MBE for executive coach who trains police on the Rock

An experienced executive coach who has provided leadership, coaching and mentoring services to police and other agencies on the Rock was awarded an MBE in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Mark Little, the founder and Managing Director of ML Associates, received the award for services to policing in Northern Ireland.

He was a founding member of the Police Learning Advisory Council (PLAC) and during his 17-year tenure became Vice Chairman and then Chairman.

The PLAC was established from recommendations of the 1999 Patten report to provide greater community engagement and business expertise from critical friends, to enhance the accountability and transparency of training and development within the newly established Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Mr Little’s company has delivered training and development interventions to a number of agencies on the Rock.

He was recently awarded the Governor’s Coin for Excellence in Leadership, Coaching & Mentoring for services to policing in Gibraltar.

“In accepting this MBE I want to pay particular tribute to the many members of the PLAC - both past and present - who worked tirelessly to give Northern Ireland a best in class, world class reputation for police training,” Mr Little said.

“I am proud of what we achieved collectively, often in an extreme policing environment.”

“This national honour has come as a huge surprise to me and I feel very humbled to receive this recognition from Her Majesty the Queen.”

“My late parents would have been so thrilled and I also want to recognise the constant encouragement of my family and close friends.”

Mr Little, who spends much of his time on the Rock, is also the strategic advisor of the council at Ballymena, the Northern Ireland town which is twinned with Gibraltar.