I am currently engaged as CEO with the task of leading Ireland's largest youth led social innovation charity supporting over 15,000 young people annually creating the new social and environmental innovators across Ireland.Young Social Innovators empowers young people to use their talents, insights, passion and creativity to come up with innovative solutions to social and environmental challenges. Since 2001, Young Social Innovators has supported over 175,000 to become the next generation of changemakers.

Zano = Advise (Shona), is a bespoke social innovation/tech and sustainability consultancy offering award winning specialist design, strategy, research, and innovation advice. Key focus on strategy and advisory work with a diverse range of global organisations. I have delivered the following projects:- Led the successful design and implementation of a co-production strategy for the Agirre Lehendakaria Center (ALC) and the UNDP social innovation platforms (SIPs) in the early adopter countries of Thailand, Pakistan, and Indonesia. This work entailed working alongside the UNDP Accelerator Labs and NGOs supporting local communities co-design social enterprise solutions to future food security, climate change and future of work (2021-2022).- Successful design and MVP of a new global digital social innovation and data driven platform for young people (YouthUX) utilising No Code and social media (2021-22) - Advised on key social enterprise start up initiatives at a national and EU level for example I was a mentor to the UK finalists in the 2021 EU Social Innovation Competition and assessor for new Ashoka and Acumen Fellows in the UK. - Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) accredited and advisor to start-up companies on ESG and sustainability strategies aligning business practice to the UNs SDGs.- Delivery of key digital social innovation and tech for good strategy for InvestNI Collaborative Growth Network (2022-23)- Founder/Executive Director of the Book Reserve, a globally unique social enterprise supporting young ex-offenders. Secured £600K funding and listed by Nesta and the Observer as one of the UK’s top 50 new radicals for my globally unique design of the Book Reserve CIC (2014-2016). - I am a recognised thought leader and have presented to a range of key stakeholders on new models of corporate social innovation, social tech, and co-creation globally. Closely aligned to UK and Irish government policy.

Era92 is a social enterprise based in Kampala, Uganda offering young people technology skills and a range of other digital opportunities creating positive impact and future proofing young peoples lives.

AuSome GrowSome CIC is social enterprise which is a hydroponics-based centre to grow green produce and provide training opportunities for marginalised individuals. It aims to address both business and social issues through 1) sustainable cultivation of green produce through hydroponics all year round and 2) provide training and employment opportunities to young adults on the autism spectrum and associated difficulties.

Aunua Academy is an internationally focused non profit organization based in Ireland. Our mission is to shine a light on the emotional health and well-being of young people, providing them with free accessible resources to help support their mental health.

At Bytes our WHY is "inspiring young change-makers to hack their world for good." We are passionate bout mentoring and supporting the most vulnerable young people in society.Bytes harnesses the latest technology to engage with young people in their own communities, supporting and mentoring them in learning and personal development through a progressive curriculum of accredited qualifications.Turned around a failing digital youth work charity which employs 38 staff and engages with over 1000 marginalized young people per year. I overhauled existing systems, developed a new “WHY” statement: “inspiring young changemakers to hack their world for good”, developed a new strategy and business (project) pipeline diversifying income streams and re-skilling staff. I embedded a new experimental project design ethos and diversified income streams increasing income from £537K (2018/19) to £1.39M (2019/20). Through my expertise in relationship building and political astuteness I improved external brand messaging, rebuilt broken relationships with key government stakeholders, funders and developed new partnerships with corporate partners.

Pioneers in the field of social innovation and creating transformative change in communities. The Young Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental think tank based in London that specialises in social innovation to tackle structural inequality. Reporting directly into the CEO, I was responsible for operations, budgets, and development of a new all Ireland business strategy as well as leading a small expert team in the delivery of the flagship Amplify programme and social innovation start-up accelerator (£1M). Over two years I directly mentored and supported 45 social innovation start- ups applying a business canvas and lean methodology approach as well as undertaking ethnographic and participatory research in communities across Ireland. Secured additional £400K in funding for social innovation projects for local government social innovation projects and the Credit Suisse Amplify Youth programme (UK/Ireland). Expert lead for the Young Foundation on corporate social innovation activity (UK and international).

Co-Founder and Executive Director of the award-winning Book Reserve social enterprise providing valuable technology and hospitality training and employment to young ex-offenders. I was responsible for the initial creative development of this globally unique social enterprise designed to reduce levels of recidivism in young ex-offenders and longer term reduce levels of offending by their own children.I had full operational and financial responsibility (T/O £300K Per Annum) of the business after securing £575k seed capital for the Department of Justice. Additional to this I was responsible for a team of 20+ staff working across multiple sites and implementing key business processes and systems to create revenue and income streams. The success of the project was highlighted by the fact that we reduced levels of re-offending in the young people employed from a national average of 70% to 15% saving government approximately £825K over the first two years of operation.

Member of the senior management team responsible for delivering the Councils core economic, innovation and enterprise priorities (annual budget >£1M) and management of the economic development and tourism team. I successfully managed large EU (ERDF funds) and was commended for my innovative design of a blended business support platform (online and consultancy) by the Northern Ireland Assembly.I also took a two-year secondment at MATRIX (Department for the Economy) leading on business led foresight research and networks both at devolved and national government levels. Whilst there I wrote the social innovation strategy for MATRIX and findings from this report were embedded in the overall Northern Ireland Innovation strategy.

Aim is to work with DETI, MATRIX (the Northern Ireland Science Industry Panel),and other sectoral representative groups to develop business led foresight and horizon scanning networks and management of distinct foresight studies.I took a two-year secondment at MATRIX (Department for the Economy) leading on business led foresight research and networks both at devolved and national government levels. Whilst there I wrote the social innovation strategy for MATRIX and findings from this report were embedded in the overall Northern Ireland Innovation strategy.