Specialisms
I specialise in the following areas:
- Leadership Training
- Transformation
Heidi is a Senior Consultant with over 25 years’ experience across culture, leisure, tourism and sport, working at local, regional and national levels. Heidi has led a social enterprise, managed complex local authority services, and delivered high‑impact consultancy for major sector bodies including The Chief Cultural & Leisure Officers Association, Local Government Association, Sport England, The National Archives, Libraries Connected and Arts Council England.
Her career spans strategic planning, policy development, governance reviews, organisational improvement, commissioning, and multi-agency project leadership. She is a highly experienced facilitator and trainer, supporting leadership development, sector transformation and collaborative working across the UK.
Since 2019, she has operated as an independent consultant, providing trusted expertise, strategic insight and practical solutions to help cultural, heritage, tourism and sport services navigate change, strengthen impact and improve outcomes for communities.
Key Strengths/Area of Expertise
Strategic Leadership & Vision
– Strong strategic thinker with the ability to design and implement complex plans.
– Experienced leader across local, regional and national levels, including social enterprise leadership.
– Skilled at interpreting national and regional agendas and translating them into local action.
Policy Development & Sector Insight
– Deep understanding of the UK culture, leisure, sport and visitor economy landscape.
– Extensive experience producing policy, guidance and strategic publications for national bodies.
– Trusted advisor to senior leaders, elected members and national organisations.
Training, Facilitation & Capacity Building
– Highly experienced trainer and workshop facilitator (in-person and online).
– Skilled Action Learning facilitator supporting leadership development and peer learning.
– Proven ability to motivate, inspire and build capability across diverse teams and sectors.
Governance, Commissioning & Organisational Development
– Strong track record in governance reviews, organisational assessments and improvement planning.
– Expertise in commissioning processes, outcomes frameworks and demonstrating impact.
– Experienced in developing service level agreements and managing key leisure contracts.
Project & Programme Leadership
– Skilled in leading multi-agency projects with complex objectives and diverse stakeholders.
– Strong project management, business planning and service planning capability.
– Experienced in managing operational and strategic risk.
Culture, Heritage, Tourism & Leisure Expertise
– 13 years’ Local Authority management experience across tourism, heritage, arts, sport, play, events and economic development.
– Specialist knowledge in cultural education, archives, libraries, visitor economy and inclusive sport.
– Experienced in developing collaborative models, consortia and cross-authority partnerships.
Stakeholder Engagement & Partnership Building
– Excellent interpersonal skills with a strong national network across culture, sport and public services.
– Skilled at building partnerships with public bodies, voluntary groups, private sector and national agencies.
– Experienced in facilitating strategic conversations and aligning diverse interests.
Innovation, Improvement & Change
– Creative problem-solver with a flair for identifying opportunities and driving improvement.
– Experienced in supporting transformation programmes and sector-wide change initiatives.
– Strong analytical skills providing informed, evidence-based recommendations.
Communication & Influence
– Clear, persuasive communicator experienced in reporting to Cabinet, Scrutiny and senior boards.
– Skilled at distilling complex information into accessible, actionable insights.
– Experienced in producing high-quality publications, toolkits and strategic briefings.
Professional Qualifications
- MA Cultural Leadership (Distinction), Liverpool John Moores University
- BA (Hons) Humanities with Art History, First Class, Open University
- Chartered Management Institute Level 3 Certificate in Management
- Local Government Peer (2013)
- Shared Service Practitioner SS(PRAC) (2012)
- Associate Fellow, School for Social Entrepreneurs (2012)
- Action Learning Facilitator (2010)
- Common Purpose – Matrix Programme (2008)
- Arts Council England East – Creative Leadership Training (2005–2006)
- NVQ Level 3 in Administering Cultural Products (2000)
Case Studies
Provided Independent Tourism Support Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Council between Nov 22 to Nov 23. The council had established a Tourism Working Group of Councillors and required external support and tourism expertise to help define the overall action plan for the group’s priorities.
Heidi undertook initial desk based research and familiarisation with key documents, held a Visioning session with CEX and Assistant Director met with Chair of working group and other key council officers
The main workstream involved Independent Facilitation of the Tourism Working Group
This was held as in-person workshops devised around themes that enabled the working group to explore both the issues already identified and also focus on the opportunities for tourism in West Norfolk in rural, urban and coastal areas.
- Employment & Training
- Sustainable Tourism
- Infrastructure – travel, connectivity and parking
- Visitor Accessibility
Following the May election, there was a pause in the work and a change in membership of the Tourism Working Group. To inform the new panel members of the work already undertaken, an update was given on the background to the work of the group, themes covered and actions arising. A further two session followed to explore:
- Innovation & Digitisation
- Experiential Tourism & Developing the Cultural Product
The workshops included contributions from stakeholders with expertise on each of the topics. Also, inspirational case studies from across the country which Heidi sourced, so that potentially replicable approaches could be considered.
The final workstream involved the creation of an Action Plan including:
o Agreed priorities that were realistic and achievable over the short, medium and long-term
o Future internal and external stakeholder engagement
o Timeframes identification
o Channels and methods of communications
o Resources required
o Risks
Notable Achievements/Value Added
Nationally Influential Policy & Sector Leadership
Heidi has led major policy development and strategic publications for The Chief Cultural & Leisure Officers Association, shaping national understanding of culture, leisure, health and wellbeing and strengthening the sector’s collective voice.
Transformational Support for Councils & Cultural Services
She has delivered high‑impact Cultural Peer Challenges and strategic reviews for councils across the UK, improving governance, service design, leadership capability and long‑term resilience in culture, tourism, libraries, archives and sport.
Creation of Sector‑Wide Frameworks & Toolkits
Heidi has authored outcomes frameworks, commissioning guides and impact measurement tools now used nationally across culture, sport and archives to demonstrate value, secure investment and align with health and wellbeing priorities
Leadership of Complex Multi‑Agency Collaborations
She has successfully led major cross‑authority initiatives (e.g., Archives First, CS3 consortium, Thames Valley Cultural Forum), enabling shared resources, efficiencies, innovation and stronger strategic alignment across regions.
Relevant Sector Knowledge
- Strong understanding of culture, arts, heritage, libraries and archives, including governance, accreditation and sector standards.
- In‑depth knowledge of leisure, sport, physical activity and health partnerships, including commissioning and wellbeing outcomes.
- Extensive experience in tourism, visitor economy development, destination planning and economic growth.
- Deep familiarity with local government systems, governance, scrutiny, political environments and public sector delivery models.
- Expertise in commissioning, outcomes frameworks, impact measurement and demonstrating value to health and social priorities.
- Well‑connected across national bodies (LGA, ACE, TNA, Libraries Connected, Sport England) with insight into current sector challenges and opportunities.
Training/Coaching Programs/Workshop offers
Heidi has designed and delivered a range of high‑impact leadership programmes, action learning sets and specialist training for national bodies including The National Archives, Libraries Connected, Local Government Association and Arts Council England, significantly strengthening sector capability and confidence.