How I help

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Consultancy + Strategic Delivery
Coaching + Leadership Development
I loved working with Rich. He has a real gift for taking big, messy ideas and turning them into something clear and achievable. He’s great at bringing teams together, making sure everyone feels heard, and always keeping things focused on what really matters. Beyond his skills, he’s just a genuinely kind and empathetic person who creates a great atmosphere wherever he works. Whether it’s strategy, delivery or coaching others, I wouldn’t hesitate to trust him to get things done.
— Kiran Dhillon, Head of User Research
Facilitation + workshop design

In a nutshell…

Consultancy + strategic delivery

I help organisations make sense of complexity, clarify what matters most, and turn that clarity into practical progress. My work often begins with a challenge — something that feels stuck, unclear, urgent, or simply too big for the people involved to hold on their own. I bring a steady mix of structure, curiosity and momentum to help teams navigate those moments with more confidence, purpose and calm.

Over the past decade I’ve supported public sector and purpose-driven organisations to shape strategy, design better services, improve ways of working, and deliver change that actually sticks. I’m just as comfortable in a leadership workshop as I am mapping a service, writing a strategy, redesigning a process, or supporting a team through the day-to-day realities of delivery.

Colorful arrows pointing clockwise in a diamond shape, with black lines between them, on a light background

My approach is collaborative and practical. I work alongside leaders and teams to:

  • build a shared understanding of the problem or opportunity

  • create the conditions for good decision-making

  • design approaches that are clear, inclusive and realistic

  • keep work moving with intention, pace and humanity

  • embed learning so teams feel more confident and capable going forward


Behind the scenes, my work is shaped by a simple cycle: understanding the need (Diagnose), shaping options (Design), putting them into practice (Deliver), and learning as we go (Distil). It’s not a rigid methodology — more a way of making sure we stay grounded in reality, move at a pace that feels sustainable, and keep sight of what will make the biggest difference.

A step-by-step process diagram with four stages labeled Diagnose in pink, Design in teal, Deliver in blue, and Distil in yellow, each with descriptions about understanding, shaping, moving, and making sense of what's working.

Whether you’re developing a new strategy, rethinking a service, strengthening organisational practice, or trying to bring coherence to a set of programmes or priorities, I can help you find clarity, navigate complexity and make meaningful progress — in a way that feels calm, human and genuinely useful.


I’ve had the chance to work with a wide range of organisations — from government departments and local authorities to health services, charities and mission-driven companies. That breadth means I can draw on different perspectives and approaches, while still bringing deep experience in public sector policy design, service design and organisational change at scale.

Wherever I’m working, my focus is the same: helping people make sense of their challenges and create change that matters.

A graphic showing various logos of organizations categorized under local government, central government, non-profit, and private sector. The local government logos include Camden, Essex County Council, Kent County Council, and Lambeth. The central government logos include the Department for Education, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Government Digital Service, Ministry of Defence, and NHS. The non-profit logos include WaterAid and mySociety. The private sector logos include AEGON, Deloitte Digital, Facebook, IKEA, and Premier Inn.

Coaching + leadership development

Coaching should feel like a space for you to pause, reflect, and do your best thinking, with me as your thinking partner. Together, we’ll explore what’s really happening, what you want to be different, and what needs to shift to make that possible. My role is to help you hold that space and support you in working through the complexity, challenge and sense-making that good leadership demands.

I work in a way that is person-centred, systemic and relational. That means paying attention to the goals you want to achieve, as well as the dynamics, relationships and organisational context that shape how you lead and how you experience your work.

People I coach often describe the work as calm, grounding, stretching and practical. It’s a mix of curiosity, thoughtful challenge, and exploration that helps you see things more clearly and move forward with confidence.


My coaching is grounded in clarity, curiosity, and care, helping you understand what really matters and make meaningful progress. I’m an ILM Level 7 certified executive coach and facilitator, trained to work with senior leaders, large groups, and complex organisational systems.

My coaching draws on four main disciplines: relational practice, design thinking, organisational psychology, and leadership development.

A colorful diagram with four interconnected sections representing different concepts. The pink section labeled '1' is 'Relational practice: Building awareness, trust, and meaningful connection.' The blue section labeled '2' is 'Design thinking: Applying creativity, reflection, and experimentation to real challenges.' The yellow section labeled '3' is 'Organisational psychology: Understanding how people and systems work.' The teal section labeled '4' is 'Leadership development: Growing the capability and confidence to lead change.'

I am also trained in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and goal-oriented coaching methods, which help turn reflection into sustained action.

