Our Associates

Alice

Alice is an independent project and change management consultant. Alice works with and assists charities and their teams to implement change; particularly around processes, systems, people, and software. Alice’s primary aim is to ensure the effective and successful delivery of their projects in order to drive development, quality, and efficiency; in a way that shares knowledge and skills to allow charities to continue to manage projects themselves in the future, providing support if required. Alice has worked in the world of project management for many years, with all levels of experience from operational delivery through to senior management and trustees, and has a person centred style and approach. She’s experienced in planning and successfully executing on projects ranging from community funded development and service delivery, through to bespoke IT system replacement, CRM Implementation, and Web Integration. Alice’s work also involves implementing new processes and procedures to support operational and organisational management. She initially worked in Child Protection and Youth Offending, before moving on to Communities and Health, and finally focusing IT Software and Systems using Agile and traditional approaches focusing especially on NFP. As such, Alice brings a breadth of experience and knowledge that can be applied to a variety of charities. The support Alice provides is primarily specifying, planning, and successfully implementing projects and change. Alice has worked with a wide range of organisations including Missio, London City Mission, Versus Arthritis, Art for History, Groupcall, BlueSky Communications, teamSOS, World Land Trust, National Literacy Trust, The Schools Library Association, Justice Defenders, Royal Lifesaving Society and many more; along with being a Lloyds Bank Foundation Enhance Partner and having experience with many software suppliers in the sector. Alice is qualified/certified in: - IBITGQ EU General Data Protection Regulation Practitioner (GDPR P) - IBITGQ EU General Data Protection Regulation Foundation (GDPR F) Member of the Project Management Institute, qualified in: - Project Manager Professional (PMI-PMP) – Alice’s PMI qualifications can be independently checked at https://certification.pmi.org/registry.aspx - Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) – This qualification can also be independently checked at https://certification.pmi.org/registry.aspx - PRINCE2 - Alice’s PRINCE2 qualification can also be independently checked by using her Candidate Number P2R/625337 Alice’s specialist areas are/include: - IT systems, CRMs, and websites (inc. procurement and vendor selection). - Organisational development and change (IT strategy, organisation restructures). - Developing new or existing processes, tools, and procedures for organisations to continue. Alice combines project management skills with technical awareness, and an ability to make complex information readily understandable at all levels. She’s also experienced in working with and managing Suppliers and Third Parties, ensuring everyone is working together effectively with a positive relationship. Projects and changes can vary in terms of length and amount of support, Alice will ensure that the expectations are set and understood by all involved, and regularly discussed if they need updating. Alice’s aim is to always add value, particularly by bringing clarity and sanity to projects and change, and keeping teams motivated.

David

David is a qualified accountant and Agile project management practitioner, bringing practical, commercial, challenging and effective thinking to projects he has worked on. David specialises in finance & grant management system implementations and process improvement, and recent clients include Maudsley Charity, Santa Rosa and C-Vu Body Corporates (New Zealand). After training and qualifying as an accountant (ACA) in New Zealand, David spent 5 years in public practice before entering the commercial workspace, including 11 years with the Lion Nathan Group (New Zealand's largest drinks company) in Business Partner/Commercial/GM Finance roles and as CEO of their gaming charity. David moved on to a GM of a high growth learning difficulty provider before moving into Project Consulting assisting property development owners navigate their way through the litigation and subsequent reconstruction of weather compromised apartments. At the same time, he was overseeing operational systems and process improvement for a hospitality chain. Upon moving to the UK, David spent 2½ years at Maudsley Charity, initially to implement aCloud (Access Financials) after selection with Adapta's help, to 'go live', including overseeing all training, adding in historic data, building bespoke reporting and delivering on a year-end consolidated set of financials at the push of a button. Additional projects were completed for the charity, including resolution of VAT issues, scheme of delegation, and project management of the charity's new grants management system, integrating payments into aCloud. Additional projects for the charity's trading included enhancing subsidiary systems (Priava booking system) and their processes for repatriating information and cash managed by their agent. Currently, David is also working with a UK international development charity on systems review, with a particular focus on improving the 'process pain' in Financial Force. From a systems perspective, David has implemented Microsoft Great Plains with Lion Nathan Charity from a lead user perspective, along with Access Financials at Maudsley Charity. In both cases, system interconnectedness was part of the overall design, as was standardised reporting. Currently, he has had exposure to Financial Force and by extension SalesForce and their linkages. Financial Systems David has been exposed to include Microsoft Dynamics/Great Plains, MFG Pro, Access Financials, MYOB, QuickBooks, XERO, Nomisma, Financial Force (and by extension SalesForce and their linkages). His all-rounded financial/accounting, IT systems and project management experience helps him navigate to competence quickly when assisting clients with implementing new systems.

