Emma Ellse (Mentor / Coach / Trainer)

As an SME business leader, you and your team might be feeling the pressure to adopt AI—knowing it's the future, yet not quite sure where to start or how to keep up. New AI tools are emerging quickly, and it can feel overwhelming. How do you use AI in your business when the learning curve feels steep and the jargon never ends?

I get it. Many of my clients have been right where you are—curious about AI, knowing it could be a game changer, but unsure about that first step. It’s not about lacking ambition—AI can just feel confusing, which makes it hard to take action.

That’s where my bespoke training comes in. My mission is to make AI approachable, practical, and yes—even fun. Together, we'll break down those intimidating concepts into manageable, hands-on experiences that make sense for your business. My training sessions are all about:

Tailored Content: Designed for both you and your team, showing exactly how AI fits into your business.

Clear Takeaways: Providing insights you can implement from day one, so everyone feels confident about next steps.

Ongoing Support: Establishing a feedback loop, so you’re not left on your own—whether it’s a quick reference guide or a follow-up mini-session.

When you sign up for my training, you're taking the first step toward mastering AI on your terms. My goal is for you and your team to leave each session not just informed, but genuinely excited—ready to bring AI into your strategy and take the lead in your industry.

Without support, AI can feel like an intimidating mountain, holding you back from new opportunities. But with my approach, I’ll be there with you—simplifying the path, guiding your team, and making sure you have the tools, understanding, and confidence to become empowered industry leaders.

Ready?

Let’s turn AI from something overwhelming into something you master, making it work for your business growth.

DM me

AI Training for Business Leaders and their Teams 

Business and Marketing Consultancy, Training and Mentorship | Strategic Marketing Plan Development | Marketing and Business Growth Workshops | Business & Marketing Training Designed and Delivered

For over 25 years I've been helping talented professionals and their teams make sense of marketing to grow their business. I've helped them to Find, Win, Keep and Grow more of their most profitable clients through clever marketing strategies, award-winning campaigns, lead-generating social media and websites. I can help you too.

Over the course of my career I've have worked alongside sales teams and agencies with clients of all sizes, from large multinational corporations to startups in a variety of sectors.

I have a strong background in digital marketing, having started my career in 2003 developing strategies, working on websites, managing affiliate marketing and delivering email campaigns. I stay up-to-date with the latest industry developments through continuous CPD and as a practising marketer and trainer.

I have taught modules in Business, Strategy, and Digital Marketing for Nottingham Trent, written and delivered modules in Digital Marketing for Sheffield Hallam University, written and delivered an MSc Digital Marketing programme, and modules in consultancy, ecommerce &  business for students and SME businesses as a PT Senior Lecturer at University of Lincoln.

Today, I work as a high-level strategic Business and Marketing Consultant and Mentor, providing senior-level support to businesses that need help with Marketing Strategy, Planning, and Tactical Advice.

I offer mentorship programmes for Marketing Executives transitioning to Marketing Manager level and for Business Owners starting out in their business. 

Passionate about training, I write and deliver bespoke Business, Marketing, Leadership and AI Training for Education Providers and in-house teams. 

Book in for a chat https://calendly.com/emmaellse/free_30mins_chat

Marketing / Business / AI Consultant, Mentor - Course / Programme Creator and Trainer FIDM FCIM FHEA

Boardroom Advisors: Part-Time CEOs MDs NEDs for Scale-Ups and SME's.

Providing strategic advice and interim support to executive teams in growing SMEs and scale-ups. 
Boardroom Advisors have a breadth and depth of experience and expertise to provide the right advisor at the right time, with complete flexibility to supply advice and skills as and when required.

Strategic Advisor / Coach / Mentor 

Association of Business Mentors (ABM)

Providing local connectivity with the AMB members and giving a 'local' voice and presence to the Association and the value of business mentoring to businesses in the region.

Regional Ambassador - North 

Member of the development team supporting the delivery of the Government's Help To Grow: Management course for SME businesses. 

