Rob Irving

Rob is a respected practitioner in senior executive assessment, with over 30 years of experience advising organisations on leadership evaluation, board effectiveness, and talent strategy. He holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham’s Faculty of Commerce and a Master’s degree in Organisational Behaviour from London University.

Rob’s consultancy career began at Whitehead Mann plc, a leading executive search firm, where he established the talent leadership practice and developed the pioneering Management Asset Valuation (MAV) product. He has worked extensively with head-hunters throughout his career, including helping to build the European assessment practice at Russell Reynolds Associates, also authoring their first board effectiveness product, designed to meet the requirements of the Higgs Report on corporate governance.

Rob has led executive assessment practices at distinguished firms such as Whitehead Mann and RHR International (UK), supporting international clients across a wide range of sectors. His expertise has been instrumental in major mergers and acquisitions, including the formation of Aviva from CGU and GA, the BP-Amoco merger, and Reckitt Benckiser’s acquisitions of SSA and Boots Healthcare International. He also served for several years as a Visiting Coach at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne.

At Gadby Leadership Consulting, Rob partners with clients and plays a key role in steering and supporting the delivery of our services. His breadth of expertise continues to shape and define the quality of our offering.