What I Hope to Bring to the Advance Party

After eight years providing technology, data and events to fund managers across Europe and Asia, I've joined Advance to do something that feels more impactful: supporting and challenging people and teams operating in complex environments.

At Advance, I'll be working primarily on delivery. That includes designing and delivering workshops, working closely with individuals on a one to one basis, and supporting Advance’s clients in winning major bids. 

Turning insight and theory into real, tangible action is what drives me, especially when it helps someone see a new path forward and choose to take it. Asking questions, exploring ideas, and finding clarity in the middle of a challenge keeps that process moving.

This interest didn't appear overnight. A few years back, I hit my own wall and had to ask myself some uncomfortable questions about what I was doing and why. That reflection led me to rewire my mindset and belief system and slowly rebuild how I relate to work, relationships, and life in general.

The process taught me that personal change is rarely straightforward. And when it happens, it’s powerful. I also came to see growth through a more holistic lens. Looking after yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually is not optional if you want to do good work.

I don't believe you can take someone from A to B. People get there on their own, in their own time and in their own way. My role is to support and challenge that process however I can. Perhaps by asking difficult questions, offering new tools, making ideas practical, or creating space for honest reflection. At its best, this work is about people making their own insights real.

A lot of us are desperate to be the smartest person in the room. To have expertise validated. To be seen as indispensable. It’s exhausting. And mostly pointless.

These days I geek out on Eastern philosophy which puts it simply: “To know nothing is to know everything.” In a world hooked on credentials and being ‘right’, that’s a refreshing reminder. I try to remind myself to walk into every conversation ‘knowing nothing’ - it keeps me curious, empathetic, and I usually I come away having learned something.

I don't believe you can take someone from A to B. People get there on their own, in their own time and in their own way. 

Of course, I haven’t mastered all of this. I still get it wrong. But I’m more aware of when ego is at the wheel, and more willing to let it go. 

I'm particularly interested in Advance's psychometric work and behavioural analysis of humans in the work place. Tools like DISC aren't perfect science, but they're brilliant mirrors. Shining a light on patterns we sometimes oversee ourselves: default behaviours, motivations, blind spots. What makes them powerful is their dual purpose. They create genuine self-awareness and reflection, and they help us adapt how we interact with others once we understand (to some extent) both our own wiring and theirs.

Outside of delivery, I’ll be supporting on the commercial front, working with Al and Shakey to build new relationships and exploring where Advance can add value. I’m also keen to contribute to our partnerships with organisations like B Corp, the SME Alliance and Major Projects Association.

And underneath it all, I’ll be bringing curiosity, humour, and a bit of play. Someone once said adulthood is just the path to rediscovering your childlikeness. That line stuck with me. And when we bring lightness into serious work, the best kind of transformation happens.

What’s next from me? Learning to be more direct, even when it’s uncomfortable. Exploring how ancient philosophies, Eastern and Western, can inform the way we lead, collaborate, and make decisions today. And, with a bit of luck, getting out into the world to interview clients, collaborators, and industry voices to find out what people are really thinking and what we can learn from their perspectives.