A vetted Mentor on the course supporting Businesses as a Mentor. A trained Facilitator  supporting other Mentors by running Peer Mentoring Circle groups to support Mentors in developing mentoring skills to deliver a best-in-class service. 

Writing and delivering a series of Mentor Masterclasses focused on business growth topic areas as covered in key modules on the Help To Grow: Management Course delivered to participants at the Business Schools.

Help To Grow: Management Course - Project Suppor / Mentor Peer Group Facilitator / Mentor Trainer 

Fully vetted and ILM7 qualified member of the ABM supporting SME businesses with Business Growth, Marketing and Leadership - Mentoring, Consulting and Training.

Member & ILM7 Qualified SME Business & Marketing Mentor

Lincoln International Business School - University of Lincoln

July 2023: Delivering the following modules on the Help to Grow: Management Course to leaders within SME businesses on behalf of the university for Cohort 1 :

- Organisational Design 
- Employee Engagement and Leading change
- Efficient Operations 
- Implementing Growth Plans

August 2023: Writing and delivering 6 workshops on Digital Marketing LincolnBased SME's as part of the Lincoln Be Smarter project. 

October 2023: Facilitating the Help to Grow programme for Cohort 2.

May 2024: Writing and Delivering 4x one day workshops for SME's as part of the Lincoln Be Smarter prpgramme. Topics focused on AI for Enhanced SME Business Operations. Topics = Improving Productivity with AI,  Enhancing Content and Social Media Marketing with AI, Improving Branding and Email Marketing with AI, AI Policy, Security, Ethics and Governance. 

June 2024: Facilitation of Help To Grow: Management Course Cohort 4 of SME Business leaders. Delivery of all peer to peer group facilitation sessions and providing 1-2-1 guidance, mentoring and support to participants.

Consultant Senior Lecturer in Business, Leadership and Digital Marketing FHEA

*Writing and delivering level 7 (MSc) 'Digital Marketing' Module for Post Graduate Students

*Writing and delivering the 'Marketing and Stakeholder Engagement' module on the universities flagship programme - Senior Leaders Masters Degree Apprenticeship & MBA Leadership Programme 

*Writing and delivering (MSc) 'Group Consultancy' Module for PG business students

*Writing and delivering 'Business and eCommerce' Module for Undergraduate students
 
*MSc Digital Marketing Programme development and delivery of Ecommerce Business and Marketing module 

*Delivering Webinars and F2F 2 day training courses for SME businesses in Digital Marketing Planning and Advertising. 

*Supported local businesses through university partnerships, training and consulting. 

*Gained a level 7 qualification in HE Policy and Practice with Fellow status of the HEA. (Advanced HE)

Senior Lecturer In Business and Digital Marketing PT (with Professional Practice) FHEA 

MyPD

Creating and delivering content for the following programmes. 

Directors Excellence Accelerator Programme: Course content creation and delivery for day 3: 'Strategy Behind High Impact Marketing' 

Digital Marketing and Optimising Online Tools
Full Programme development and delivery.  

Bespoke inhouse training creation and delivery.

Business and Marketing Programme Developer and Trainer 

Enterprise Nation

Selected to support SME businesses on the Help To Grow: Management course as a trained and vetted Business Mentor.

Providing business growth and marketing advice and support to SME businesses as registered advisor member.

SME Business Mentor and Advisor 

Filey Distillery

8-month Interim contract to support an SME start-up with their business planning, setting a strong operational, process driven and tech-supported foundation for growth. 

CRM Implementation, Development of Amazon Sales Channel, Website and SEO Improvements and Optimisation, Strategic Marketing Planning, Customer Identification, and Customer Journey Planning. Tactical Marketing Planning and Deployment.

Interim Marketing Director

Watson Woodhouse Solicitors

Delivering Marketing, Management and Business Training and Mentoring for the Marketing Executive and two Management Apprentices. 

Providing support for the Business and Marketing Director and CEO. 

Delivering 1-2-1 Leadership Training to Senior members of the organisation and group Management and Leadership Training to managers and heads of department.

