The authors

Barrie Hopson

Barrie’s portfolio includes… being a psychologist, writer, presenter, consultant, Chairman of Axia Interactive Media, non–executive director of two other companies and chair of his local community association. He has a long history of involvement in the area of career development.

A lecturer at Leeds University he became director of the Vocational Guidance Research Unit in 1970 and then set up the Counselling and Career Development Unit at the University in 1976.  He subsequently went on to found the publishing and consulting group, Lifeskills International and was its CEO until 1999.

Barrie has written 38 books including the bestselling 12 Steps to Success through Service, The Lifeskills Teaching Programmes and Build Your Own Rainbow. Prior to this his latest book was The Rainbow Years: the Pluses of Being 50+ and an accompanying website theplusesofbeing50plus.blogspot.com. The latter were all co-authored with Mike Scally.

Barrie has worked widely as a consultant to commercial and educational organisations in the UK, US, Asia, Canada and Europe. He is married with two grown-up children, two small but disarming grandchildren and sees one of the major payoffs of his portfolio career as being able to follow Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

Katie Ledger

Katie’s portfolio includes… being a communications consultant, conference facilitator and producer, presenter, author and TV reporter for BBC Click.

She helps individuals, teams and organisations to communicate in a compelling way. Katie spent 12 years working as a tv news presenter for Five News, ITN and the BBC.

Currently, she works for many companies such as Microsoft, Sony, Reed Elsevier, 3 Mobile, Wiley Publishing, Waterstones, HMV and the Met Police. She’s therefore well equipped to cope with the high-pressure situations she regularly faces dealing with two small children, two cats, one husband (with portfolio career) and a very busy but fulfilling work style.