"Leadership isn’t about titles or offices. It’s about showing up, holding steady, and creating space for others even when the path is unclear."
Raised in a working-class household in Blackpool, UK, I learned early on how to adapt, listen, and keep going even when the path ahead was uncertain. That foundation shaped my leadership approach, which is built not on theory alone but on action, reflection, and the ability to meet people where they are. I understand the weight of responsibility, the importance of showing up, and the quiet strength it takes to lead with care.
My leadership journey did not begin in a boardroom. It started at home, in a family where disability, unemployment, and emotional hardship were part of everyday life. Leadership meant showing up for people when no one else could. It meant carrying responsibilities that were far too heavy for someone so young, and doing so quietly, consistently, and with love. There were no titles, but there was leadership. It lived in late-night car rides, hospital waiting rooms, kitchen tables, and quiet acts of care. These experiences did not just shape me; they continue to guide how I lead, how I listen, and how I support others today.
From Caregiving to Global Leadership
Before I ever led teams and programmes spanning across more than one hundred countries, my first team was my family. It was through caregiving that I developed the foundations of service. It was through witnessing the daily realities of public services that I understood what reasonable means. And it was through navigating uncertainty that I learned how to find possibility even when the odds seemed impossible.
Over the last three decades, I have worked across sectors including government, healthcare, sustainability, media, retail, hospitality, recruitment, life sciences, and technology. My work has ranged from operational delivery to strategic leadership, cultural transformation, and public service reform. These varied perspectives give me the ability to translate between systems and stories, between strategy and emotion, between policy and lived reality.
Leading with People at the Centre
Today, I serve as the North West Regional Lead and a Health and Public Services Executive at Accenture UK. I work with local and national governments, health bodies, and public institutions to help reimagine how services are delivered. My role focuses on transformation through digital innovation, policy reform, and operational improvement. But at its heart, the work is about relationships, trust, and how people experience change.
Across sectors, I focus on creating lasting value and building partnerships rooted in purpose and shared ambition. My approach blends compassion with accountability and speaks to those who want to hold space for growth without losing sight of performance. Inclusion is not a nice-to-have; it is a core approach to how we work, how we lead, and how we grow.
Speaking, Mentoring, and Advocacy
I regularly speak at conferences, leadership forums, roundtables, and events, sharing insights on inclusive leadership and the conditions that help people and teams perform at their best. My talks explore the realities of leading through empathy, trust, and clarity of purpose. I speak on social mobility and digital inclusion, drawing from personal experience and national work across public services, technology, and community-led initiatives.
Mentoring is a central part of how I contribute. I work with charities and programmes that support social mobility, digital inclusion, and life transitions. Through this work, I have seen the power of consistent encouragement for individuals navigating systems not designed with them in mind. It reflects what I believe: that talent is everywhere, but opportunity must be made visible and accessible.
Alongside my professional work, I serve as a trustee for a charity supporting people with disabilities who swim. I participate in national roundtables, advise on regional investment strategies, and advocate for the North West as a region of talent, promise, and renewal.
Writing at the Intersection of Systems and Stories
I write from the intersection of lived experience and leadership, where strategy meets empathy and where systems meet stories. I believe in the power of narrative to change how we see the world. Institutions matter, but people matter more. My writing shines a light on voices that are too often ignored or lost in policy documents. The nurse is working a double shift while raising a child. The family is navigating social care without a clear map. The young person is finding confidence through community support.
Writing allows me to honour the lessons I have learned and the ones I am still learning. I write about transformation through a human lens, about systems with care for the people who live within them. By bringing both perspectives together, the lived and the designed, we can build a more compassionate and inclusive future.
