As a Chartered Organisational Psychologist and a Chartered Coaching Psychologist, I am passionate about enabling people to perform to the best of their ability, both for themselves and for the organisation they work for. I have been applying deep psychological knowledge of human behaviour and performance in organisations for more than 30 years across a range of industries in both the public and private sectors. I have specialised in organisational development, culture change and behavioural assessment and development at the individual, team and organisational level. At the core of my work is the fundamental notion of ‘difference’, how we need to acknowledge difference, work with difference and value difference to be more effective at working together to produce effective outcomes for everyone; inclusion and belonging being fundamental for a positive and performing culture.
Before becoming a Psychologist, I began my career as a Forensic Mental Health Nurse, working in high-risk environments including Broadmoor Special Hospital and Australian prisons. These settings taught me (quite harshly at times!) that difference is not something to be managed at the margins, or a barrier to effectiveness, but a strength when it is understood, respected and actively included. Such experience shaped my commitment to creating environments where people feel able to speak up, challenge poor behaviour and contribute fully. It shaped my conviction that inclusive teams are safer, more cohesive and higher performing because they draw on diverse perspectives and build trust. This conviction continues to underpin my work in the British Army, where I strive to translate inclusion into practical cultural change that strengthens trust, cohesion, professional standards and team performance.
During my time working with the British Army, I have delivered scientific research to inform and support proposed policy decisions and enhance wellbeing services for employees, in addition to delivering several applied interventions to support and enhance individual, team and organisational performance. My passion and work has consistently focused on helping the organisation understand, value and work effectively with difference. As the Head of Culture for the British Army, this has meant translating psychological and contextual evidence into practical cultural change interventions that strengthen everyday professional behaviours, support more inclusive behaviours, improve team cohesion and enable people from different backgrounds to contribute fully and work more effectively across difference. I have designed and led work that has repositioned inclusion from being seen as a standalone diversity issue to being understood as a core enabler of trust, cohesion, professional standards, leadership, and operational effectiveness across the Army. I have been able to robustly demonstrate with tangible evidence that when people and teams feel respected, able to speak up and able to contribute fully, they feel stronger and more resilient and subsequently the whole organisation becomes stronger and more effective.
This work has been distinctive, practical and enduring, demonstrating the real organisational value of inclusion and diversity beyond awareness raising into action and showing the importance for creating high-performing Army teams. The significance of this work for me, lies in the demonstration that inclusive culture is not simply the right thing to do or that is separate from Army effectiveness, but that it is integral to strengthening the conditions in which people can serve, lead and perform at their best. I am immensely proud of this work and of the people involved, and their unswerving commitment, in helping me deliver the initiative successfully across the Army. I feel I have made a difference.
