I’m Claire, founder of Claire Soden Consultancy, a learning and development expert with over a decade of experience spanning retail, legal, aviation, and consultancy sectors. I specialise in customer experience and personal effectiveness training, with a strong track record in designing and delivering high-impact learning solutions.

My career began in hospitality, working at Silverstone during major race events, including Formula One. This early exposure to high-pressure, customer-focused environments sparked an enduring passion for service excellence. 

I went on to join Marks & Spencer, where I developed core frontline and customer experience skills, before moving into the legal sector as a case handler in conveyancing. A lateral move into I.T. support soon revealed a deeper interest in coaching and supporting others - marking the start of my journey into learning and development.

I joined British Airways in 2013 and spent nearly eight years with the organisation, initially as cabin crew before progressing to several roles within the Global Learning Academy. My responsibilities included designing and delivering training programmes, developing onboarding experiences, managing a team of trainers, assessing and supporting new trainers, and conducting audits and quality assurance activities across a wide range of learning interventions.

Since 2021, I have worked independently as a learning and development consultant. I collaborate with clients across all industries to deliver both off-the-shelf and bespoke training solutions. I bring a practical, people-focused approach to every project, and pride myself on delivering learning that is both meaningful and measurable.

Claire Soden Consultancy is, at its heart, me: a dedicated learning and development partner who works personally with every client. From the very first discovery call through to design, delivery, and ongoing support, I provide a truly one-to-one consultancy service. 

My clients value the direct access, consistency, and care that come with working closely with an experienced specialist, while still benefiting from big-project results. And when a project calls for additional expertise, I collaborate with a small network of trusted learning consultants to support areas such as specialist delivery, instructional design, or e-learning development.

Alongside my work in learning and development, I’ve also explored my entrepreneurial side - I built and sold a successful catering business, gaining hands-on insight into what it takes to run a company, connect with customers, and juggle competing priorities (all great learning experiences in their own right!). 

I’m an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and I’m always learning myself - whether that’s through new projects, industries, or collaborations. 

If you’re looking for someone who brings warmth, humour, insight, and real-world experience to the learning space, I’d love to connect.