ABOUT US

Inspiring growth and positive change.

At Skills Cove, we believe businesses grow stronger when strategy, people, and execution are intentionally aligned.

Skills Cove is a founder-led consulting practice focused on transformation, enablement, and strategic partnerships. We work with organisations that need practical support turning strategic intent into action - especially in complex, fast-moving environments where clarity, adoption, and execution matter.

Our work is delivered through clearly scoped consulting engagements, led by senior expertise and supported, where needed, by a trusted network of independent consultants and subject-matter experts. This flexible model allows us to bring the right skills to each project without unnecessary complexity.

HOW WE WORK

We partner closely with clients across early-stage startups, scale-ups, and large organisations to help them navigate change, drive commercial growth, and enable teams to deliver with purpose.

Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, each engagement is designed around:

the organisation’s context and maturity
the outcomes that need to be achieved
the level of enablement required to ensure adoption and long-term impact

Our consulting model is intentionally project-based and collaborative, allowing us to move quickly, embed effectively, and focus on outcomes that matter.

WHAT WE HELP WITH

Skills Cove supports organisations across the following areas:

Sales Enablement:
Human-First Skills Training

Working with individuals, teams, and leaders in supporting their sales confidence and competence through human-first development.

realistic creative professional workshop in workplace setting with no people just a close

Sales Enablement:
Playbook Development

Helping organisations enhance or design, build, and operationalise sales capabilities that drive commercial growth.

Partner
Enablement

Helping organisations enhance or design, build, and operationalise partnership strategies that extend reach, impact, and value.

Change &

Transformation Enablement

Supporting organisations to land strategic initiatives through structured enablement, adoption planning, and capability-building.

Learning-Driven
Change & Enablement

Designing and facilitating learning journeys that translate strategy into sustainable behaviour change and long-term capability growth.

COLLABORATIVE BY DESIGN

A flexible model built around the work

Skills Cove does not operate with a fixed internal team. Instead, work is led by the founder and supported by a carefully curated network of independent consultants and specialists, brought in when specific expertise is required.

This approach ensures:

senior-level attention on every engagement
access to specialised expertise when needed
clarity, accountability, and fair commercial arrangements

Each collaboration is intentional, transparent, and aligned to the needs of the client and the scope of work.

MEET THE FOUNDER

Vanesse Machill

Vanesse Machill is a senior management consultant with 13+ years’ experience supporting large corporates, scale-ups, and impact-driven organisations to translate strategy into execution.

She works on defined, short- to medium-term initiatives where organisations need support embedding change, building capability, and enabling leaders and teams to deliver against strategic priorities. Her experience spans organisational transformation, learning-driven change, and partnership and ecosystem strategy, often in complex, cross-functional environments.

Vanesse brings a unique perspective shaped by work across startups, growth-stage businesses, and large enterprise organisations. This allows her to quickly assess context, identify opportunities, and design practical, adoption-focused solutions that deliver measurable outcomes.

She currently consults as a Fractional Head of Partnerships to MiDO Academy and delivers other client engagements through her independent consulting practice, supporting organisations across Africa and Europe.

Skills Cove was created by Vanesse as a "hub" for innovative collaboration, a vehicle to forge new paths in close partnership with its valued clients and other ambitious professionals. She has proudly developed the Sales XP™ framework, exclusively delivered by Skills Cove.

At the heart of her work is a belief that sustainable transformation happens when people are enabled, aligned, and supported - not overwhelmed by strategy that never makes it into practice.

Outside of work, Vanesse enjoys time in nature, creative pursuits, and meaningful connection with the people closest to her.

Current, Past & Future Projects We’re Excited About

We take pride in the diverse range of projects we’ve undertaken, each designed to solve real business challenges. Whether we’re building bespoke sales playbooks or supporting large-scale digital transformations, our work spans across various domains. Below are examples of the types of projects we are currently leading, have delivered, and can support your business with:

Commercial Growth Enablement

Helping teams align, optimise, and scale through targeted strategies and actionable frameworks.

Building bespoke sales playbooks and customer sales training materials for growing sales teams
Enabling market expansion through integrated sales and marketing collaboration for startups
Driving cross-functional collaboration within teams to create stronger client experiences and drive more sales for any type of business

Explore the Sales Enablement Kickstarter →

Change & Innovation

Guiding organisations through change, supporting transformation, and embedding innovation in business processes.

Co-developing change management strategies for a large organisational restructure
Helping a growing company successfully roll out a new CRM system with minimal disruption
Supporting digital transformation projects by fostering cultural shifts and operational alignment

Engagement & Awareness

Driving alignment and fostering engagement through effective communication and stakeholder buy-in.

Creating internal campaigns and training resources for the launch of new internal tools or technologies
Designing and delivering awareness programs for compliance and regulatory requirements
Supporting leadership teams with comprehensive engagement strategies for new business initiatives

Our Approach: Embedded Partnerships

We collaborate with a hand-picked network of experts to deliver tailored solutions, ensuring every project benefits from diverse perspectives and specialised skills.

Want To Become a Partner? Get in Touch!