The story of Akela Abbott is one of family, legacy and inspiration. The Hollywood actor John Kefford (stage name John Abbott) was the great uncle of Akela Abbott founder, Nigel Kefford. As a celebrated actor, he lent his voice to Akela, the wolf, in the original 1967 Walt Disney adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book.
Akela, leader of the wolf pack, is quoted as saying ‘For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack’. This quote epitomises what’s required to bring out the best in any team and is our guiding belief when it comes to team leadership. In other words: ‘The strength of the team is the leader, and the strength of the leader is the team’.
With over 65 years of combined experience in training and development, founders Nigel Kefford and Deborah Tabbron established Akela Abbott to partner with businesses in developing individuals and teams, helping them reach their full potential in a way that is meaningful, effective and efficient.
During his 36-year police career, Nigel spent over three decades in armed policing at local, national and international levels. He led tactical teams, commanded officers, provided tactical advice and delivered national training for tactical command and advisors.
As a specialist close protection officer, he protected members of the Royal Family, dignitaries and ministers, while leading national close protection officer courses. A qualified Teacher, A1 Assessor and V1 Internal Verifier, he trained national firearms instructors, enabling them to lead and teach other officers. Nigel's vast experience in leadership highlights the importance of trust and confidence in driving team performance and achieving goals.
He is also a certified facilitator in the Pro.Play® Method at levels 1, 2, and 3, a process that uses toolkit-based modelling to foster creative thinking, personal commitment and emotional engagement, leading to deeper insights than conventional discussions.
With over 30 years of experience, Deborah is a seasoned leader known for developing strategies that boost employee capabilities and performance. Her hands-on approach and tactical planning have driven success in L&D, people management and customer service.
Deborah’s journey includes a decade in New Zealand, where she founded and grew a successful business, earning a national award for outstanding customer service before selling it in 2016.
She also spent over 15 years in management roles at John Lewis, leading large teams, increasing sales, improving profits and enhancing employee engagement.
Previously, as Head of Retail Training & Talent Development for a luxury retailer, she designed national and international training programmes. In 2021, Deborah completed the Corporate Sustainability programme at NYU Stern School of Business. Her expertise includes training strategy, digital course creation and using Articulate 360, a top-rated e-learning authoring tool.
Make a positive impact: We aim to add value at every stage, leaving businesses stronger than when we arrived.
Make it relevant: We learn what matters most to you, tailoring our approach to ensure the focus is always on your goals.
Make complicated simple: By cutting through the jargon, we present clear, actionable solutions that drive real change.
Make it meaningful: We create rewarding experiences, ensuring that every interaction leaves a positive impression.
Our experience has shown that face-to-face training is the most effective and impactful way to learn. While virtual training has its benefits, nothing beats the immersion and engagement of in-person training within a dedicated learning environment.
We pride ourselves on offering a service that prioritises face-to-face delivery for the best results.
Partnering with us means joining forces with a friendly, experienced and dedicated team who care about your success. We offer learning and development courses, along with workshops and facilitation sessions for businesses of all sizes, with the flexibility to customise content to meet your needs.
Inspired by a quote from Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book
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Company number: 15865768 - VAT number: UK473882059