Poole, England, United Kingdom
I am a senior leader experienced at driving organisation wide change and using evidence and insight to influence strategy. I thrive when creating high performing multi-disciplinary teams who apply their specialisms to deliver real world impact. I am skilled at communicating evidence and research to all levels of the organisation in order to help achieve common goals. I build strong relationships at all levels of the organisation and can be relied upon to provide high quality, objective information through the successful delivery of complex projects.
As Deputy Director of Impact and Chief Analyst I lead the 45 strong UK-wide Evidence & Impact team at the Community Fund. I support colleagues from a wide range of backgrounds to deliver to their full potential and help to realise our goal of being ‘impact-focussed’ in everything we do as an organisation. I set professional standards and communicate insight to all levels of the organisation, including our Board and committees. Key contributions: • Executed a UK wide change process and consultation with 50 staff to create the new Evidence & Impact team, leading to stronger staff engagement, improved service and recurring savings. • Built an inclusive and high-performing team that encompasses strategic analysis, data and BI, knowledge management, evaluation and impact and evidence services. • Delivered the Community Fund’s first Impact Strategy with the newly formed team and communicated this publicly and across the Charity Sector. • Designed and introduced new organisation-wide KPIs by gaining Board, SMT and DCMS approval and sponsored a change programme to introduce self-serve reporting to 800 staff.
I led the research and data teams, with responsibility for our analytical strategy, a team of 9 staff and a budget of £450k. Represented the Heritage Fund at a senior level including within Whitehall and developed partnerships on evidence and research with DCMS, Historic England, lottery distributors and others. Key contributions: • Rapidly modelled the impact of COVID-19 on the viability of heritage organisations in 2020 and worked with DCMS analysts to successfully bid for £110m from HMT in emergency funding. • Led the design and implementation of a bespoke monitoring and evaluation approach for the £80m Green Recovery Challenge Fund, including the outcomes framework, external evaluation and tech build. • Developed a new organisation-wide data roadmap in 2020 and led a digital transformation project to deploy live self-service BI reporting to over 200 staff. • Communicated compelling evidence into sector funding needs that influenced the direction of the Heritage Fund’s new 2033 strategy.
Managed a team of 45 staff and budget of £1.5m, with responsibility for the delivery of KPI and outcome reporting on operations to all levels of the organisation; staff and volunteers. Key contributions: • Brought together six disparate analytical functions into a new single team in the CIO’s department, creating a strong unified culture, ways of working and mission. • Led major change initiatives across the organisation relating to the collection, management and dissemination of operational data, including a new process for recording lives saved by the institution; now in use by 238 lifeboat stations and 200 lifeguard units. • Introduced new reporting on volunteer diversity and worked with Executive Directors and our volunteer development team to promote stronger inclusion at specific stations. • Senior product owner for the technologies used by all RNLI stations to record lifesaving activity, including web-based interface, supporting database and reporting data warehouse. • Established a new embedded analytical team for our International ambitions and presented at two World Conferences on Drowning Prevention. • Chair of the cross-sector UK Water Incident Database (WAID) Development Group, on behalf of the National Water Safety Forum, the umbrella drowning prevention body.
I established a new programme of operational and social research for the RNLI, in order to provide evidence that helped the organisation to deliver effective lifesaving services. I worked at all levels of the organisation to promote the role of research in new areas of the RNLI’s work and in supporting critical decisions relating to medical, fitness and retirement standards for our crew. I became an active member of the strategy board for the RNLI’s International programme and established a new research portfolio to support our vision of a world without drowning.
Member of the Government Economic Service and Fast Stream. I produced regular economic insight into schools infrastructure and funding. Designed, procured and managed the Department’s external evaluations of high-profile Coalition Government policies such as the £1.25bn Pupil Premium funding for disadvantaged pupils.