Last Updated on: 8th May 2025, 06:48 pm
Nicky Wallis once faced an uncertain future after leaving formal education behind. Today, she’s one of the most respected figures in UK leadership development. As the Founder and Director of TEAL Learning Solutions, Wallis is helping organisations tackle pressing challenges like burnout and staff attrition with a fresh, emotionally intelligent approach to leadership.
With employee wellbeing and workplace culture now central to business success, Wallis’s work couldn’t be more timely. Her bespoke training programmes focus on real-world results—from boosting employee engagement to equipping teams for executive leadership. It’s no wonder she’s fast becoming the expert of choice for businesses in search of transformation.
But her achievements are rooted not in conventional credentials—but in an extraordinary personal journey.
Wallis’s education was abruptly disrupted at age 12 when she was removed from school and moved across continents, living first in India, then Canada. For over two years, she was cut off from traditional schooling. In the absence of structure, she turned to reading to make sense of the world. “I was desperate to understand people,” Wallis says. “What drives their choices? Why do they behave the way they do?” That lifelong fascination with human behaviour would shape her career.
Despite excelling academically in Canada, she missed out on graduating due to earlier disruptions. At 19, she returned to the UK on her own, with no clear direction or support. She became a mother at 23, yet yearned for more than just the day-to-day of family life. A suggestion to try restaurant work opened the door to a world where her leadership instincts would flourish.
In just six months, she became Assistant Manager. By her 30th birthday, Wallis was leading three restaurants, turning around failing sites and earning a reputation as “The Manager-Making Machine” for her ability to develop high-performing teams. In one instance, she steered a site from a 26% downturn to 32% growth.
Her talent soon reached wider stages. At The Restaurant Group, she oversaw training for 27 brands across busy airport locations, enhancing performance under pressure. Later, at Gaucho, she created an academy that promoted staff from kitchen roles to C-suite positions—an embodiment of her belief that leadership exists in every corner of an organisation.
Yet the road wasn’t always smooth. “The personal hurdles I’ve faced have actually been my greatest teachers,” she explains. “They gave me perspective, empathy, and creativity; qualities that shape my work every day.”
In mid-2023, she launched TEAL Learning Solutions, aiming to return value to the industry that helped shape her. Her firm delivers custom leadership training designed to address modern workplace dynamics—including generational gaps, cultural evolution, and mental health needs. Clients such as Sushi Samba and Coya already benefit from her sector-specific programmes.
Crucially, Wallis’s methods break away from the abstract. She champions practical, actionable learning that makes an immediate difference. Whether coaching teams across Europe or consulting with boards on retention, her core principle remains unchanged: people are at the heart of business success.
“We’re not just creating better leaders,” says Wallis. “We’re helping individuals understand themselves, build empathy, and drive meaningful change.”
Her story is a powerful testament to resilience, transformation, and the impact of leading with purpose. From disrupted beginnings to driving executive development, Nicky Wallis is changing the way the UK thinks about leadership—one human connection at a time.
