Victoria

Victoria

I found Victoria to be a gifted and agile co-creator. She has the ability to quickly ascertain the key elements required - whether in a culture change project or while facilitating seminars/workshops or symposia. She also has an empathy radar that never strays into the wishy washy - but ensures the highest level of sensitivity to the situation she’s supporting.

I am a coach, strategic adviser and sounding board, convenor and companion for those who seek to create lasting change.

Whether it's change in yourself, in your teams and networks, in your organisation, or even in your role and influence in the system your organisation forms part of, I can come alongside with my experience as a leader.

Leaving NatWest in 1997 after a career in finance, exchange traded derivatives and operational risk, I set up a radical new consultancy. The founding essay for Sparknow described it as a 'collaborative enterprise designing spaces for knowledge'. I think I'd reverse that today: 'a knowledge enterprise designing spaces for collaboration' seems nearer the mark. Sparknow retired in 2017, but continues to be at the heart of my work today, helped along by the many extraordinary people I've met along the way.

Since 1997, I've taken on challenges at every level in a huge variety of settings: whether it's on mission with the World Health Organisation; co-creating a mural with a shared services group grounded in first hand stories; or strategising with multinational leaders and their organisational development teams to design and deliver a different way of being at work together.

Wherever the work needs to be reimagined, I know what it takes to uncover and embrace a messy reality, find the direction you want to go, translate strategy into collective action, and understand and adapt as things evolve. I'm as committed to ensuring  those affected by the change get a say in how it unfolds as I am to growing effective, mature leaders.

Instead of trying to specify it in full detail, you specify it only somewhat. You then ride on the dynamics of the system in the direction you want to go. [Brian Eno, from his introduction to Stafford Beers 'Think before you think']

After 25 years I still have a thirst to enquire into the forward edges of change through themes that generally cycle around knowledge management, narrative, tech-enabled transformation, the future of work, and collaboration in the workplace. I pick and choose now I'm in my 60's and time becomes the most precious resource: where can I make a difference, how can I be a good ancestor? to

Playing oboe and cor anglais in amateur music ensembles takes up much of my spare time. I volunteer in a local authority bereavement befriending service.

You'll find a sporadically updated list of some of the more interesting projects here and a vague intention to link things to case studies and writing, starting out again in 2023 on that. If you'd like to follow my writing you can find me at on Fold|Unfold on substack - https://unfoldfold.substack.com

I have a number of close working relationships with people and organisations, some of them going back decades. This companionship, in some cases over decades long collaboration, is what makes it possible for me to do what I do.

Photo by Andreea Tufescu Photography