George

George is an experienced digital executive, with a background in consultancy, IT project management (PRINCE2), operations and finance. He has had direct responsibility for leading several business functions, which have included off-shore and on-shore IT departments, support desk functions, operations, finance, HR, and marketing. His experience spans numerous business sectors which include central government, legal, charity/not-for-profit, membership organisations, healthcare, education and property. Prior to joining Adapta, George’s most recent experience was as an IT Operations & Finance Director for a community charity. As well as turning around arrangements with under-performing suppliers, he also successfully delivered many data-centric process improvements and was the driving force behind the digital transformation of expensive and resource-intensive processes into efficient, effective and user-friendly digital services. George also implemented a knowledge management system to disseminate siloed information, allowing the organisation to be more effective and resulting in staff being more engaged. Some 15 years ago, George started up an IT consultancy that specialised in document process automation, workflows, document digitalisation, digital mailrooms, and web content management. George is passionate about helping charities to use digital technology and IT systems to help deliver their strategic goals. Most recently, he has worked with organisations such as Dementia UK, the Diocese of Salisbury, the Start Network, Childrens Hospice South West, PCS trade union, Chatham House, Sadlers Wells Theatre, West Sussex Mind, the Overseas Development Institute, and The Royal Society. George has been able to assist such organisations across a range of areas, including procurement of systems (finance, HR and CRM), process improvement, ERP project management, supplier management, recruitment of senior hires, and interim IT leadership, as well as strategic advice and guidance.

James

James is a senior IT executive focusing on the development and implementation of innovative IT strategies in support of organisational growth and change. He spent 20 years in large corporates such as the Warner Music Group, where he led the International team responsible for the business process re-engineering, systems design and application build supporting the transition of The Warner Music Group from a physical product production and sales organisation to being able to successfully function in the emerging digital music market. As the IT Director for Bunzl UK and Ireland he led the adoption of digital technology in support of logistical operations and business analytics, the selection, design and implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and the transition to cloud-based infrastructure and applications. In 2016 he set up his own consultancy providing guidance to ambitious small to medium businesses on the optimal use of digital technology in support of their business strategies. In 2019 he moved into the INGO sector to lead a global, technology driven transformation programme at Plan International (a global children’s charity), where he drove the design, development and implementation of standardised reporting and project management applications for field-based teams and the design and development of an organisation wide implementation of the Microsoft Dynamics 365 ERP system. Following this he took responsibility for the enterprise architecture of the organisation to ensure the fit for purpose and value of all IT solutions. James is an innovative technologist able to develop IT strategies in support of complex business needs. Beyond strategic development he is able to lead the identification and development of appropriate solutions and drive their successful implementation. His areas of functional expertise lie in financial/grants management, outcome reporting, project management, enterprise resource planning, logistics and business analytics.

Jo

Jo has worked with data in the not-for-profit sector for over 25 years and has been an independent consultant supporting organisations with data strategy, data governance and data quality since 2018. Jo is passionate about helping organisations of all sizes and causes overcome their frustrations with poor quality data so they can deliver their mission efficiently, with reliable information, and with confidence that they are GDPR compliant. Jo started off in supporter care and subsequently database fundraising for Christian Aid. She then ran the individual giving programme and managed the Raiser 's Edge database at Notting Hill Housing Trust. A long stint at the Advertising Standards Authority gave Jo extensive exposure to Microsoft Dynamics CRM through her work as a business analyst and project manager to deliver process, system and data improvements. Jo was also a school governor for 5 years, supporting the governing body and leadership team in particular with data literacy. Specialisms include: • Data governance frameworks and implementation • Root cause analysis of data quality issues and their resolution • Scoping and requirements for data migrations and integrations • Designing and implementing business process improvements • Landscape analysis including data lifecycles and conceptual data models • Creating business data glossaries • Data fluency Jo 's work is underpinned by her interest and enthusiasm for making improvements, helping people understand the reliance on data to deliver their vision, and then guiding them on that journey. Jo is comfortable working with people at all levels and in both technical and non-technical roles. Jo can advise on strategic aspects of data as well as getting involved in day-to-day detail. Jo is a Certified Data Management Professional (DAMA) and has formal qualifications from the BCS in Requirements Engineering, Business Process Modelling, Business Analysis Practice and Commercial Awareness. She also holds the Foundation certificate for PRINCE2 and the Open University's Certificate in Winning Resources and Support. Jo has also undertaken training in the Ten Steps™ process, an internationally-recognised framework for improving Data Quality in organisations.

