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About APMP Fellows Steven Coles
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Steven Coles, CPP APMP Fellow (Class of 2024)

Leader, Customer Success at Upland Qvidian

Bio

Steven is driven by helping people and organizations succeed in their work and careers. He does this by intensifying their impact on corporate goals and strategic imperatives, challenging the status quo, and elevating the status of the people he works with and within the leadership of every organisation he touches.

Steven’s career in bids and proposals spans three decades in leadership and individual contributor roles across the defence, telecommunications, facilities management, and information technology sectors.

Steven is a builder and leader of highly acclaimed bid and proposal teams where he applies his leadership skills to recruit and retain top talent to deliver capture, bid management, proposal development, and RFP automation services. In addition to providing guidance and mentorship to his team in their APMP certification journeys – five to APMP Foundation and two to APMP Practitioner – Steven proudly coached and led his team in the following professional development and personal growth endeavours:

  • Served on the APMP UK Chapter board for seven years from 2018 to 2024, including technology director, membership director, and as the Chapter CEO in 2021 and Past CEO for 2022 and 2023. During his time as Chapter CEO, APMP UK grew its membership by 14% to over 2,600 members, while new APMP Foundation certifications were up by 40% on the previous year.
  • Creation of APMP UK’s BIDx® brand during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • APMP UK Annual Awards 2016: team finalist in the Knowledge Management award category for the third consecutive year.
  • APMP UK Annual Awards 2015: team finalist in three categories: Bid Excellence, Innovation, and Knowledge Management.
  • APMP UK Annual Awards 2014: team finalist in three categories: Bid Excellence, Innovation, and Knowledge Management.
  • Nurturing the co-creation of the APMP Mental Health Affinity Group.Nurturing the co-creation of the APMP Mental Health Affinity Group.
  • Nurturing the co-creation of the APMP PRIDE Affinity Group.

An APMP member since 2002, Steven was the 2022 APMP HQ Chair and 2021 APMP UK CEO and served both organisations in various Board roles. For his service to the profession and his leadership of APMP, Steven was awarded APMP's highest honour, the William C. McRae Founders Award, in 2023 and was awarded APMP Fellow in 2024.

What does being an APMP Fellow mean to you?

Receiving this award is a phenomenal feeling and achievement, and it means the world to me. I’ve worked tirelessly with bid and proposal professionals throughout my career, and this award really represents everybody I’ve worked with and for, who I’ve mentored and coached, and who have mentored and coached me.

What's your best memory from attending an APMP event?

Spending quality time with peers, making friendships that endure decades and oceans, and enjoying those "Eureka!" moments with faces old and new.

What advice do you have for a proposal professional entering our field?

Be accountable for your own professional development and personal growth. Talk to the quiet person in the corner of the room. Focus on what you can control. Leave what you can't control. Stand your ground. Be humble.

 

The certifications, starting from the foundation to the professional level, help individuals from diverse timeframes in their careers.
Mayura
Mayura Ravishankar, Proposal Associate
I never want to be complacent in my career, so it has been beneficial to have this group of peers who are going through similar trials and tribulations in the proposal world on a day-to-day basis.
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Jill Zander, CF APMP
APMP certification is the gold standard for the industry. For me, accreditation is formal recognition of my commitment to the profession, as well as an avenue for improving my performance and bid outcomes by training in APMP principles.
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Ailsa Tuck, CP APMP
APMP has provided an incredible platform for seasoned individuals from the Proposal and Bid Management profession and young professionals who want to start their careers in this field.
Mayura
Mayura Ravishankar, Proposal Associate
As a sales coach, the executive summary is vital for capturing and proposing management activities. This is an excellent addition to our members' professional standing, and I look forward to many more micro certifications.
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Suzanne Shields, CPP ES-M APMP
The Executive Summary is the key element of each proposal, literally the most important part of the response next to the price – this is why my focus was on this micro certification. Understanding the principles of Deal-Strategy, Win-Strategy, Competitor-Analysis, Ghosting, Persuasive Writing, Features/Benefits/Discriminators, and many more is essential and beneficial for so much more than just the Executive Summary.
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Florian Lamisch, CF ES-M APMP
Achieving certification sends a message to the world that I’m dedicated and accomplished as a proposal manager. I feel proud of earning this title and I encourage others to join our ranks.
Jessica Davis
Jessica Davis, CF APMP
This was my first APMP event, and I was wholly impressed. The energy in the room reignited my passion for this industry, and I can't wait to get back to my team to implement what I have learned.
Brittany Guzman
Brittany Guzman, CF APMP
This topic, Executive Summaries, is way underrated. The Executive Summary is the most eye-catching document, which almost everyone on the customer side reads. Yet, in most bid teams, we don’t dedicate the attention it deserves. I want to learn about something I can immediately put into practice at my workplace, which provides a “quick win” to the team and is a long-term benefit for the company.
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Dénes Máthé, CF ES-M APMP
Being a part of APMP, I get access to the knowledge and experience of great leaders and mentors from the community. I have learned a great deal from the webinars and conferences I attended on diverse topics from career progression in Proposal Management, trends (such as automation) in PreSales to achieving work-life balance, and handling burn-outs – all real-life experiences.
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Shubhada Kulkarni, CP APMP