ABOUT
Getting to the
heart of things
I've always been interested in understanding not just what's happening, but why.
For more than 25 years, I've helped leaders and organisations work through complex challenges, understand the evidence and find practical ways forward.
I'm an independent strategic adviser, researcher and facilitator working across the cultural, heritage, higher education and charity sectors. I bring together analytical rigour, creative thinking and a grounded understanding of how organisations actually work.
BACKGROUND
Experience from the inside and out
I've held senior positions within organisations and worked independently as a consultant since 2010.
That experience has given me an understanding of organisational life from both perspectives: the responsibility of leading from within, and the value of an independent view from outside.
At the Royal Court Theatre, I spent five years heading Marketing, Communications and Ticketing, shaping audience strategy across some 70 new productions. I've also held senior roles with Ambassador Theatre Group in the West End and Washington State University's College of Medicine.
Much of my consultancy work has centred on bigger organisational questions: understanding performance, identifying opportunities for growth, examining what's getting in the way and helping leadership teams determine where to focus their efforts. I've led strategic reviews, research and planning processes, bringing together detailed analysis, stakeholder perspectives and commercial insight.
For the Barbican, an 18-month assignment combined extensive audience research, segmentation and financial modelling to redesign its membership programme.
More recently, I've undertaken strategic analysis for a subscription business, investigating commercial performance, customer behaviour and barriers to growth.
My work with charities, including Actors' Children's Trust, Sister System and Theatre Rites, has explored organisational effectiveness, engagement and opportunities to strengthen impact.
People and leadership have been another consistent thread. At Shakespeare's Globe, I designed and delivered a leadership development programme for around 80 staff during a period of major organisational change. I've also spent more than fifteen years coaching and mentoring and designing and facilitating group work. I hold the ILM Level 7 Diploma in Executive and Leadership Coaching.
Alongside this sits extensive experience of complex creative and commercial projects, from major UK touring and West End productions to Broadway transfers, organisational repositioning and the launch of new cultural ventures.
What connects it all is a habit of moving between the big picture and the detail, and a practical understanding of what it takes to turn strategy into action.
APPROACH
How I work
Curiosity, evidence and good judgement
I'm naturally inquisitive. I like to understand how things work, why problems arise and what the available evidence might be telling us.
That often means looking beyond the immediate question, exploring different perspectives and being willing to challenge assumptions — including my own.
I draw on research, organisational knowledge and conversations with people at different levels to develop a deeper understanding of the issues at hand.
I'm as comfortable interrogating detailed data and developing strategic recommendations as I am facilitating a difficult discussion or helping someone work through a complex decision.
I bring warmth, intellectual curiosity and an independent perspective to my work.
I value honest conversations, thoughtful challenge and creating the conditions in which people can explore ideas openly.
Having worked both within organisations and alongside them as a consultant,
I understand the competing pressures, relationships and practical constraints that shape organisational decisions.