Marketing, Management and Leadership Development Consultant, Coach and Mentor 

Becker UK

Mentoring the Marketing Executive from entry-level Marketer to Confident Marketing Manager. Supporting the MD with Strategic Marketing Direction

Marketing Consultant and Mentor

SKANWEAR®

Mentoring the Marketing Executive from Entry Level Marketer to Confident Marketing Manager. Providing Strategic Marketing Direction and Advice to the board of Directors.

Marketing Consultant and Mentor 

Employee training and mentoring are crucial for SME growth. 

68% of employees prefer to learn at work, with 90% of employees saying they won't quit their role if they receive training. 

76% of UK businesses say mentoring has been vital for growth, 60% note a boost in strategy, and 66% improve survival chances. 

Combining bespoke training with tailored mentoring delivers essential upskilling and the supported application for long-term sustained growth.

Here are some of the common hurdles I've helped leaders like you overcome.

➡️The daunting task of keeping up with digital advancements and AI integration
➡️The constant battle to generate new, consistent, qualified leads
➡️A pressing need to empower and upskill your team, especially in the realms of digital and AI marketing
➡️Striving to get sales and marketing aligned
➡️The isolation in decision-making roles, craving for support and guidance
➡️Increasing difficulties in recruiting and retaining top talent 

I'm Emma Ellse (BA (Hons.), PgDip IDM, PgDip DigM, PgDip HE, ILM7, FIDM, FCIM, FHEA, FABM

⭐️Deep-rooted marketing expertise from senior roles across B2B and B2C sectors since 2003
⭐️Trusted, Experienced and Qualified Consultant, Coach, and Mentor since 2015
⭐️Trained over 1100 SME Business Leaders and their teams
⭐️Qualified HE Academic Practitioner & Senior Consultant Business Lecturer

Here's how we can work together:

1. Book a 15-minute Call
For business leaders looking to upskill their teams or education /  business support hubs looking for training for their clients. Book in a chat let's get the ball rolling on your bespoke programme. 

2. Work with me privately 
To work with me directly on AI, marketing and growth strategies send me a message with the title 'Private'  and a little more info about your business and I'll send you some details. 

3. Talk to me about peer facilitation
Does your business support SME leaders? I run engaging peer to peer support circles where peer learning is collaborative, fun and value driven. 

4. Need an engaging speaker for your event? 
Everyone wants to know how AI can help them become more engaging. My talks are fun  engaging, informative amd loaded with value and takeaways. 

Hear from those who have worked alongside me. Scroll Down👇🏻

Emma Ellse

And that's a wrap on what's been an incredible ILM5 journey for both our learners and me as their ILM5 Association of Business Mentors (ABM) tutor.   

Six workshops, supervision, peer support groups, 18 hours of mentoring, many tutorials later and (aside from the assessments - they're done! ) 

And what a fantastic group they've been! 

Watching this cohort of experienced and professional business mentors develop their skills further and grow in confidence over the last 6 months has been one of the highlights of my year. 

Thank you 🐝 Bernie Wales 🐝, Laura West, Adam Croxen, Laura Shimili Mears, Ella Barrington, Spencer Glazsher, Will Lockie, Graham Turrell, Carla Bastos 👏  It's been a joy and you've all been amazing! 

If you're a Business Mentor wanting to upskill in 2026 with either the ILM5 or ILM7 in Business Mentoring, watch this space for an announcement on our 2026 dates or feel free to DM me for a chat.

I take my eye off AI for one day… and GPT-5.2 launches 😅

I was in London yesterday, celebrating a fantastic year of achievements with my amazing colleagues at Association of Business Mentors (ABM) 👏🏻🥂 and came back to what feels like it could be a huge AI update.

GPT-5.2 has launched and, while it’s early days and largely untested in real business environments, it does signal a clear direction of travel. 

It looks like we're moving beyond AI that simply helps with individual tasks towards systems that can run parts of a workflow end-to-end much easier than we've seen before. 

