Maloney Associates is an energy and environmental management consultancy led by husband and wife team Keith and Lesley Maloney.  Established in 2007, based on Keith Maloney’s 25 years experience in the management of energy, carbon & environmental projects, they are totally focused on getting their clients’ results.  Various approaches are required but the result is always the same - great savings for their clients!  Maloney Associates get business through referral, and with clients like Manchester United, Liverpool Football Club and Royal Mail, it’s clearly an approach that works.

They are proud to be one of the first companies to be accredited as Low Carbon ISO 50001 Consultants by CIBSE, and have fast become one the country’s leading consultants in their field with a reputation for delivering substantial energy, cost and carbon savings.

Lesley picked up an email approach by Keele University about the Mercia Centre for Innovation Leadership (MCIL)*, and a couple of weeks later she was in conversation with Keele’s Entrepreneur in Residence Professor Carolyn Roberts about joining the MCIL programme.  “It was not so much an interview as a chat,” says Lesley. 

From Carolyn’s perspective, Maloney Associates were a perfect fit for the programme: “Working in a technology sector they are inherently involved in innovation and were at a point in their growth where leadership matters.”

The MCIL programme combines sessions led by Keele academics and external expert speakers with action learning and the input of a dedicated business coach – one of Keele’s four entrepreneurs in residence.  Lesley’s coach, Carolyn, has been helping her to focus on making a coherent offering in marketing terms, but also thinking about gaps and potential new partnerships.  Carolyn was formerly the Chair of the Society for the Environment, and also of the Institution of Environmental Sciences, so knows the right people.  She has helped Maloney Associates move towards their aspiration to become ‘the go-to energy and carbon management people.’

Lesley didn’t know exactly what to expect from the programme, and has been impressed by its intensity.  “It’s full on and each session is jam packed with inspirational speakers and interactive workshops provided by academics and guest lecturers,” she says. 

The company is now looking to grow and is contemplating entry into international markets.  Reflecting on the experience, Lesley highlights the mix of businesses participating and declares herself to be “100% happy with MCIL - it’s something that’s going to take us forward, and has given me confidence and tools to grow our business.” 

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent businesses can benefit from a range of specialist support and funding.  Interested companies should contact Keele University’s Business Gateway on 01782 733001 or email business.gateway@keele.ac.uk.

*The MCIL project (ref: 32R15P00229) is part-funded from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds England Growth Programme 2014-2020.