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Nick Leney
Learning Consultant
Professional Background
Nick Leney has built a distinguished career that lies at the intersection of education, technology, and innovative learning solutions. With a rich background that encompasses teaching, consultancy, and leadership roles, Nick has dedicated himself to developing learning strategies that are deeply rooted in the needs of learners and organizations alike. Currently, he operates as an independent consultant through his company, Novo Learning Ltd, where his focus lies in creating outcome-oriented and forward-thinking educational solutions.
Nick's career journey began in the UK, where he first trained as a teacher. Over the years, he has transcended traditional educational roles, embracing opportunities that span continents, including a decade of work and study in both Australia and New Zealand. This international experience has greatly enriched his perspective on learning and has allowed him to implement innovative strategies that address diverse learner needs across various sectors.
With a strong belief in the importance of empathy and creativity in learning strategy development, Nick remains committed to fostering environments that benefit learners and organizations. His unique approach is informed by his experiences in various industries, including education, health, law enforcement, and the third sector.
Education and Achievements
Nick's academic journey has been equally impressive. He holds a Master’s Degree in Education Leadership and Management from the Open University, where he honed his understanding of effective educational practices and leadership dynamics. Moreover, he pursued further education in Project Management at the University of Newcastle, followed by a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from Nottingham Trent University. His undergraduate foundation lies in Economics, having earned a Bachelor’s Degree from De Montfort University.
To deepen his expertise, Nick also undertook doctoral research at the University of South Wales, focusing on Professional Development and Learning. This rigorous academic training complements his hands-on experience as an independent consultant and affirms his commitment to continual learning and improvement.
Nick's professional accomplishments are demonstrated through his Fellowship of the Learning Performance Institute, which recognizes his significant contributions and commitment to advancing learning practices.
Notable Project Involvements
His career encompasses a variety of roles that showcase his ability to lead and innovate. Notably, he served as the Deputy Head Teacher at Wey Education Plc, where his leadership contributed to the development of effective educational frameworks. Additionally, as the Director of e-Learning at Nga Tawa Diocesan School, Nick was instrumental in implementing modern technology into the educational landscape, championing innovative practices that fostered engaging learning environments.
Furthermore, at Hinchingbrooke School, Nick held the position of Head of ICT, where he played a pivotal role in shaping the technology curriculum and integrating ICT practices across educational delivery. These roles illustrate his profound ability to bridge the gap between educational needs and technological advancements.
Alongside his extensive teaching experience, Nick has also served on boards, including his tenure as a Board Member at ACTAsia (Action - Compassion - Together), where he contributed his insights and expertise in mindful learning practices.
Outcome-Focused Consultancy
Currently, Nick provides consultancy services through Novo Learning Ltd, where he applies his vast experience to help organizations identify and meet their educational goals. His approach is characterized by a strong emphasis on outcomes, ensuring that the strategies he develops are not only innovative but also practical and impactful. By focusing on the unique needs of each learner and the strategic objectives of organizations, Nick's consultancy is designed to foster success in a constantly changing educational landscape.
In partnership with Red Octopus Solutions, Nick has expanded his reach, allowing him to engage with a diverse array of stakeholders and further promote innovative learning methodologies. His work reflects a deep commitment to enhancing educational practices through collaboration and open-mindedness, which are crucial for adapting to the ever-evolving demands of learners today.
Conclusion
In summary, Nick Leney's career is marked by an unwavering dedication to elevating educational practices through innovation and learner-centered strategies. With an extensive background, both in teaching and consultancy, complemented by a solid educational foundation, Nick is well-positioned to continue making significant contributions to the field of education. His advocacy for cross-professionalism and responsiveness to diverse innovations empowers organizations to embrace change and enhance the learning experiences of individuals in both formal and informal settings.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
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Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Clay is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.