About OBCL
OBCL founder and managing director, Tim Grier, puts it simply: ‘We’re business improvers.’
In 2024, Tim generated a £34m pipeline of business for a local public sector organisation in Oxfordshire. Before that, he oversaw the growth of a global infrastructure and investment company from a £5m turnover to £100m turnover over the span of 9 years. He also turned a loss-making business into a £1m profit machine within 4 years.
More importantly for him, he gets a buzz out of seeing people perform and improve. He is motivated in a coaching position, passing on experience and business wisdom as people did for him.
We care about the growth of your business. That involves higher profit margins, but it also involves the growth of your team, managers, and leaders.
OBCL helps you flush out blockages in your business, overcome bottlenecks, and establish a growth-minded thought process from which your business can improve.
Our Story
OBCL is the culmination of over 30 years of business experience in the private and public sectors. Our ethos: guide you to aim upwards and strive for better.
Our Expertise
What we do: business strategy; aligning purpose, vision, and values within your team; and building even better leaders.
Our Impact
We help you build growth-minded contributors, managers, and leaders within your business which leads to higher profit margins and a more purposeful and driven workspace.
Grow your people. Grow your leaders. Grow your business.
OBCL Impact. Proven Business Success.
Years of Business Experience
Successful Projects Completed
%
Guarantee of Meeting Client Needs
Who We Are
Partners
Tim Grier
Managing Director & Business Improver Lead
Tim is a business improver, consultant, and non-executive director. He has a knack for putting the right people in touch and building outstanding teams.Tim believes building a fantastic team starts with finding talented individuals.
He led the growth of the start–up John Laing Integrated Services business (JLIS), to a turnover of £100m from an initial turnover of £10m. His 30+ years of experience in business and facilities management has given him the wisdom and knowledge to train leaders , management teams, and businesses to be the best they can be.
He’s from the North-East (we try not to hold that against him) and will usually be found in the stands watching the Northampton Saints play rugby at the weekend.
Jamie Johnstone
Business Manager and Health & Wellbeing Lead
Jamie started his professional career as a Personal Trainer and Coach. He’s an expert at helping people take complete ownership over their health and fitness by getting stronger, fitter, and building a better relationship with food.
He recognises the pitfalls experienced in health and fitness are no different to those in business: limiting beliefs, negative self-talk, lack of purpose and vision, self-sabotage.
Jamie is enjoying putting his expertise to use in the business realm to help people clear these pitfalls. He spends his weekends either with his young family, baking bread, enjoying the outdoors, or getting humbled on the mat in jiujitsu.
Associates
Tom Joyce
Associate
Tom brings extensive experience in facilities management, biomedical research environments, market development, and project management across multiple sectors. He specialises in coordinating people, processes, and operations to achieve strategic goals, with a proven ability to work effectively at all organisational levels. His work includes overseeing sustainable facilities management for biomedical laboratories in the UK and Ireland and managing projects to ensure research facilities at major universities met strict quality and compliance standards.
In addition, Tom has played a key role in international business development and large-scale infrastructure projects. He represented an Italian manufacturer in the UK, working with government bodies and stakeholders to secure property and planning for a major industrial plant. He also guided market expansion for a Swiss clean energy firm, helping introduce patented technology across the UK, Greece, and Spain to convert waste materials into renewable energy.
Gary Lewin
Associate
Gary trained at the prestigious Urdang Academy in Musical Theatre and worked professionally as a performer before discovering a passion for teaching and personal development. For over a decade, he has coached individuals and teams, helping them build confidence, presence, and authentic communication skills.
Drawing on his experience as a choreographer, director, and performance coach, Gary specialises in bringing acting techniques into the corporate world. Through Stepping Stone Performing Arts, he now works with professionals to strengthen presentation skills, enhance stage presence, and develop active listening, transforming the way they engage in meetings, pitches, and everyday business interactions.
His approach is dynamic and supportive, empowering people to communicate with clarity and confidence while enjoying the process. Gary’s mission is simple: help individuals and teams reach their next level of impact, whether that’s commanding a room during a high-stakes presentation or fostering stronger connections in the workplace.
Allan Smith
Associate
Allan began his career as an engineer with British Nuclear Fuels Ltd, working on complex inspection systems before moving into Operations. There, he led Europe’s largest enrichment facility and developed a deep interest in boosting both people and plant performance. Rising through multiple roles to become Head of Commercial Change at Sellafield, he eventually left the corporate world to work with a range of specialist consultancies.
Since then, Allan has delivered impactful change projects for clients including Oracle, Dell, Nokia, numerous SMEs, and non-profits.
He holds a mechanical engineering degree from Nottingham University, an MBA from Lancaster University, and a practitioner’s certificate in Humanistic Psychology. He also completed extensive training at Regent’s College to qualify as a Clarity Coach. This blend of technical, commercial, and psychological expertise enables him to support and challenge clients to perform at their next level.
At OBCL, Allan is known for achieving measurable outcomes. Whether consulting, coaching, or training, his work is always bespoke and grounded in a deep understanding of each client’s unique context. He often quotes, “Prescription before diagnosis is malpractice”—and he rarely uses PowerPoint.
Shaun Hatton
Associate
Shaun brings extensive business and civic experience from across Oxfordshire. He served as Highways and Engineering Manager at Oxford City Council from the mid-1990s, later becoming Area Steward for Oxfordshire County Council until 2020. He then moved into senior director roles at ODS (Oxford Direct Services), helping shape the organisation from its formation as a LATCO in 2018.
At OBCL, Shaun combines deep local knowledge with an intuitive, supportive, yet challenging approach. He’s recognised for his unparalleled ability to build strong relationships across Oxfordshire and to create high-performing teams through collaboration, consultation, and clear leadership.
Where there’s an opportunity to listen, collaborate, and turn operational or commercial challenges into practical solutions, Shaun will help you find the way forward.
