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Welcome to The Experience Network
A unique group of independent charity consultants

Jane Cockerell

I’m a former aid worker and CEO, with twenty years of scaling social impact in challenging, uncertain (sometimes straight-up crazy…) environments. Having also developed expertise in strategic leadership coaching and consulting, I now support thoughtful, ambitious leaders to navigate uncertainty and to grow resilient, impactful, thriving organizations.

Longer blurb if you’re interested…

Following a short career in corporate management, I spent many years leading large aid projects in Africa and then a decade as a non-profit CEO. I have rapidly grown projects and organisations within challenging contexts, developing and supporting teams across cultures and remote locations.

It’s been a ride. In the early days, as well as all the amazing experiences and sense of purpose, I experienced burnout and depression. Sometimes, I was talented and high-performing and sometimes, I could be as mad as a box of frogs…

I began to spot similar patterns in others, people I respected who were also running great organisations or projects so became increasingly fascinated with our ‘human-ness’ and what it is to be and deliver at our best, no matter what the world throws at us and became a perpetual student of leadership.
My ‘Ghetto MBA’ has encompassed tech trends to systems theory, entrepreneurship to psychology, strategic foresight to non-duality, and I’m a certified Transformative Coach.

My curiosity has led me to consultancy, specialising in strategy and Board leadership development. Having seen both gaps and over-engineering in many conventions of ‘good practice’, I co-create alongside leaders, giving equal value to process and psychology, mindful of resources and time available. Outcomes include greater organisational clarity and an enhanced capacity for strategic thinking and sound decision making within the senior team and Board.
On request, I also mentor CEO’s, supporting them to navigate uncertainty and overcome overwhelm.

My volunteer work includes roles as Chair of 52 Lives, as a coach with start-up accelerator Zinc VC and Strategy Advisor with the Foundation for Social Improvement. I’m a member of the International Association of Facilitators, Asociation of Business Psychologists and a Fellow of the RSA.

In real life, I love wandering about in nature, lifting heavy things, get over-excited about quality stationery and have been crowned the World’s Best Ninja Auntie Camp-Builder.

 

Lin Gillians

Enabled successful development and sustainability of organisations in the Voluntary Sector through Chief Executive leadership since 1992.  Specialist Management Consultant and Interim since 2004.  Successfully increased funding, sustainability and effectiveness of organisations. Proven track record in creating strategy and providing operational, financial and personnel management support.

Key skills:

 

Vanessa Swann

Organisational Strategy & Development Consultant / Executive Mentor

I am an experienced former CEO of a major arts / social enterprise charity, Cockpit Arts, and have a proven track record of successfully starting up, growing and expanding Arts, Charities & Social Enterprise organisations, including turnaround and enterprise development. I  have been consulting for several years specialising in Organisational Development and Change Management including  governance, strategic business planning, income generation, stakeholder engagement and communications. I am a qualified Social Enterprise adviser with coaching, mentoring and facilitator experience; an experienced Trustee in the visual arts and music sector and a Consultant Grant Assessor.  As well as undertaking organisational briefs, I provide personal mentoring and coaching to CEOs and managers.

Examples of recent assignments for clients including Arts Council Wales, Nesta innovation foundation, CAF Global Alliance, SE Assist Brighton, School for Social Entrepreneurs and The Fore:

AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Strategic planning
Business planning
Social enterprise development
Fundraising and earned income/sustainable funding
Change management
Charity management and governance
Leadership development
Stakeholder engagement
Partnership working
Negotiation
Property development
Premises management

 

Sue Pearlman

Sue Pearlman has wide experience in the voluntary sector both as a senior manager and as a trustee. In 2004 she established TP Consultants to provide freelance consultancy and training. Sue is a skilled facilitator, trainer, supervisor and mentor. Her experience was gained mainly through her involvement with the Citizens Advice Bureau service where she started as a volunteer and rose to become District Manager for a group of CABx. She remains passionate about the potential of the voluntary sector and understands the different roles that trustees, managers, staff, volunteers, clients, funders and other stakeholders play.

