Guardian Angel Carers Cardiff Owner, Mike Bowden, Goes From Jet Pilot to Home Care Provider
How pilot, business-man and mentor, Mike Bowden, made the leap from fast-jet pilot to home care entrepreneur
The team at Guardian Angel Carers Cardiff celebrate their journey and successful start to business life as a CQC registered Cardiff home care provider.
What do home care and flying upside down at 500mph have in common? Plenty, according to Mike Bowden – who is uniquely qualified to make that claim. Mike is a former Red Arrows pilot and current Director of home care provider, Guardian Angel Carers Cardiff.
Mike established Guardian Angel Carers Cardiff in 2022 with his wife Leane, and business partner Chad James – who is also used to flying high, as an ex-pro rugby player with the Cornish Pirates and CEO of the communications agency he founded.
A return to their South Wales roots
For Mike and Leane setting up home and business in Cardiff was a return to their South Wales roots. “I grew up in Newport,” says Mike “and Leane grew up near Caerphilly. We’ve both always loved Cardiff, we have family and friends here, and everything we love doing – beaches, walking, running, canoeing – is on our doorstep.”
“Of course, flying a fast jet and managing a care home are worlds apart,” laughs Mike. “But, many of the skills and experiences that I gained as a Red Arrows pilot and team Executive Officer are absolutely central to what we do here.”
“First and foremost, as a pilot you simply have to do things properly. You have to get your preparation right, and you have to carry out your job to the absolute best of your ability.”
“But the one thing that I always stress about my time in the Red Arrows is that you are always super-critical of yourselves. While the display may look absolutely perfect from the spectators’ point of view, each of the Red Arrow pilots would point out multiple imperfections in every debrief. That is the basis of excellence – regarding absolute perfection as impossible, but constantly striving for it.”
A full mix of skills
For Mike, Leane, Chad and their team of Cardiff CareAngels, constant improvement is the goal – recognising where things can be fine-tuned and committing to the processes that are needed to get there.
The mix of skills that the management team possess is also vital to the ethos of constant improvement and Guardian Angel Carers’ values of professionalism, reliability, innovation and quality.
Directors Mike Bowden, Leane Bowden and Chad James come from varied career backgrounds but share a desire to make a difference in people’s lives.
Leane has 10+ years of experience working within the NHS and private sector as a physiotherapist and team manager. Her passion is for service development, communication, people management and a person-centred approach to patient care.
Chad – who acts as ‘Responsible Individual’ of Guardian Angels Care Cardiff – a distinct role in the care sector that ensures sound governance – brings 25 years of hands-on business experience as the CEO and Founder of communications agency The Ubiquity Group.
The support of an award-winning franchisor
As a franchise of the award-winning Guardian Angel Carers, the Cardiff business benefits from a broad range of training, marketing and administrative support supplied by the franchise owner, who run their own care homes in the South of England and franchise the brand nationwide.
That support has enabled Mike, Leane and Chad to hit the ground running, and quickly establish their presence and reputation in the Cardiff area. But it also gives them sufficient autonomy to tailor their home care services for the specific location.
“When I first spoke to the franchisor Christine Handasyde Dick, we quickly bonded. She is an Olympic sailor and world champion, and so we understood the personality type who has a dream as a child and the commitment needed to achieve it. My father was in the RAF, and he took me to see a Red Arrow show when I was about eight. From that moment until I was in my thirties, I never let go of that dream. I’ve flown Harrier jump-jets, Tornados, and the Hawk that the Red Arrows use. Now, I’m a qualified commercial pilot. I’m still living that dream, and running a business is part of that, because I am always looking for new challenges.”
Five-star reviews
The combined experience of the team seems to be working at Guardian Angel Carers Cardiff – after just two years, they are already number three in Cardiff on care home review site homecare.co.uk, with an unblemished record of five-star reviews.
“I keep returning to the Red Arrows culture of debriefing,” says Mike. “Too often in a highly regulated sector such as care, there is a tendency to want to brush mistakes under the carpet. But it’s embedded in me that you always put your hand up, examine your processes, and identify ways to improve – that is what enables you to keep on getting better. That is what we will always do at Guardian Angel Carers Cardiff.”
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About Guardian Angel Carers Cardiff:
Guardian Angel Carers is a leading home care provider in Cardiff dedicated to delivering compassionate, personalised care services. With a strong focus on independence, dignity, and quality of life, the company supports individuals in the comfort of their own homes, offering a range of services from companionship to complex care needs.
Media Contact:
Mike Bowen
Guardian Angel Carers Cardiff
https://www.gacarers.co.uk/cardiff/
Tel: 029 22409704
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Source: https://www.gacarers.co.uk/cardiff/