About me
Former Chief Strategy Officer at Burson, now independent. Still asking the same question: how can we do this better?
I'm a senior brand, reputation and communications strategist with over 25 years' experience at the top of the industry: most recently as Chief Strategy Officer at Burson (formerly BCW), one of the world's largest PR and communications networks. I bring rigour and inspiration in equal measure to briefs where the stakes are high and the thinking needs both.
HOW I GOT HERE
A creative problem solver as much as a strategic one, and an industry magpie by nature.
I'm known for getting to the heart of problems quickly, bringing clarity to complex situations and seeing strategy through to delivery. And delivery through to results. I join the dots across departments, disciplines, sectors and perspectives. I've been a trusted partner to CEOs, CCOs, CMOs, agency boards and teams, and I work in the same way now, independently, with perspective that comes from having done it at every level.
What makes me useful is that I can work on both the external challenge and the internal conditions at once: the strategy, story and creative platform that needs to land, and the structures, relationships and ways of working that determine whether it actually does. I do this in the context of what matters to organisational and brand success. I understand how a single decision lands with employees, customers, regulators, partners, media and communities, and how to design approaches that protect reputation and drive growth rather than trading one against the other.
I'm interested in the why behind beliefs, perceptions and decisions, whether that's an audience, a stakeholder group or a team. It's what makes behaviour change work, and it's what makes ways of working stick.
I've led strategic planning across every major discipline, with behaviour change running through most of it: the strategic foundations of This Girl Can, reputation and behaviour change programmes across financial services, consumer and pharma, and the Age of Values, one of the largest global values studies conducted. I built BCW's global communications planning approach, and led the behaviour change strategy for the merger that created it. I care about strategy that is seen through to results, and I bring tried and tested tools, frameworks and approaches, continually updated, to deliver real value for each client.
HSBC | Unilever | Microsoft | Pfizer | Gilead Sciences | Sport England | British Council |
Race Against Dementia |
I'm a natural collaborator, good at understanding what makes individuals and teams tick and creating the conditions for their ideas and expertise to land. I aim to be a practical, supportive partner on any project, so the work is not only smarter but more enjoyable to deliver.
When I'm not problem-solving, I'm in a remote corner of Suffolk tending to my plot with a focus on sustainability and permaculture, OR swimming, reading, walking the dogs and immersing myself in local arts and culture.
OUTSIDE THE WORK
WHAT I’M WORKING ON NOW
I'm currently developing a strategic approach to cultural currency: a lens for how organisations earn relevance, value and influence with the communities that matter, when the context keeps moving. Alongside it, an AI-enabled operating system for how integrated strategy actually gets made.
Both are live pieces of work rather than finished products, and both come from the same restlessness that has run through everything else: how can we do this better?
In addition to consulting, I am co-founder of The Pivoteer Partnership, a programme helping individuals navigate change in a way that is both purposeful and sustainable. It's designed for career changers, entrepreneurs, creators and anyone facing a moment of transition, chosen or enforced, who want to turn it into genuine opportunity and growth.
Combining expert coaching and behaviour change with strategic planning and lean start-up thinking, it's available in workshop, retreat and online formats.
ALSO