Her particular interests include governance, trustee/staff relationships, developing partnerships and collaborative working. She continues to be a trustee and has just stepped down as Chair of Community Hertsmere where she is continuing on the board. She is Honorary Secretary at The Movement for Reform Judaism where she says her role is not to take minutes, but to advise on governance issues. She works with many different faith communities, often advising on governance as well as facilitating relationships between lay leaders and their professional staff.

TP Consultants’ work has included board reviews, facilitating communication between trustees and senior managers, running workshops on all aspects of governance, the different legal structures, How to attract trustees, Collaborative Working, Roles & Responsibilities, Effective Boards and Effective Meetings, evaluation of services, researching and developing referral systems, mergers and resulting operational issues.

A major part of Sue’s work is Governance Reviews for organisations, large and small. She also mentors senior staff and trustees. TP Consultants run AwayDays and other bespoke training for staff and/or trustees, and they enjoy the challenges of team building. Sue facilitates Action Learning Sets for senior managers in the voluntary sector.

Sue has a comprehensive understanding of the challenges to the not for profit sector; balancing the needs of client groups with those who work in and for the voluntary sector as well as those who fund it. Sue is a Senior Consultant with NCVO*. She is an Affiliate of the Institute for Learning, a member of the Management Development Network and a Member of the International Foundation for Action Learning.

In any spare time, Sue enjoys ballet (watching, not performing!), singing in a choir, furthering her jewish knowledge and spending time with her grandchildren in the UK and Cadiz, Spain.
*National Council for Voluntary Organisations

Robin Brady

Through measuring impact, designing strategy and delivering organisational change, Robin Brady guides and supports Social Impact Organisations to improve the effect they have on the social fabric of communities and the wellbeing of individuals and families.  From managing capital funding programmes for Arts Council England to running a successful Social Impact consultancy, Robin’s journey is proof positive that staying curious and passionate about making a difference can change the way the world works.  Today Robin helps organisations to identify the social impact of their programmes around the world, delivers SROI assessments, and leads strategy development and organisational change in NGOs to improve their impact.  Robin’s client list is as varied as his interests and includes both large and small agencies such as Oxfam GB, HelpAge International, PSI, Leonard Cheshire Disability, The Resource Alliance and Arthritis Care.

Robin’s significant experience of  consulting organisations and working in multi-country settings and with multi-country programmes has allowed him to take on numerous roles on various assignments around the world.  Robin’s field experience includes conducting assignments in the United Kingdom, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, DR Congo, Uganda, Zambia, Cambodia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, Malawi, Chad

and The Philippines; managing change programmes, providing leadership support, running focus groups, facilitating stakeholder meetings, working with beneficiary groups, overseeing survey data collection, data analysis, etc.

Steve Wyler

VLUU L200 / Samsung L200

Steve is an independent consultant in the field of social change and innovation.

He works with third sector and public sector organisations, and specialises in:

Recent clients include:

Steve is  co-convenor of the Better Way initiative, and a writer. Recent publications include:

Over the last twenty years Steve has played a leading role in the fields of localism, community ownership, community enterprise, social enterprise, and social investment.

In 2017-18 he was a panel member of the Inquiry into the Future of Civil Society

As CEO of Locality, he grew the country’s largest network of community enterprises,  delivering national programmes on community organising, neighbourhood planning, community asset ownership, and neighbourhood budgets.

Over the previous fifteen years Steve worked for voluntary agencies and independent grant-makers. For example in the 1990s, working with homeless agencies, he ran Homeless Network, co-ordinated the Rough Sleepers Initiative in London, and set up Off the Streets and into Work.

Steve has been a member of various Government advisory groups on localism, social enterprise, and the third sector (Cabinet Office, Department for Communities and Local Government, Ministry of Justice). Steve helped to establish Social Enterprise UK and the Adventure Capital Fund (parent body of the Social Investment Business). He was awarded an OBE in the 2011 New Year Honours List.

Contact details:

Hilary Barnard

Hilary Barnard is a strategy, change and organisational development consultant.  He works across the third sector, and with statutory and private sector partners in the UK and internationally.