Liz

Liz Curry began her career working in theatre publicity, spending 10 years at the National Theatre in various marketing roles. She worked briefly with the UN on the first Mozambican General Election and travelled through East Africa before joining Comic Relief, where she was involved in a variety of projects. Liz became Comic Relief’s first CRM Manager in 2002 where she was responsible for the development of the role, including process analysis, design and implementation of all fulfilment processes for the Red Nose Day and Sport Relief campaigns: streamlining the process to efficiently delivery hundreds and thousands of pieces of print materials. She also redesigned the way gift aid was processed, winning Information Age’s Most Effective Use of IT in a Charitable Organisation 2007, in recognition of claiming £7.5m worth of Gift Aid from Red Nose Day donors and won the Grand Prix: Most Effective IT Project 2007. She mapped out a better way of income reporting during campaign, identified bottlenecks, redundancies and inefficiencies and engaged stakeholders to understand areas for improvement, then instituted a system of daily income reporting to SRT. She was later appointed Business Planning and Processes Manager with specific responsibility for designing new business processes around the introduction of GDPR. The programme won the Best GDPR Programme and Grand Prix winner in DataIQ’s Talent Awards in 2017. Liz is now an independent consultant and associate consultant with Adapta. Her current clients include Wood Green, The Animals Charity, The Hugs Foundation and Livewire Consultancy (as Data Protection Officer); The Mercury Theatre, Colchester (working with the Marketing team to redesign processes and hit their targets) and Be the Business. Past clients include: Barnardo’s, Marie Curie, Versus Arthritis, The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, and We Are Family, the adoption charity. Other awards include: Marketing Week’s Data Strategy Award for 2013; Data IQ’s Real Mail Marketer of the Year in 2013; and the 2013 IoF Insight in Fundraising Award for Innovation; and the IoF Insight in Fundraising Award for Driving Strategy in 2012. She was also named in the DataIQ Big Data 100 list for three years running. Liz became a member of the IDM/DMA’s Data Council in 2014 and is a member of both the DMA’s Governance Committee and Fundraising Forum (and occasional chair of webinars).

Mark

With over 20 years experience working in the not-for-profit sector with organisations small, large, and global in scope, Mark is a technology leader with a proven history of achieving excellent results with limited resources. He favours actions over words and “getting things done” over excessive strategising. He is experienced in agile project management and software development practices, and specialises in a product-led and community-focused approach to delivering technology. Mark has spent the last decade working for Greenpeace, an industry leader in developing and utilising technology for fundraising, mobilisation, and engagement, where he built from scratch a world class engagement systems team, managing a portfolio of products which included the global website, CRM system, digital marketing platform, volunteer engagement, open campaigning, and face to face fundraising tools. Mark has led many innovative projects, often involving system selection, implementation, and adoption, which have delivered transformation for organisations, and is an expert in maximising the impact of non-profit technology, with a particular expertise around data. Having spent five years as a Lead Consultant at Purple Vision and before that working as a Database Manager for not-for-profit such as Anti-Slavery International and the Royal Society of Arts, Mark has developed a deep understanding of fundraising and engagement strategy across a range of contexts. He has worked with most not-for-profit CRM systems over the years and has particular recent experience as a strategic Product Manager for Salesforce, Hubspot, Wordpress, Engaging Networks, Open Social, ControlShift, and Evergiving. Mark is passionate about developing people, and building and empowering technology teams with a specific focus on diversity. He has a successful track record in recruiting diverse teams and he leads with empathy, integrity, and authenticity, taking a “people-first” approach to his work. Mark has worked across the globe, most notably in Southeast Asia, Brazil, Mexico, New Zealand, India, and several European countries, with extensive experience in the UK. As a neurodivergent person, Mark has a creative, flexible mindset that seeks a pathway through uncertainty and chaos with resourcefulness and ingenuity. He is able to find innovative solutions to problems and blend existing concepts together to develop new approaches.

