About
Ways of Living
Social Change
Projects
Publications |
I offer consultancy to organisations of many kinds on innovative strategies of social change. I specialise in being a generalist and taking a multidisciplinary approach to thinking about change in areas such as education, human development and social policy. I have a particular interest in projects that explore how developing empathy can be a source of social change. I can be hired to:
- write reports
- run workshops
- give talks
- provide innovative ideas.
Invention emerges from having the courage to cross boundaries and to look at the world from unexpected points of view. Architecture can provide insights into economics, the history of slavery generates new approaches to solving housing problems. I look at issues from many disciplinary, historical, cultural and personal perspectives, drawing on my wide-ranging background in academia, journalism, international development and human rights.
Further details about my background can be found here, and examples of my commissioned reports are available on the publications page. I can be contacted for enquiries here.

My clients have included:
- The Stuff Stimga! campaign in Norwich, to challenge the stigma around mental health - a mass-participation workshop on 'Empathy: Seeing the World from the Perspective of Others' at the 2008 Empathy Conference, supported by Rethink and Moving People. Photos here.
- Blackbird Leys Community Development Initiative, Oxford - a workshop for police officers and youth workers on 'Developing Empathy with Young People', at the 2008 Youth, Guns and Knife Crime Conference
- Oxfam - a report on How Change Happens: Interdisciplinary Perspectives for Human Development, and workshops on creative thinking about social change for campaign planning
- Theodore Zeldin, historian and broadcaster - research on creative thinking, the abolition of bureaucracy, the future of work, empathy
- United Nations Development Programme, New York - reports including: 'Food Coupons and Bald Mountains: What the History of Resource Scarcity Can Teach Us About Tackling Climate Change'; 'For God's Sake Do Something! How Religions Can Find Unexpected Unity Around Climate Change'
- Mayim - strategy and development thinking for a new social enterprise for community workers in Blackbird Leys, Oxford
- The Commonwealth Secretariat - rapporteur for group chaired by the Prime Minister of India, and report on Making Democracy Work for Pro-poor Development
- The Oxford Muse foundation - devising and carrying out projects on the art of conversation, career innovation, community relations, and designing an inter-disciplinary Masters Degree programme
- Cherwell School, Oxford - workshops with Year 7 students on conversation, empathy, and discovering the minds of others.
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