- Strategic consultancy in lean start-up - solving the right problem - and ensuring that products and businesses that are feasible, viable and desirable- Workshop facilitation / design thinking / design sprints - enabling the elicitation and sharing of knowledge and insights across and within organisations and teams, to enable them to solve complex problems- Startup advisor and mentor - strategic thinker, problem solver, critical friend- Training and capacity development in lean methodologies for start-ups and businesses, to ensure problem-solution fit informed by user research

Building on my 20+ years’ experience in digital solutions and entrepreneurship, I joined Nova, a Liverpool-based venture builder, supporting innovative digital and med tech start-ups. Responsible for delivering expert advice and mentoring in lean start-up principles. Designed and facilitated multiple workshops with founders and their teams, and with their community of interest (advisors, domain experts, and potential patients, customers or users) - to develop the business’ “lean canvas”, map assumptions, explore the value ecosystem, map user journeys, develop user personas, and develop the business’ unique value proposition.Working as a lean start-up consultant, product manager, project manager, mentor and critical friend with a wide range of founders of six Med Tech and digital business start-ups (most notably Senti Tech, which continues to date), I helped to secure additional investment of over £3m.

Trusted lead consultant and workshop facilitator on a wide range of enterprise-scale online transformation projects. Clients included Electricity North West, United Utilities and Mersey Travel.Responsible for:- engaging with stakeholders to acquire in-depth knowledge of clients’ business processes and systems- directing user research to ensure user centred design- facilitating workshops with a wide range of stakeholders, including C-level executives, domain experts, technical teams and engineers, core teams, customers and end users- eliciting, capturing, documenting and verifying detailed requirements- maintaining ownership and quality of the solution from design and definition through to build, test and launch. Projects included a major website relaunch for Electricity North West (www.enwl.co.uk); a custom-designed online application and quoting process for Electricity North West’s Connections Service (https://www.enwl.co.uk/online-connections/connections-home-page/) and a complex online finance application process and re-platforming for Caversham Finance.Business consultant on a range of digital workplace development projects. Clients included Sheffield Hallam University, Drax Group, Pall-Ex UK and Joseph Rowntree Foundation.Responsible for:- running strategic-level workshops with senior stakeholders, to enable a shared understanding of the domain, identify issues, and define business benefits and success measures - consolidating learnings and insights into reports, setting out the appropriate roadmap for their digital workplace developments.

Responsible for managing a team of sixteen advisers through a period of rapid and complex change at the university, where its traditional careers service was transformed into a leading edge, proactive employability service. LJMU has over 20,000 students and the vision was to place employability at the heart of every student’s experience, requiring the development of new self-serve and online systems, and the innovative use of digital platforms such as virtual learning environments, webinars and social media. As Delivery Team Manager, I was responsible for mapping and analysing existing processes, in order to design and specify new, improved systems, and the solution won the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services' Technology Award in 2013.

Responsible for managing multiple projects and teams to complete the delivery of several online learning applications, including: an avatar-based virtual interview system using an open source survey tool and on-line avatar system for LJMU’s World of Work Careers Centre; and an on-line multi-level platform game for use in PSHE classes in secondary schools for LJMU’s Centre for Public Health.

With partner, Jonathan Butters, raised £150k start-up funding in order to set up Jab Design, the largest product design consultancy in the North West at that time, and one of the top 5% of UK design consultancies. Responsible for strategic, operational and financial direction as well as end-user focus group research.

Design and establishment of LJM's Digitalinc business incubator, including the strategic and financial planning, writing the business plan and funding application, promotion and recruitment of tenants, devising (and then operating) operational contracts and procedures, supporting and mentoring tenants (all small creative digital businesses).

Managing a team of talented and creative digital content developers, to develop innovative educational multimedia, in collaboration with academics and entrepreneurs.

Co-developed and ran the first interactive multimedia MA course outside London

Designing interactive and engaging learning materials as part of a small, close knit, practical research unit, created by Peter Fowler and with the inspirational input of new media guru Roy Stringer.