Alongside this, I bring more than a decade of practical experience leading strategy and policy development, service design and programme delivery, and organisational change across the public sector, which gives me a grounded understanding of the realities, constraints and pressures leaders face.


  • Clarity and purpose:  seeing what’s really going on, what matters most, and what change you want to make — cutting through the noise and focusing on what’s genuinely important.

  • Confidence and resilience:  feeling steadier in your judgement and leadership, and finding ways to stay grounded, balanced and able to navigate pressure over time.

  • Perspective and connection:  understanding patterns, relationships and dynamics more deeply, and strengthening the conversations and connections that help work move forward.

  • Focus and progress:  turning insight into meaningful action — making progress on the goals that matter, not just the ones that shout the loudest.

Although every coaching relationship is different, you can expect to leave our coaching sessions with:


We’ll probably kick things off with a short chemistry call and introduction to make sure you feel comfortable working with me and to give you an opportunity to ask any questions you might have.

Then, sessions are usually 50–60 minutes and can be held remotely or in person (if geography allows). If you’d prefer longer sessions to really delve into a challenge or goal, just let me know and we can discuss what could work.

Most people meet every 2–3 weeks, or more frequently if there’s a short-term need or period of pressure.

Between sessions, you can email or message me if something emerges you want to capture or remember for next time.

Whatever you’re preferred way of engaging with the process, I’m sure we can come up for an approach that works and gets the most from our time together.

It’s been wonderful working with you and I’ve loved your welcoming, calm and informed approach to all our sessions.
— Experience Lead, UK Local Authority
I’ve really enjoyed working with you and have treasured your wisdom, calm approach, and all-round impeccable vibes.
— Communications Manager, UK Local Authority
In the fullness of time I hope to be able to put into words how much of a difference you’ve made.
— Head of Corporate Strategy, UK Local Authority

Facilitation + workshop design

I design and facilitate workshops that help teams think clearly, work together well, and make meaningful progress.

Whether you’re shaping a strategy, exploring a challenge, strengthening team relationships or looking for a space to reconnect and reflect, I create sessions that are structured, inclusive and easy to take part in. My role is to bring pace, focus and a calm presence — helping people speak honestly, make good decisions and move forward with confidence.

A four-point symbol, with three dead-ends and a pink arrow pointing towards the way forwards.

I’ve facilitated sessions for senior leadership teams, cross-functional programme groups, frontline staff, and partners across systems. Every workshop is tailored to your context and needs, with the right balance of reflection, creativity and practical action.

People often describe my sessions as calm, focused and energising. You can expect clear guidance, thoughtful prompts, and space to pause and think — alongside practical exercises that help the group reach shared understanding and leave with a sense of direction.


The sorts of sessions I can help with are:

  • Strategy and priority-setting sessions

  • Visioning and direction-setting workshops

  • Business model and value proposition design

  • Team development and reconnection

  • Problem-framing and sense-making

  • Service or process redesign

  • Cross-partner collaboration sessions

  • Retrospectives, reflections and learning reviews

My facilitation style combines clarity, curiosity and a strong focus on people. I design sessions that feel purposeful rather than heavy, creative without being chaotic, and structured without being rigid. I make sure everyone has the space to contribute, and that conversations stay grounded in what really matters.


Multiple overlapping presentation slides serving as examples of the sorts of facilitation services that North + Next offer.

Some recent workshops I’ve designed and facilitated are:

  • A workshop to determine the goal and most effective means of engaging multinationals in offering work experience opportunities to young people affected by the Grenfell Tower fire

  • A half-day workshop to introduce and apply agile and lean delivery methodologies to policy and strategy development

  • Evaluation and reflection sessions with practitioners and leadership following a local authority’s CQC and Ofsted inspections

  • A proposition design and prioritisation workshop for the Camden Centre for Relational Practice

  • A market analysis and business development workshop with a startup design agency

  • Hackathons bringing together problem-solvers from the private, public, and non-profit sectors to design and develop prototypes to solve existing problems at pace

What’s next for you?

If you’ve got something on your mind — a challenge, an idea, or a change you want to make — I’d love to hear about it. Whether you’re shaping a piece of work, thinking about coaching, or just curious about what I do, let’s take half an hour to talk it through.

Book an intro

If you prefer to start by writing things down, or if you have any questions you’d like to ask first, feel free to get in touch by email. I’m always happy to hear from people and will get back to you as soon as I can.

Email me

If you’d like to get a feel for how I work, what I care about, and the kinds of projects I support, you can take a look at some examples of recent work and approach. It’s a good place to start if you want to understand whether I’m the right fit.

Check out my experience