What this means is that roles made up of highly repeatable, process-driven work will continue to be automated over time. (it looks like GPT 5.2 is all about making that slicker and easier)

And work requiring judgement, relationships, leadership, creativity and real-world complexity becomes even more valuable

That doesn’t mean jobs are suddenly disappearing overnight. Businesses adopt tech far more slowly than the headlines and doomers suggest. There are security issues, process issues, data issues, training, upskilling and people to consider. 

But with two teenagers working out career paths and the businesses I support wanting support with AI adoption this progress is something I'm keeping a close eye on. 

What I think this means is that roles built almost entirely on repeatable, process-driven work will see declining recruitment over time, as automation becomes the default.

Examples where we’re likely to see far fewer new hires:
 
• Tier-1 customer support
• Data entry and transcription
• Basic bookkeeping and accounts admin
• Junior QA and manual software testing
• Generalist translation and localisation
• Entry-level content production (SEO blogs, captions, product copy)
• Low-complexity design and stock imagery work

These roles won’t disappear overnight, they'll simply stop being recruited for as standalone jobs. 

At the same time, work requiring judgement, relationships, leadership, creativity and real-world complexity becomes more valuable.

Roles that remain in demand: 
• Business leaders and decision-makers
• People managers and team leaders
• Sales roles built on trust and relationships
• Coaches, Business Mentors and Facilitators (when focused on challenge, support and judgement, not just advice)
• Skilled trades and hands-on technical roles
• Senior specialists who can interpret, decide and act on AI output

If a role follows a clear process, automation accelerates it. 

If a role deals with ambiguity, people still matter.

I’ll be watching closely as GPT-5.2 is tested in real businesses, especially SMEs and I'll be testing it out myself and sharing what actually works (and what doesn’t).

Back from London. Back to AI. And clearly… a lot to catch up on. 

#GPT52 #AI #FutureOfWork #SMEs #BusinessGrowth #AITraining

There have been so many highlights to reflect back on this year, but the one that stands out the most has been having the privilege to write and deliver the ILM 5 and 7 to support the CPD of our Association of Business Mentors (ABM) Mentors. 

So to receive this super thoughtful and, I can confirm, utterly delicious thank you gift from one of our learners today was genuinely touching and completely unexpected. 

Thank you so much for the lovely surprise 🤗. After the craziness of the last few weeks I'm taking time now to reflect, feel grateful and eat cake 😋

thank you 🙏🏻🤗

Yesterday I delivered a workshop for SME leaders on behalf of Business Lincolnshire on the not-so-glamorous but absolutely essential side of AI: Security, Policy and Governance.

We had some brilliant, thoughtful conversations about the risks SMEs are already facing, from unsupervised AI use to data leakage and compliance gaps.

David Regler shared an important piece on prompt injections and jail-breaking with LLMs that really brought the risks to life.

Everyone left with:

A practical AI security checklist

A clear draft AI policy, and

A focused next steps action plan to take back into their business

My key message of the day was... 

Start your AI journey strategically with the challenges and bottlenecks, not the shiny tools.

Bring your teams on the journey with you and identify where AI is already being used. 

Write a policy that is specific to your AI usage and can provide clear guidelines.

Decide who is accountable, and build literacy across your teams. 

Thank you to everyone who attended for all of the great interaction, thoughtful questions and discussions. 

#AIAdoption #AITraining #AILeaders #AIPolicy #AISecurity #AIGovernance

It's that time of year isn't it 🤧🤢

House full of snot and coughs, kids off school and me coughing my way through tutorials with my ILM learners (sorry Spencer Glazsher 🤧)

I'm determined not to be ill for Christmas, don't want to be sneezing into the sprouts now do I, so I'm back necking a handful of vitamins washed down with a berocca in a morning. 

What do you all do to build / repair your battered immune systems? 

#cough #cold #winter #winterbugs

Are you a Greater Lincolnshire-based SME leader thinking about how to safely and securely adopt AI? 

Join myself and David Regler at the Mosaic Digital Hub on Nov 25th 9am - 11:30am where we will cover the following ... 

*How to recognise key risks and responsibilities 
*Complete a practical AI Security Checklist 
*Understand what should be included in your AI policy 
*Start identifying responsibilities and building a governance framework 
*Gain confidence in using AI in line with legal, data and organisational values.

