I am the Director/CEO of the Irish Board of Speech and Drama, a performing arts examining body. The Irish Board offers a progressive and contemporary syllabus designed to facilitate an independent assessment of the technical and interpretive skills acquired by children, young people and adults in acting, musical theatre and communication skills. The policies, processes and practice of the Irish Board and of its sibling, the Irish Board of Dance Performance, flow from and are consistent with a distinct and positive set of human values: openness, encouragement, helpfulness, inclusivity, accessibility and professionalism. The activities of the Irish Board facilitate young people to become more confident in themselves, and to acquire skills that will help them to communicate clearly, work collaboratively, value creativity and the arts, and pursue further education in the performing arts.Before taking over the operation of the Irish Board of Speech and Drama, I ran a consultancy, focusing primarily on policy formulation, organisational design, trusteeship, strategic planning, and personal development training. To this I brought the skills I had acquired through many years working in the not-for-profit sector and serving as a non-executive director on the boards of a variety of NGOs and as a trustee of others. I am guided by a strong impulse to see if there are better (or sometimes just more interesting) ways of doing things, to look at issues from different (and sometimes unusual) angles, and to think critically but creatively. I have a strong belief in the effectiveness of a leadership and management style that is based on respect, collaboration and trust.In my spare time, I scratch a creative itch and blog at www.creativityeveryday.ie and www.thebreakfastblog.ie