A Pivotal Turn: AI, Education and Society at Brown University

The Challenge: CSREA’s Director had urgent questions about what the turn in AI means for historically marginalised communities in education. These were too consequential and complex to answer from within the academy alone. She needed a partner and implementor to study these questions with her.

My Approach:

• Worked as her thought partner to shape the stakeholder engagement strategy from the ground up, embedding co-creation across academia, philanthropy, big tech, the arts, policy, and community advocacy

• Convened two virtual roundtables bringing together local, national, and global leaders, anchored by the Director's discussion paper to establish a shared intellectual foundation

• Translated the insights into an accessible 26-page zine and established a Learning Archive to preserve the knowledge generated across the initiative

• Led the design of the full-day Spring 2026 symposium — running the content strategy session that set the agenda, managing the speaker programme, and directing the creative vision for the event

The Results:

• Reached 817 people globally with the zine and engaged 21 cross-sector leaders across two roundtables

• Drew 93 attendees to the April 2026 symposium, which validated the convening model across sectors

• Earned a Phase 2 renewal to continue developing the global research agenda

I-LEAD Centre at King's Business School

The Challenge: A Vice-Dean had a vision for a business education research centre, but lacked the resources and capacity to turn it into a fundable reality.

My Approach:

• Co-designed a stakeholder engagement strategy, embedding co-creation from the start

• Built credibility through three strategic proof-of-concept initiatives - roundtables, a workshop, webinar

• Developed the case for support that secured philanthropic investment

The Results:

• I-LEAD secured £300,000 in philanthropic funding.

• The centre successfully launched and has been operational since 2025.

• I-LEAD transformed from a paper concept into a fully staffed, mission-driven centre.

BS 25700 Modern Slavery Standard – Dr Gabriela Gutierrez Huerter O

The Challenge: An academic co-author of a British Standard on modern slavery needed to distinguish her individual contribution and demonstrate the real-world impact of her research for her research assessment submission. Her work had potential but lacked the network and strategy to reach industry adopters.

My Approach:

• Co-developed a corporate and non-profit engagement strategy, identifying potential early adopters

• Designed and delivered strategic roundtables connecting senior leaders from construction, investment, legal, and anti-slavery sectors

• Sustained the strategy over three years, culminating in early adopters presenting their implementation experience

The Results:

• An official partnership was established with the British Standards Institution (BSI).

• The client co-hosted a major BSI event: "From Risk to Resilience" (November 2025).

• The client's profile significantly raised and the contribution was distinguished among co-authors.