Meet the Team

Derek may be incredibly talented but obviously he couldn’t have done all of this alone, so now it’s time to meet the rest of the team who have pooled their collective skills to turn TPA into the groundbreaking platform you see today.

Meet the Team

Meet the Team

Derek Southall

Co-founder & Director

Legal genius and tech entrepreneur with 25 years’ experience in global law firms; founder of the Hyperscale Group.

Ian Sherred

Director of Content

Ian is Director of Content for The Professional Alternative, who has been on board since Day One (almost). He is an experienced writer and researcher, who worked for many years as a legal librarian, with a parallel career as a freelance content writer. He has also worked in adult education and as a therapist, and says that communication is the thread that connects all of these different areas. He is committed to making the content on the site as rich, relevant and rewarding as possible, and is always on the hunt for interesting material for our subscribers.

Jack Constant

Director of Sales

A law graduate with over 13 years of success in B2B and B2C sales, leading high-performing teams and driving business growth. Jack works closely with leaders in law and accountancy firms, gaining deep insights into the key challenges of L&D and compliance training within professional services. As a trusted advisor, he tailors strategic solutions through The Professional Alternative to support their evolving digital training needs.

Claire Batchelor

Director of Customer Success

Experienced leader with 10+ years’ background in centre management, recruitment and more – she brings a wealth of expertise to the table.

Rosie Piper

Customer Success Account Manager

A skilled professional with 5+ years’ experience in healthcare recruitment and relationship management – she excels in customer care, building strong partnerships, and leading teams to success.

Lauren Wilson

Customer Success Account Executive

A dedicated customer service professional with 5+ years’ experience in the banking sector and a BSc in Forensic Investigation – she excels in building strong relationships, problem-solving, and delivering exceptional service.

Sandra Caballer

elearning developer and instructional designer

After more than ten years in the adult education industry, Sandra has learned that, unfortunately, learning isn’t always fun. Compliance training has a bad reputation for being boring, but engaging eLearning can change the game. By adding interactivity, relatable scenarios, activities, and a splash of creativity, Sandra turns the dreaded “ugh, I have to do this” into a refreshing “hey, this is actually useful!”. She’s all about keeping things fresh, memorable, relevant, and meaningful, while still ticking the right boxes.