A practical head.
A people-first heart.

EXPERIENCE WITH ITS SLEEVES ROLLED UP

From the everyday detail
to the bigger picture.

My career includes 30 years at Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, where my roles included General Manager of Campus West and Head of Communications. Working in public-facing services taught me to connect the big idea with the practical details that make it work for customers and colleagues.

Campus West: an idea needs an operation.

At Campus West, I helped revive pantomime, develop two cinema screens and soft play, and lead changes to ticketing and websites. Each project brought together audiences, teams, technology and the everyday business of running a venue.

It is experience I still draw on: listen to the people using a service, understand what the team needs and make sure the systems can support the promise. The curtain going up is a lovely moment. A working ticketing system helps.

First People Housing: growth with people at the heart.

My work has also taken me through operational leadership in supported housing, from Director of Operations & Services to Chief Operating Officer at First People Housing CIC. It is a world where decisions about systems, leadership and resources have a very human impact.

That experience shapes how I work: start with the people who use the service, listen to the team delivering it, and make the systems support them both.

Alongside colleagues, I have helped build the working foundations of a growing organisation: clearer responsibilities, practical processes, stronger communication and useful technology. That has included introducing tools for finance, approvals, information and everyday working, with the emphasis on making them useful to the people doing the job.

Progress belongs to the team. My contribution is helping the pieces work together, so the organisation can grow while keeping its attention on the people it serves.

People, then the clever stuff.

I’m a qualified coach and NLP Master Practitioner, and bring coaching into the way I listen, question and support change. Sometimes the most useful contribution is a fresh perspective. Sometimes it is a clear decision, a simpler process or the conversation everyone has been putting off.

I’ll be honest with you, challenge with kindness and help you turn a good intention into something that works on Monday morning. No grand transformation speech required.

A little about the person.

Outside work, you’ll often find me walking, in the garden, enjoying the theatre or working on something made of wood. Woodworking is a useful reminder that enthusiasm and accurate measurements are not quite the same thing.

I like good humour, useful questions and getting things done properly. Preferably once.