consultancy at any time.