From 'Kissing with Confidence' to KWC Global: how Russell Wardrop turns training into a profit centre

"As co‑founder and chief executive of KWC Global, based in Glasgow and London, Wardrop has made a career of helping lawyers, accountants and financiers learn the commercial skills business school often forgets: how to sell, lead and grow. His thesis is disarmingly simple: if learning and development is designed correctly and linked to tangible outcomes, it stops being an overhead and starts paying for itself."

"Wardrop and his co‑founder-and wife-Sharon (pictured) began in academia. He had trained as an architect and developed a parallel career as a speaker; she studied law, relished the detail and, by his account, 'loved a spreadsheet'. Between them they had deep experience in building and validating degree and postgraduate programmes. What they could see, and what many firms could not, was the chasm between technical excellence and commercial impact."

"'There are so many brilliant professionals who are never taught how to sell or influence,' Wardrop says. 'We built programmes that gave them those tools-and the rest is history.' At the outset they chose a name you couldn't ignore: Kissing with Confidence. They were not theatre coaches but business people with a promise of 'fiercely direct feedback' and practical drills. The offering has since matured into KWC Global and the Rainmaker Series, delivered worldwide to blue‑chip firms across law, accountancy and financial services."

Russell Wardrop has spent 25 years creating rainmakers through KWC Global, training lawyers, accountants and financiers in commercial skills such as selling, leadership and growth. KWC links learning and development to tangible outcomes so training pays for itself rather than being treated as discretionary. Founders came from academia with experience building validated programmes and identified a gap between technical excellence and commercial impact. Programmes focus on practical drills, fiercely direct feedback and measurable behaviours that drive revenue. The Rainmaker Series is delivered worldwide to blue-chip firms across law, accountancy and financial services.

Read at Business Matters