Greater Oxford Area
Most organisations know what they want to say. Fewer know how to make it land — with employees, with stakeholders, with the people whose trust determines long-term performance. I spent 30 years inside large, complex organisations not as a consultant who theorises about governance and stakeholder engagement; but someone who did it, at board level, often in challenging circumstances. At Unipart Group, where I served as Director of Corporate Affairs, I worked at the intersection of governance, communications and culture — helping a complex, international organisation remain coherent and authentic through transformation, build lasting stakeholder relationships, and develop leaders who could carry the message further than any campaign could. I spent over 25 years shaping how one of the UK's most complex industrial organisations communicated with itself and the world. I led the internal communications strategy through multiple transformations, developed company-wide leadership and coaching programmes, and ran a £5m management consultancy within the group, turning learning and knowledge management into a scalable capability. Before Unipart, I spent 10 years at IBM and did a stint at Barclays. Before that, I had a career in journalism. That combination: editorial instinct, corporate experience, and non-executive perspective; is what I bring to boards and leadership teams now. As Non-Executive Chairman of B4 and Co-Chair of Trustees at Earth Trust, I work with organisations navigating the tension between purpose and performance. As a founding member of Ideas Network 2030, I engage with the longer-term forces shaping UK business and public life. Having served as HRH the Prince of Wales's Responsible Business Ambassador for the Southeast, I've seen what responsible leadership looks like when it's genuine — and when it isn't. As former chair of Oxfordshire Business First, I drove the Big GIG innovation series, which engaged over 60 organisations in structured growth strategies — producing measurable shifts in how those businesses approached market development. I work best with organisations that take governance seriously, want their communications to be honest rather than managed, and understand that stakeholder trust is built over years, not campaigns. If that sounds like the kind of conversation worth having, I'm easy to reach.
Earth Trust is an environmental charity which was originally known as the Northmoor Trust for Countryside Conservation. Earth Trust was initially established by the British engineer Sir Martin Wood to promote environmental conservation through land management, education, and land science. It is a registered charity under English law.
As chairman, I've fostered connections between diverse businesses across the region, creating collaborative networks that drive innovation and knowledge sharing beyond what individual organisations could achieve.
Engaged in shaping an informal framework for individuals interested in long-term trends and their effects on our economy, politics and society – to meet, discuss, evaluate and assess their relevance and importance to current politics in the United Kingdom.
Responsible for Unipart's image and reputation management, internal communications, relations with Government and trade bodies. Also engaged in internal leadership development, training, marketing, brand management, new business and account development. Member of Unipart's Group Executive Committee.
Unipart Advanced Learning Systems was the management consultancy arm of Unipart Group that specialised in developing organisational capability. In 2006, UALS merged with two other consultancies to form Unipart Expert Practices.
Oxfordshire Business First is the not-for-profit company that has replaced Oxfordshire Economic Partnership. We recognise two outcomes that are critically important to Oxfordshire. First we must hear from business about the changes that can be made to enable a more robust local economy. Second, we must identify the areas in which business people can make a personal contribution towards making a change, and we must energise, involve and enable them to invest some of their time and energy in their communities.