Follow the QR code or link in the chat to register or feel free or DM me or David to be added. 

#AI #AITraining #AIworkshop #AIPolicy #AISecurity #AIGovernance  #AILeadership

Emma Ellse, AI Security, Policy and Governance, Business Lincolnshire 

I'm excited to share a new white paper from the Association of Business Mentors (ABM) 

'AI and the Future of Business Mentoring' which is a must-read for anyone passionate about business mentoring and supporting SMEs to adopt AI ethically, responsibility and with confidence. 

The insights in this paper go beyond tools and buzzwords, they dig into the realities of AI adoption, the skills mentors need to support SME leaders, and why structured, human-centred guidance matters now more than ever. 

As more SMEs explore AI for productivity, innovation and growth, the role of the business mentor becomes even more critical,  not just as a coach or strategist, but as a trusted partner who understands risk, ethics and long-term business value. 

This paper gives us a practical framework to do just that. 

👉 Read the paper here:
 https://lnkd.in/enGMMQbD

Great work Ben Jacobs and Association of Business Mentors (ABM) for stepping up with research that helps shape a future where AI Adoption is led with human judgement, values and ethical oversight,   benefiting both businesses and the people behind them. 

#AI #BusinessMentoring #SME #EthicalAI #Leadership #BusinessGrowth

Open article: AI-focused SME mentoring surges 100% as new white paper charts the future of business mentoring - Association of Business Mentors by associationofbusinessmentors.org

AI-focused SME mentoring surges 100% as new white paper charts the future of business mentoring - Association of Business Mentors

Shout out to David Regler, the person I connected with the most on LinkedIn this year. #YearinReview

Sabine VanderLinden

Activate Innovation Ecosystems | Tech Ambassador | Founder of Alchemy Crew Ventures + Scouting for Growth | Chair, Board Member, Advisor | Honorary Senior Visiting Fellow-Bayes Business School

I don't just talk about innovation, AI, workforce or digital transformation— I build the bridges that make things real.

As Founder & Venture-Client Partner of Alchemy Crew Ventures, I run global R&D + Adoption Labs that connect Fortune 500 insurers and corporates with the most brilliant tech ventures on the planet. Think of us as the “fast lane” between startup brilliance and enterprise adoption. My themes include FinTech/ InsurTech and deploying AI at scale responsibly. 

What this looks like in numbers:
📍 Accelerated 160+ ventures and sourced 55,000+ startups worldwide
📍 Invested in 35+ early stage startups
📍 Delivered exits like FitSense → Zurich (2018), MyFutureNow → L&G (2019), and Tia Tech → Sapiens (2020)
📍 Created Insurer-led Acceleration and Scaleup programs that turned pilot purgatory into scalable commercial success

But the real story? I help founders land their first million-dollar client, build authentic personal brands, and help corporates cut through the noise to adopt tech that drives real growth.

My world revolves around:
📍 Venture Clienting 2.0 & Corporate Innovation Frameworks
📍 AI (ethics, adoption, emerging risks)
📍 Climate Resilience, Risk Futures & Sustainability Transformation
📍 The Future of Work (where humans + tech thrive together)

Beyond Alchemy Crew:
📍 Co-editor of the bestselling INSURTECH Book
📍 Wrote forewords for the Future of Insurance and Momentum
📍 Lecturer on Corporate Venturing at Bayes Business School
📍 Board + advisory roles across VCs, Scaleups (The CareVoice), foundations (Women to Watch), standards (ACORD Solutions) & global insurers
📍 Top 10 Business Podcast "Scouting for Growth" 
📍 Recognized with 10+ awards, including Most Influential CEO – Insurance Corporate Ventures (2024/2025)

My channels beyond LinkedIn:
x.com: @SabineVdL
instagram: @sabinevdlofficial
Medium: @sabine_vdl
Podcast: Scouting for Growth and Beyond Tech Frontiers
Newsletter: alchemycrew.ventures

What drives me?
Creating value where others see friction.
Turning hype into measurable outcomes.
And making sure technology becomes a force for good, not just another buzzword.

