Darren Shirlaw began his carrer in the funds management industry, where he gained important insights into how management teams develop strategy and how this impacts company valuations.

In 1999 he launched Shirlaws, one of the fastest growing international business coaching organisations. Shirlaws business coaches work alongside clients to guide their businesses and achieve long-term sustainable business growth.

Originally established in Australia, Shirlaws now also operates in the UK, USA, Benelux, Canada, Cayman Islands and Spain, with more than 100 coaches working mainly with mid-tier clients, typically 20 to 1,000 employees.

Darren is a central figure in creating Shirlaws' intellectual property, a portfolio of frameworks addressing the number one business issue - how to increase profitability while managing growth. Darren still devotes much of his personal energy to developing the unique Shirlaws' business model and the company's strategic direction.

Richard is a Partner and Director of Shirlaws. He joined Shirlaws in 2003 and works extensively with financial services businesses, supporting transitions to new business models and accelerating growth. Richard is also a Director of Assay Heritage, a specialist family wealth strategy practice.

Richard has a history of successfully helping businesses to develop and deliver new products and propositions. Prior to joining Shirlaws, he was Managing Director of Civitas, a commercial consultancy advising businesses in the telecommunications sector on growth strategy and partnerships. Richard was also involved in several successful private ventures working on behalf of Morgan Stanley Private Equity. Previously Richard worked in several pioneering businesses including Demon Internet and WordPerfect.

John Rosling is the UK CEO of Shirlaws, runner up 2012 IoD Director of the Year and author of the popular guide for CEOs "More Money, More Time, Less Stress".

As well as being CEO, John still works with a small number of clients in the UK and globally. He speaks widely on business and entrepreneurial subjects.

John started his career with Unilever in the UK and Japan before moving to Diageo. Since leaving the corporate world, he has established or acquired a number of businesses.