Innovation for Education and Training

In 2012, we began our journey. We set up Kodo Education LTD and built an online platform that would enable teachers and students to access Kodo’s teaching and training resources, wherever and whenever they needed them. There are now over 10,000 schools around the world using the Kodo platform and educational resources.

From early on, it was obvious to us that the potential existed for the platform to have a much wider application in the education and training sector and beyond. We took what we had learned when we built the Kodo platform and founded TrainingToolz.

We started again and built our own brand new training and communications tracking platform from the ground up.

Not only have we used our platforms to create a range of our own products and services, we have also partnered with a number of 3rd parties to supply technology and white labeled services to enhance their own business offerings.

We continue to innovate our platforms and technologies, opening up more opportunities for ourselves and our partners.

Kirsty began her career as a serial entrepreneur as a Shell LiveWire finalist in the 1990s. Since then she has been behind a series of award-winning and highly successful website launches including www.gapwork.com and www.free-teaching-resources.co.uk. After receiving business angel funding for gapwork.com, Kirsty went on to buy out the investors three years later, and create an online publishing business that included a portfolio of advertising and subscription-driven websites in the travel and education sectors.

As well as her online publishing experience, Kirsty has had a business book published by Bloomsbury, a series of travel books published by Harper Collins and a range of children's books published by Random House. Her media profile includes work as a business columnist for the Sunday Express and the Yorkshire Post. She has won the Sunday Express Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, and her portfolio of websites has resulted in awards including BETT finalist, best start-up business and best B2C website from Digital Yorkshire. Kirsty has been a finalist in, and judged, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards.

As CSO, Kirsty is responsible for business development and strategic partnerships.

“Kirsty is an intelligent, hard working and market aware woman. She is target and time driven, flexible, understands value as well as cost and is aware of the needs of her investors and customers. My investment with Kirsty ran exactly to schedule which is quite unusual. We had regular meetings and discussions which lead to decisions, and the company grew in line with its targets. When the company had sufficient financial strength the Management bought out the investors at a premium as per the original agreement. I would happily invest with her again.”
George Newton, Business Angel Investor

Ian has worked with organisations of all sizes, ranging from France Telecom/Orange and Freeserve through to start-ups and SMEs. He has extensive experience in developing new technologies, cutting-edge software and communications innovation. With an MSC in Internet Application Development, he brings his knowledge and understanding of programming and software development to TrainingToolz, and co-ordinates a team of talented individuals to further evolve our technologies.

Having worked at CTO level since 2007, Ian is at the forefront of technology trends and innovations. His background in new uses and applications of technology, and his interest in the implications of how we all interact with tech, enriches his understanding of how technology can really add value for businesses and solve problems for users.

As CTO at TrainingToolz, Ian is responsible for the development and implementation of the platform, products and third party integrations.

Ian is passionate about tech start-ups, and acts as a non-executive director for a number of exciting new businesses.

"I recommend Ian without hesitation. Ian is extremely knowledgable and a highly skilled professional. He is extremely reliable, and like many passionate-about-technology-people, delivers beyond expectations. He is able to re-pose problems in ways that help to significantly advance thinking. He has initiative and a sensitivity to group dynamics that makes him an indispensable leader and team player when called upon to play these roles. Above all, he is a great guy to work with who has a great sense of humour. He also plays in a band which makes him pretty cool."
Norman Lewis, Innovation at PricewaterhouseCoopers Limited