Helping Sales, Marketing and Talent Teams Drive Growth Through Human Connections
About Us
It’s Not Just What You Know — It’s Who You Know
Experience teaches us that being well-connected gives you an edge. The difference between success and stagnation often lies not in what you know — but in who knows you, trusts you, and is willing to open doors for you.
At The Connection Lab, we help you strategically design, build, and nurture a network that differentiates both you and what you offer.
We don’t run networking events. We’re not a networking group.
Instead, we use the science and psychology of human connection to unlock the untapped value in the relationships you already have — and help you create new ones that enhance your visibility, credibility, and commercial opportunity.
If you’re ready to leverage access, influence, and connection in a more purposeful and powerful way — you’re in the right place.
What does the data and research tell us?
91%
Of business professionals would give referrals but only 11% of people ask
74%
Of executives prefer to work with someone they know
7x
More likely to be hired if you are referred
Meet the Team
Founder
Yvonne Matzk
Yvonne is shaping the company’s vision, serving as the brand architect, driving business development, and leading the development of strategic partnerships. She is also responsible for integrating technology and AI to enhance efficiency and optimise performance, ensuring The Connection Lab remains agile, scalable, and future-ready.
With over 25 years in the technology and channel sector, Yvonne has scaled a UK Cisco practice to $120M and delivered over $1.1B in global revenue at CDW. Her track record includes leading award-winning commercial teams and delivering high-impact change across enterprise and fast-growth environments.
Yvonne brings that same energy from her corporate life to the Connection Lab, along with sharp commercial focus, bold thinking, and a commitment to building a business—and a brand—that delivers real value through human connection.
Founder
Charles Vaughan
Charles is responsible for the operational execution of the business, ensuring that every solution we deliver meets the highest standards of quality, consistency and commercial impact.
With over 25 years of senior commercial leadership experience, Charles leads our service delivery, resource alignment, and the development of new digital and blended propositions. He is also accountable for key client relationships and the operational integrity of projects across the portfolio.
As a former client, Charles brings a rare dual perspective that informs both delivery strategy and customer experience. He is known for his rigorous approach, focus on ROI and commitment to maintaining a brand experience that is both measurable and memorable.
Business Development Director
Simon Barrett
Simon is a Business Development Director, networking consultant & coach who works with sales leaders and their teams to turn relationships into consistent pipeline, deal momentum and long-term growth. With over 20 years’ experience across consulting, professional services and complex B2B environments, Simon has built a reputation for helping organisations move from informal networking to a more structured, commercial approach to relationship-led growth. His work focuses on enabling teams to better leverage existing clients relationships, contacts and internal networks — improving focus, collaboration and conversion without adding unnecessary activity.
At The Connection Lab, Simon partners with leadership and their teams to embed practical frameworks that support account prioritisation, opportunity creation and stakeholder alignment. He is particularly effective in environments where growth depends on influence rather than authority, and where teams are being asked to deliver more with fewer resources. Known for his pragmatic style and commercial insight, Simon brings clarity to complex challenges and helps teams translate strategy into action. He works closely with senior leaders to build capability, momentum and confidence — ensuring relationship-driven growth becomes repeatable rather than accidental.
CTO, Verizon Enterprise, EMEA
“Since introducing TCL's revenue growth solution six months ago we have generated over £10m of new pipeline specifically from activities related to the programme. We have seen a turnaround in the team’s attitude to generating new leads through referrals. In fact, it has impacted how they view everything from marketing campaigns to hospitality to handling queries, since they are now constantly looking for opportunities to generate goodwill and opportunity in their relationships.”
Matthew Cheung,
CEO, ipushpull
“The Connection Lab made me far more intentional about how I build and nurture my network. I’m now proactively giving, asking, and connecting in ways that are already leading to new business meetings. Personally, it’s helped me reconnect with friends I hadn’t spoken to in years — I even organised a university reunion.
The structure, the lists, and the simplicity of the approach genuinely changed how I think about relationships. I’d never have considered ‘networking training’ before, but this has shown me just how powerful a thoughtful, human approach can be.”
Head of Enterprise Acquisition Sales, Telefonica O2 (UK)
“In the last 6 months, we have increased our pipeline coverage from 2 x to 4 x and can attribute this rapid growth to the work we’ve done with TCL to generate referrals.
We’re in a completely different place now and TCL has been instrumental in helping us make this change.”
"Strategic relationships are the currency of modern business. At The Connection Lab, we show you how to invest wisely — and grow exponentially."