Sheila Bates is a mediator, facilitator and coach with over 25 years’ experience in international business, working in Banking, ICT, automotive, professional services, food supply chains and the public sector. She was accredited as mediator in 2007, whilst working for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.  A trustee of the CEDR Board, she is also a member of its training Faculty. Sheila mediates a range of cases including workplace and employment, ICT, banking, and construction cases.   She has developed a collaborative process to facilitate dialogue in complex supply chains to remedy and mitigate instances of modern slavery, with a current focus on the food industry.  A seasoned facilitator she is often called upon to manage large and complex group interventions for successful outcomes.  An effective coach Sheila encourages parties to keep going, when things get tough.

Sheila aims to harness conflict between parties to achieve constructive outcomes for parties.  She is skilled in cross cultural disputes and reducing power imbalances where they may exist.   An advocate for developing mediation skills for commercial life, she is particularly interested in working with aspiring leaders.  A fluent French speaker, she mediates, facilitates and trains in the language.

She has over 25 years of experience in human resources consulting and she started her career in sales and marketing in the UK, moving into professional services in Brussels in 1989. Between 1995 and 2004 she held various HR roles in global organisations, including start-ups and acquisitions. In 2004, she was appointed to a senior position in a London based financial institution, focussing on emerging markets. It was during this time that she became an advocate for mediation. Since 2015, she pursues mediation, facilitation, coaching, training and HR consulting in a full time capacity.