In today’s challenging conditions, with insight and creativity Hilary helps organisations to find strategies and sustainable solutions that ensure effective delivery of charites’ expertise, services and campaigns.  He works with clients on rethinking and reinventing business models and approaches to ensure continued relevance and sustainability.

Relevant assignments include:

Hilary is a  a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, a member of the Organisational Development and Innovation Network, and a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.  He has been a Senior Visiting Fellow at Cass Business School and  the external examiner for the MSc in voluntary and community sector studies at Birkbeck College, University of London.

Hilary has written widely on leadership, strategy, governance and organisational development in the sector for Civil Society Finance, Civil Society Governance, Leader to Leader, Network, Governance & Compliance and Caritas.  He is the author of Step Change (Cass CCE 2012), Improving Equality & Diversity: A guide to Third Sector Chief Executives (ACEVO 2011), Whose Localism? (Cass CCE 2011), Big Society, Cuts & Consequences (Cass CCE 2010), Really Intelligent Commissioning (ACEVO 2009), Vertical Integration (NCB/VCS-Engage 2007), Added Value, Changing Lives: a social capital study (VAW 2006), and Design For Health (Mind 2003).  He is a regular book reviewer on strategy and governance for Governing Matters (NGA).  Hilary’s evaluation report (2015) of the TimeBank Talking Together programme can be accessed on the TimeBank website.  He is the co-author of Improving Equality & Diversity: a guide for third sector Chief Executives (ACEVO 2011) and Strategies for Success (NCVO 1994).

He collaborates regularly with Ruth Lesirge, also a member of the Experience Network, under the umbrella of HBRL Consulting.

Marcus Ward

Marcus is a highly experienced and accredited management consultant and former charity CEO, with well-developed strategic, income-generating, financial and operational management skills. He is a creative and innovative thinker who originally studied law, and worked as a Director in the commercial sector, prior to spending the last 20+ years working for and with charities and social enterprises as CEO and then consultant.

Marcus is a partner in Peach Consultancy, which has undertaken work in almost every discrete area of the voluntary sector, and conservatively raised over £50 million for civil society organisations. Peach Consultancy works with many funders, and is probably the most widely accredited voluntary sector consultanty in the UK.

We specialise in:

Previous larger national clients include:

Previous SME clients include:

We are, or have previously been approved/recommended consultants for:

In addition to direct work with many civil society organisations, Marcus has also undertaken a wide range of organisational development and capacity building projects for representative and umbrella groups, and public sector agencies including Local Authorities, and Health Agencies.

 

Linda Laurance

Linda Laurance aims to support Chairs and Chief Executives in your roles through individual mentoring and facilitation of strategic discussion, so that you can achieve the best possible working environment, manage your own and others’ working relationships, and deal with the ever-changing external challenges with increased confidence.   Formerly specialising in governance I bring to this consultancy a deep knowledge of how not-for-profit organisations work and of governance best practice.

Currently I operate in the UK but have worked in other European countries. My clients have included national and local infrastructure organisations, professional institutions, smaller charities providing support for people with specific medical conditions, and addressing challenges of disability, age, gender and culture,  campaigning organisations, sports organisations and faith organisations.

 

Andrea Kelmanson

I’ve been working in the sector for over 40 years and have known, worked with and for most types of organisations and issues pursued by voluntary organisations.

I pride myself on being a straight-talking consultant; someone who pulls no punches in a genuine effort to get to the very heart of the many organisational and individual challenges  I face in the course of my work.

My core focus is always the needs of my clients’ beneficiairies, whose interests I find are all too often lost sight of in the serious rough and tumble of organisational life and survival  in the sector these days.

I tackle work on small scale, one off consultancy assignments as happily as larger, medium term assignments, in either straightforward ‘consultant’ roles, or in the role of Interim CEO.

My recent assignments have involved me in the world of volunteering development in fundraising charities; in the fascinating – and new charity – world of Students’ Unions, and in helping with the development of new Social Enterprises in the criminal justice field.

I am primarily concerned with working alongside organisations to create sparkling futures for the people and issues they are seeking to support.