Nick Drake-Knight is an authority on personal development and continuous improvement. His coaching work is used in family dynamics and social care arenas, including the UK government’s public health programme integrating healthcare and social care in the community. This builds on his success in the commercial sector, helping global brands implement day-to-day employee development strategies.

Nick has a colourful career history. He started out as a ‘midshipman’ in the merchant navy, before serving four years as a police officer in Bristol. Management positions in the leisure industry followed and gave him his first taste of people development. It was here that he began training and coaching employees to offer outstanding service to customers.

Nick’s creative, and confidence-boosting methods are formalised as the Continue & Begin Fast Coaching® method.  This innovative approach to learning and personal growth has helped Nick’s mature students gain qualifications and win regional and national awards.

As a consultant in the  1990s, Nick supported business leaders to stimulate economic development in the UK, in France, and extensively in the Former Soviet Union, including former East Germany, Poland and Slovakia. He returned full time to the UK in 1998 as business adviser, senior adviser and later board member of the UK’s largest Business Link operator, Business Link Wessex.

For 12 years from 2002 Nick was board director of the UK’s leading multi-media mystery shopping agency, where he provided customer service and sales consultancy to public sector bodies, and leading brands in retail, financial services, and the automotive industry. His public sector clients include Houses of Parliament, Government agencies, NHS Trusts, Public Health England agencies, Housing Associations, Youth Offender Teams, Local Authorities, Education Authorities, and SME economic development agencies in the UK, Eastern Europe and Middle East.

In addition, he has advised world-class commercial brands including; Amer Sports, Arc’teryx, Audi, Bang & Olufsen, Barclays, B&Q, Carphone Warehouse, Fat Face, General Motors, Halifax-Bank of Scotland, Harveys Furnishings, Hays Travel, Heal’s, Homebase, Honda, Jaguar, Kawasaki, Kia, Mazda, The Mailbox, McKinsey & Co, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Moss Bros, Oakley, O2, Peugeot, ProTyre, Salomon, Shell, Sports Direct, Subaru, Virgin Media, Volvo, Volkswagen and numerous SMEs (Small & Medium sized Enterprises) in the UK and EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa), including emerging economies in former East Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Turkey, and Bahrain.

He is director and sole shareholder of Continue and Begin Ltd, an international conference speaker, experienced learning & development consultant and an innovative individual and team coach.

Nick lives by the sea on the Isle of Wight on the southern coast of England. He is a retired amateur rugby player and is, without doubt, the worst surfer in Britain.