I’ve run large, regulated UK services and delivered results: 20+ years in healthcare, education and employability, a £120M P&L, 800 staff and 25 sites.
Neil Johnson
Chief Operating Officer · Director of Operations
Absolute Clarity · Abu Dhabi
Book a 20 minute callTo make a difference in people's lives and lasting positive impact in the community I serve.
Two versions, available once signed off.
Led a four year reconciliation of finances and contracts, then a 2.5 year business plan signed off unanimously by the Board of Directors and the Pension Trustees.
Competed against an external field in an open selection process and was appointed permanent Group Chief Executive Officer.
Led the charity through the first wave of COVID 19, with fully remote leadership in 14 days and no confirmed cases among the people supported.
Full operational accountability for the UK employability division across 25 contract package areas; sole executive contact for the DWP Director at weekly reviews.
£120M P&L, half of the global P&L across eleven countries. Brought six England regions into one division of 25 sites and 800 staff.
Selected to lead the merged region; improved Yorkshire on every key metric.
Opened a greenfield region and mobilised two DWP contracts.
Frontline Employment Adviser to Director of Operations, with seven promotions in seven years.
Professional football alongside secondary school; a diploma in sports injuries, then Academy Physiotherapist at Sunderland AFC.
His action centred leadership was the perfect solution to our woes. He is a natural leader, a team builder, a lateral thinker and focused. Above all he possesses great follow through – he does what he says he will do. We are indebted to Neil and I would recommend him to any organisation in need of a high performing and visible leader.David Rowland, Chairman of Trustees, Coquet Trust
I had the pleasure of working alongside Neil as a fellow divisional director for five years and found him to be a results driven senior business leader with a strong personal value set which underpins everything he does. Neil always brought a strong commercial mind-set and clarity of focus to our leadership team, something which was instrumental in the market leading performance he led his teams to achieve.Paul de Pellette, Director of UK Employability, Ingeus
Neil demonstrated he could implement and deliver the strategic vision of the business and turn it into operational reality. With excellent relationship management ability, both internally and externally, stakeholders follow Neil… Neil leads from the front and is determined and focused, with an eye for detail when it matters. I have not worked with such a committed and commercially astute Operations Director.John Bramley, Regional Accountant
Clinical, physiotherapy and mental health teams run alongside frontline services. Ready for Department of Health Abu Dhabi standards.
Adult education, training and apprenticeships, including the Zodiac Training acquisition. Aligned to ADEK expectations.
Care and support for people with learning disabilities, and welfare to work at scale. Aligned to DCD frameworks.
No matter what business you operate or work in, being prepared for the future is critical.
AI Agent Models.
The future of money and the wider use case of blockchain.
Six pillars, delivered through valued business partners in a matrix structure framework.
FinancePerformancePeopleCustomersGovernanceGrowth and Diversification
Commercial discipline at scale.
“Neil's focus was always on the P&L with a view to maximising income and minimising cost, while at the same time delivering external partners contracted outcomes.”Tony Morton, Regional Finance Officer
Contracts brought back to the top of the table.
“Neil is an outstanding operational leader, with a consistent track record of driving exceptional performance from his national team.”Liam Sloan, Head of Business Development at Ingeus
Leaders grown from within.
“…over 70% of the team were people who had worked their way through the ranks and also a high percentage of his team took up national roles due to the development that they received under his leadership.”Michael Shane, Head of Learning and Development at Ingeus Saudi Arabia
Outcomes for the people we serve.
“His leadership has helped many thousands of people into work and improved their life chances.”Gary Buxton MBE, Director of Youth Services, Ingeus
Audit ready, every day.
“He is transparent in his delivery and accepts accountability for any project that he undertakes.”Pip Plumpton, Compliance and Claims Manager at WISE Ability
New regions, new services.
“If you are looking for a strong executive operational leader, one who can develop high performing teams and deliver results in all areas of productivity, profitability and growth, then look no further than Neil.”Cheryl Morgan, Senior Performance Excellence Manager at Ingeus
The anchor and foundation for any business.
STAR pages, one study each.
Six operating-model decks.
Portfolio decks are available on request.
20+ years in regulated services at COO and director level.
The plan signed off unanimously by Board and Pension Trustees.
Shaw Trust 8th to 1st, Coquet Trust and more, one page each.
Operating to DoH, ADEK and DCD standards.
The six pillars, with evidence for each.
How the UAE and Abu Dhabi frameworks fit together for operators.
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