Award List (10+): Insurance Times-Tech & Innovation Awards Winner (2018), Grant Thornton-Face of a Vibrant Economy (2018), Business Insurance-Women to Watch Honoree (2019), Corporate Vision-Venture Validation Firm of the Year (2021), Finalist Women in Insurance Perseverance Award (2021), Awarded Perseverant Company to Watch in (2021), ACORD Awards (2020/2023), Most Influential CEO-Insurance Corporate Ventures (2024/2025).

Co-founder, Chief Executive Officer & Venture Partner

Delivering venture labs that accelerate, industrialize and democratize the way tech ventures engage with corporations. These labs apply acceleration, co-creation, and commercialization techniques to de-risk the way insurers and financial institutions collaborate, grow, and scale their venture-led growth initiatives.

Also, systematizing for a select group of growth ventures the way their engagement with corporations.

You can find out more 👉🏽 https://alchemycrew.com/

🌟 The Data Paradox: Why Your AI Might Be Flying Blind 💫

You wouldn’t let a doctor put you in a full-body cast without a diagnosis, would you? You’d expect them to run tests, understand the problem, and then recommend a solution. So why are so many companies jumping straight to AI without first understanding their data?

This is the heart of the #DataParadox, as shared by Michel Porter and Dennis Preuss of EY during our conversation at #MicrosoftIgnite. Your AI can tell you what happened, but it can’t tell you why.

Both Michel and Dennis put it perfectly: rushing into AI without a proper data assessment is like “throwing a bunch of money at a problem that you’re not really sure whether or not it’s going to solve the problem or not.”

The answer? It’s not about the AI… It’s about the data.

Here are the key takeaways for any leader navigating the AI landscape:

📍  Think Data First, Then AI: As Dennis emphasized, “before you think AI, think data.” Your AI is only as good as the data it’s built on. Investing in your data estate is the first and most critical step.

📍  The Power of Assessment: Just like a doctor’s diagnosis, a data assessment is crucial. It helps you understand your current data maturity, identify gaps, and create a roadmap for success. Don’t skip this step!

📍  Trust Through Explainability: For AI to be truly adopted, it needs to be trusted. This means focusing on explainability—understanding why the AI made a particular recommendation. As we discussed, this is key to building confidence and driving adoption.

📍  Empower Your People: Change management is not a top-down mandate. The best advice from our discussion was to let your people dive in, in a risk-controlled way. When employees use AI every day, they start to understand its potential and can identify opportunities for innovation from the ground up.

Jumping to AI without a solid data foundation is a recipe for disappointment. It’s time to stop chasing AI hype and start building a data-driven culture that unlocks its true potential.

What are your thoughts about YOUR Data Paradox? Have you seen this within your current organization?

During my conversations with EY + Microsoft Alliance, I learnt strategic techniques to manage it 👉🏽 https://bit.ly/48ESG5q

#AgenticFrontier #Leadership #EY

Join me for an insightful LinkedIn Live session with Marinela Profi, Global AI & GenAI Market Strategy Lead at SAS, as we dive into the future of enterprise decision-making with Agentic AI.

In this session, we’ll explore how Agentic AI is transforming how businesses approach decisioning, governance, and trust. Marinela will unpack the concept of Agentic AI — intelligent systems that not only predict but perceive, reason, and act autonomously — and what it means for enterprises striving for innovation in the age of intelligent autonomy.

We’ll discuss:
1) The rise of Agentic AI and how it differs from generative models like chatbots.
2) The critical role of governance, explainability, and human-AI collaboration.
3) Real-world banking use cases where Agentic AI is already delivering tangible results.
4) What business leaders need to know to leverage these technologies safely and effectively by 2026.

More on our discussion here: https://bit.ly/4ouB9TG

Don’t miss the opportunity to hear from one of the leading voices in AI on how we can turn the trust dilemma into an opportunity for responsible AI adoption.

Building the Trust Frontier with Agentic AI for the Enterprise

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The Battle

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