Philip

Philip is a senior IT professional, experienced in leadership positions such as IT Director / Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Chief Technology Officer (CTO). He has a particular focus on technology strategy, architecture and consultancy. Adapta clients have included Asthma UK, Cranstoun, Earthwatch, Enham Trust, the Labour Party, Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, Lymphoma Action, the Mental Health Foundation, NSPCC, PCS Union, Pony Club UK, SignHealth, the Royal Society, the Trussell Trust and the Woodland Trust. Commercial experience included senior management roles at Sopra Steria and its public-private joint venture Shared Services Connected Ltd (SSCL), 2012-2016. Before that (2003-2012), Philip provided IT leadership as a senior civil servant in the Ministry of Justice (CTO) and the National Offender Management Service (CIO). Earlier, as Technical Director, Philip led the European professional services team for Software.com (later known as Openwave), specialising in email software, following a similar role with HP Consulting. He has travelled widely and worked overseas in the Americas, Europe and Asia, including having lived for three years in India as a British Council officer. Philip has significant experience at board level in both commercial and voluntary organisations, as non-executive director, charity trustee and chairman. Philip was previously Chair of Trustees at Eduserv, a not-for-profit IT services business. Philip has held numerous voluntary roles within the Church of England and the United Reformed Church, from local to national levels. He has advised both the Alzheimers' Society and the Church of England on IT strategy, information security, programme delivery and organisational design, on a voluntary basis. He has also been a school governor in both the UK and in India, and served as the chair of trustees for Hands of Compassion, supporting primary education in Zambia. Philip read Natural Sciences and Mathematics (MA MMath) at the University of Cambridge. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, a Fellow of the British Computer Society and a Member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (FIoD FBCS MIET).

Philippa

Philippa has a wealth of consultancy experience both in the private and not-for-profit sectors. She specialises in HR specifically carrying out HR audits; return on investment (ROI) of, for example, the training function; employment law issues including reviewing contracts, policies and procedures, as well as running investigations for disciplinary, grievance and long-term sickness issues. She has worked with charities, housing associations, membership organisations as well as having clients in the private sector. Most recently, client work has included: HR audit; writing staff handbooks; - leading on GDPR; - dealing with whistle-blowing and NMW claims; - facilitating sessions to develop competency frameworks; - facilitating sessions to develop banks of recruitment and selection questions around competency and valued-based recruitment, and - dealing with complaints against a CEO and a Chief Executive. Philippa has runs her own successful HR consultancy. She sat as a Board Trustee for the NSPCC from 2007 until 2016 where she also sat on the Divisional Trustee Committee and the Finance Committee. She is a Pension Trustee of the NSPCC Pension Fund. Philippa was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the New Year's Honours List in 2018 for her charity work. With nine years as a Trustee, she has a wealth of experience and insight as to how charities run and the issues they face. Philippa is a Chartered Fellow (CFCIPD) of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and has written articles for WoltersKluwer, provided written content for CIPD products, and co-wrote 'The Induction Pocketbook' for the Management Pocketbooks series. She brings a wide range of skills and knowledge to Adapta including HR expertise and facilitating meetings, interviews and workshops. Philippa is used to working with a range of clients including housing associations, membership organizations and charities as well as media, advertising, family-owned companies and, of course, different sizes of client including organizations with between 10 and 20 staff to those with 4000 worldwide. She is used to dealing at Board level as well as all other levels.

Suzy

Suzy is a supportive, reliable, innovative and versatile project management and change management professional with strategic and operational experience in both private and not-for-profit sectors. She has worked with not-for-profit organisations for 15 years and in project management for over 20 years. Suzy’s specialties include project and change management, mentoring and coaching, business analysis, workshop facilitation, influencing and stakeholder management, system implementation, team management, communication, risk management, strategic planning, agile development, lean thinking, training, material development, and translating IT terminology into accessible language. Suzy started her career in the charity sector with the British Red Cross International Division to successfully manage a complex change programme to provide an efficient, accessible and effective way to manage the division’s information and support the project cycle methodology. This led to working for a Swedish IT consulting company to expand on what we’d developed, and deliver a streamlined efficient programme and information management system to many not-for-profit organisations facing similar challenges. Suzy has extensive experience of International not-for-profit organisations, having worked with a wide range of clients to provide robust, accessible and intuitive solutions. These included organisations such as UK based World Vision UK and ActionAid International; North American based Heifer International, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and Canadian Red Cross; Swiss based Solidar Suisse and Swiss Red Cross, and Australia based Australian Red Cross and Oxfam Australia. Suzy continues to leverage her skills and experience to make a positive impact in the not-for-profit sector. She remains committed to helping organisations thrive through coaching and mentoring, driving innovation and fostering a culture of collaboration and supported improvement.