Experience
Senior Management
CEO Citizenship Foundation 2010 -16
Exec Director NYJC 2016-19
Director - Giving Nation 2002- 2010
Manager Greenbelt Festivals 1997-2001
Facilitation
Joint author and global master trainer for ‘Active Citizens’: a global social action programme run by the British Council in 54 countries with 250,000 trained activists.
Workplace facilitation including strategy development & business planning.
Education for Citizenship
Developing active learning materials on identity, culture, dialogue, civic participation, democracy, active citizenship and volunteering.
Supporting curriculum development in South East Asia and Middle East.
Programme Management
From national education programmes to a 4-day green-field festival... project plans, staff and volunteer coordination, strategic and operational documentation, budgets, partnership agreements, funding applications, evaluation and project appraisal.
Creative Leadership
The difference between running a business and inspiring an ambitious and committed team. Knowing how to make the programme and people work to everyone's satisfaction. Lightbulb moments that brighten the world.
Changing Young Lives
Most of my work has been with young people. It's a critical life phase where the right intervention creates deep and lasting change. Connecting education, skills, motivation, experience, identity is the key.
In-depth understanding
I've seen too many programme's fail because the concept analysis hasn't been wisely holistic. The personal, social, societal, political, cultural, ideological.. I've worked in many countries and settings. That's worth a lot.
Recent CV highlights
Citizenship Foundation
Employment Period: 2002 – 2016
Position: CEO (formally Head of Programmes)
CEO of 26-year-old charity, the UK’s largest dedicated to promoting education around human rights, the law, democracy, and social action. Managed annual budget of around £1.3 million with a range of income sources including corporate sponsors, trust and foundation funding, paid-for programmes, corporate CSR from nearly 40 firms placing their volunteers in school settings, training courses, book sales and merchandise, consultancy and events. I lead in our relationships with the Law Society of England and Wales, the Cabinet Office, Department of Education and other civil society partners.
As CEO responsible for strategic direction, operational pacesetting and objectives, communications and team-building, forming strategic partnerships, stakeholder and volunteer management, trustee relations and governance.
Regularly write for publications, blogs and web content.
British Council
Employment Period: 2010 – 2019
Position: Consultant Trainer / Facilitator
From initiation in 2008 I have supported the development of the global Active Citizens Programme, particularly in South East Asia, and acted as global programme development consultant in UK.
Involved in programme design, introduction in South East Asia and development of programme’s monitoring and evaluation tools, refinement of materials and success measures. Alongside capacity building role with Civil Society element I became a specialist in its introduction to education settings, developing informal learning and delivering training on skills of facilitation for University professionals and more recently developing school curriculum content for Lebanon.
Supported partnerships with Higher Education Senior Management plus national roll-out of programme in partnerships with the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, introducing the programme to 127 Universities through a national cascade training scheme.