Values driven

Growing up on a farm in rural south west Scotland, I studied in Edinburgh and started my working life in the heady environment of BBC TV Centre in London. I worked on the weekly Top of the Pops - the focus of an emerging youth culture - in my time achieving its highest ever viewing figure, 19 million. I had to think on my feet and turn my hand to anything. The culture was curious, creative, often courageous. The values… quality, diversity, integrity, access for all. Right up my street.

I brought these values and my experience back home to Scotland and worked my way up in the arts and local government over 30 years, growing my skills and expertise in media relations, communication, marketing, public relations, stakeholder engagement, culture change, customer service, service design.

My passion for doing things better in life led me to study counselling, coaching and life coaching.

I achieved a Masters in Design Innovation (Service Design) from Glasgow School of Art, winning the Chairman’s Medal for Innovation and the Innovation School’s inaugural Innovation by Design prize.

I work with associates to build the right team for the job, growing capacity and skills. Recent collaborators are futures thinker Gabby Morris of Feeldwork and economic development strategist, Lorna Young of Indigo Words.

"Extraordinary
  in every way" 

John Halliday, CEO
Community Renewal Scotland

What I do

I do two very different things that pull on my core skills and experience. Both feed my passions for a bit more humanity in the world and my tendency to activism:

Consultancy

I have supported community groups and senior leaders across Scotland, in Scottish Government, Councils, NHS, charities and arts organisations.

• I ‘zhuzh’ things up…. help organisations reset through short, energising interventions.

• I design and deliver projects that engage stakeholders and develop a community-led approach to thinking and doing.

• I help CEOs and teams co-create and manage change reviewing mission, vision, culture, performance, goals, strategy.

See projects and clients. See more on LinkedIn.

Celebrancy

I have a whole backstory around rites of passage and celebrancy.

• I Founded the Humanist charity, A Quiet Revolution and built a network of affiliated celebrants, Humanist Celebrant Scotland through training I developed.

• I conduct legal weddings, funerals and memorials, baby-naming and other ceremonies.

• I innovated Final Fling, a multi-award winning platform to transform end of life planning.