Connecting Across Difference, Facilitating Meaningful Change
my approach
Our world is becoming both increasingly globalised and hyperconnected and increasingly fragmented and polarised. This is not a failure of information: this is a failure of storytelling. I believe that stories have purpose, and that we can’t meaningfully engage with another human being until we are able to understand their story. Evidence and facts alone cannot shift the dial on what is possible. The answer is not more data, the answer is in learning how to tell better stories.
I’ve spent more than fifteen years testing my belief in the power of stories – across refugee camps in Bosnia, divided communities in Northern Ireland, Iraqi exiles in London, busy newsrooms in major media outlets, and policy rooms in Westminster. I’ve seen what happens when you lead with data alone and what shifts when you lead with a story first. I combine rigorous research, meaningful stakeholder engagement, and practical understanding to help organisations develop responses that are evidence-based, credible, and actionable.
Understanding Precedes Action
With a background in academia, journalism, intelligence, and policy, I know the importance of having a detailed grasp of the issue in hand. That is why I lead with curiosity, through rigorous research, systematic literature reviews, qualitative interviews, evidence mapping, and rapid evidence syntheses.
Building Consensus Across Difference
Getting people around the table is not enough. As a trained mediator, I listen before I convene. I work with each stakeholder to understand their story — not their position statement. This might look like one-to-one listening exercises, pre-consultation interviews, stakeholder mapping, or facilitated dialogue sessions. By the time they enter the room they’ve already felt heard. That’s when consensus becomes possible.
Amplifying Marginalised Voices
I have worked closely with refugees and asylum seekers, undocumented migrants, persecuted religious minorities, and survivors of human trafficking in locations including Bosnia, Egypt, France, and Northern Ireland. I prioritise listening to people’s stories and finding ways to communicate their experiences across contexts. Because it is the human stories that have the power to move us.
Communicating Change
Evidence and data on their own do not drive change. Knowing which story to tell to which audience and in which format is key to creating lasting influence. Whether that’s producing policy papers, parliamentary briefings, research articles, op-eds in leading media outlets, or public speaking to large audiences, I have experience of delivering evidence-led stories across multiple platforms.