Fiona Westwood practiced for more than 20 years as a commercial
lawyer, latterly as an equity partner with particular responsibilities
for management and business development across the whole firm.
Since 1994, she has run her own management consultancy, Westwood Associates (www.westwood-associates.com)
which specialises in providing support to the professional sector,
particularly in relation to strategy and business development, client
service improvement, professional development and leadership skills.
Over the past 15 years, she has researched in detail the strategy and
operational success of professional service organisations, culminating
in three published books. Her first book, Achieving Best Practice –shaping professionals for success
was nominated their September Book of the Month by McGraw Hill in 2001
and developed a Model for Success based on identifying market trends and
business drivers. Her second book, Accelerated Best Practice – implementing success in professional firms
expands in this theme, highlighting the importance of aligning strategy
with client needs, service quality, people development and
leadership. Her most recent book, Developing Resilience – the key to professional success looks at the impact of the current marketplace on professionals and their career progression and ways of working.
She teaches at post-graduate level and was a co-opted member on the
Law Society of Scotland’s Working Party on Standards and CPD Project
Leader of their Education and Training Review. She writes regularly for
a number of professional publications, and has worked on international
client projects in the USA, Europe, Hong Kong, Australia and the Middle
East.