Enabling systems thinking in real-world decision-making and collaboration
I work as a systems change practitioner focused on building the conditions for systems thinking to be applied in organisational and place-based contexts.
My work supports public bodies, international organisations, research institutions, cross-sector partnerships and communities to navigate complexity where outcomes depend on coordination across stakeholders, sectors and levels of decision-making.I specialise in surfacing how different groups experience and interpret the same issue in different ways, and translating these differences into practical insight that informs strategy, engagement and implementation.Across my work, I help organisations apply coherent, context-sensitive approaches to action in complex systems.
What I do:
Build capability for systems practice within organisations and cross-sector partnerships
Design and facilitate processes that surface stakeholder perspectives, system dynamics and implementation constraints
Translate systems thinking into practical approaches for strategy, engagement and organisational learning
Support leaders and teams to improve decision-making in complex, multi-stakeholder environments
Areas of focus:
Public health and behaviour change
Climate action and environmental transition
Economic transition and the future of work
Food systems and livelihoods
Place-based innovation and urban development
Cross-sector collaboration and systems change
About
I work as a systems practitioner supporting organisations to design and enable the conditions for effective collaboration within complex, place-based systems.
With 10+ years’ experience across government, academia, industry and community contexts, my work focuses on applied systems research, capability building and cross-sector collaboration in contexts where outcomes depend on alignment across stakeholders, institutions and levels of decision-making.I specialise in understanding how different groups interpret and experience the same issue in different ways, shaped by values, constraints, incentives and local context. This informs how engagement, strategy and implementation are designed upstream, at the point where assumptions about problems, priorities and solutions are formed.My practice has developed through more than a decade of independent innovation and design work, applying design as an intervention within behavioural and organisational systems. This led to an MSc in Sustainable Development in Practice (Distinction), which formalised and extended my interdisciplinary approach.Since then, I have worked across public health, climate action, economic transition and place-based innovation, including engagements with the World Health Organization, Design Council, universities, local authorities and community organisations. Across this work, I focus on translating institutional and policy intent into approaches that are grounded in real-world context and implementation conditions.I bring strategic systems thinking, stakeholder insight and facilitation capability to work where progress depends on shared understanding, cross-sector alignment and the ability to act effectively within complexity.
"Carra is a driven, intelligent and curious colleague - when working with us at the Design Council, she helped to deliver a complex project with a range of stakeholders. She pushed participants to think deeper about the work they were aiming to deliver, and ultimately created a more meaningful process. This, in turn, led to longer-lasting outcomes."- Emily Whyman, Senior Programme Manager, Design Council
Selected engagements
Working across global, national and place-based contexts to support organisations in applying systems thinking to complex, multi-stakeholder challenges.
World Health Organisation (WHO), Geneva
External Consultant, WHO Tobacco-Free Initiative, Department of Health Promotion
This work focused on translating global tobacco control policy into context-sensitive implementation tools, strengthening alignment between evidence, communication and real-world delivery across countries and sectors.Example work includes:
Surfacing overlooked implementation opportunities in global tobacco policy Analysed graphic health warnings across 37+ countries to identify underused narrative approaches for tobacco cessation, informing more context-sensitive implementation. Published in the 10th WHO Global Tobacco Epidemic Report.
Strengthening alignment in a 60+ organisation global partnership Integrated lived-context and multi-stakeholder perspectives into the WHO Tobacco Cessation Consortium, supporting shared understanding across institutional priorities, delivery constraints and implementation realities.
Strengthening policy foresight through systems analysis Mapped recurring patterns in tobacco industry behaviour across policy, marketing and public perception to strengthen foresight and implementation of WHO FCTC Article 5.3. Published in the 10th WHO Global Tobacco Epidemic Report.
Design Council, UK
Specialist Expert, Place-Based Systems Capability
This work focused on building systems capability within public sector and community-led programmes, enabling teams to work with complexity through coaching, reflective practice and structured decision-support.Example work includes:
Embedding lived experience in climate decision-making Equipped Essex County Council to integrate youth perspectives into climate strategy using participatory research and futures methods, informing communication approaches and the development of a Youth Climate Ambassador Programme.
Building capability in place-based enterprise systems Supported Bristol Rainforest to strengthen participatory practice, funding strategy and system alignment, increasing organisational capability to operate within wider city and investment ecosystems.
Strengthening investment readiness of systems-led enterprises Enabled a climate resilience enterprise focused on circular skills (repair, grow, make, share) to clarify systems value, strengthen credibility, and improve engagement with investors and partners.
University of Bath & Bath & North East Somerset Council
Independent Consultant, Regional Systems & Economic Strategy
This work focused on understanding how different stakeholders interpret and respond to emerging economic transition agendas, and using those insights to shape more aligned, implementable place-based strategies.Example work includes:
Testing conditions for cross-sector collaboration in place-based systems Convened stakeholders across sectors through workshops, online groups and public events to examine how engagement approaches shaped trust, participation and shared understanding across competing priorities and incentives.
Translating systems concepts for public and policy audiences Delivered a public lecture on Doughnut Economics, translating systems thinking into accessible insights for a mixed audience (~80 in-person plus livestream), drawing on Amsterdam’s implementation experience to explore local application.
Informing institutional strategy through engagement insight Advised senior leadership on cross-sector inclusion and early-stage alignment. Synthesised engagement insights into structured outputs informing economic strategy and producing independent reports for public and internal use.
Additional Experience
Further examples of systems practice spanning capability building, organisational change and place-based innovation.
Building systems capability across sectors
Designed and facilitated 30+ learning and engagement tools and sessions building systems capability in practice across public, academic, industry and civil society stakeholders, strengthening understanding of system incentives, institutional constraints and conditions for collaboration.
Supporting cross-sector alignment in urban planning
Developed the Bridge to Belonging framework, later adopted by the London Borough of Hounslow, to support cross-sector alignment and shared decision-making across health, climate and social equity priorities in areas of extreme urban inequality.
Applying design as a systems intervention
Founded and led an independent innovation and design practice for 12 years, delivering internationally recognised work and major commercial commissions, applying design as a systems intervention for behavioural and organisational change prior to transitioning into advisory and policy-facing systems work.
Research & Publications
Contributor, 10th WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic (10th WHO GTCR), WHO, 2025
Supporting coherence between research, communication and implementation across 194 WHO Member States.Lead Author, “Crafting connections with clothing: values, influence and relationships”, in Accelerating Sustainability in Fashion, Clothing and Textiles, Routledge, 2023
Exploring how values, influence and social relationships shape clothing consumption practices, and identifying opportunities for more sustainable fashion systems through shifts in consumer behaviour, design and industry engagement.Author, All Sewn Up: Dismantling Fast Fashion Consumption as a Social Practice, UCA Centre for Sustainable Design, 2021
Exploring how creative and community-led interventions in fashion consumption can restore consumer agency and disrupt unsustainable industry dynamics.
"Carra brought insight, thoughtfulness, and a deep sense of curiosity to the work we did together at the WHO on tobacco control. She approaches complex challenges with care and intellectual rigor, always seeking to understand the deeper dynamics at play. At the same time, she brings real joy and warmth to a team - Carra made a lasting impact on the work and on me personally."- Dr Hebe Gouda, Project Officer, World Health Organization
Contact me
I work with organisations and partnerships addressing complex, cross-sector challenges where outcomes depend on alignment across systems, stakeholders and levels of decision-making.
If you are working on a systems-level challenge and would like to explore ways of working together, please feel free to contact me via email or LinkedIn. Alternatively, send me a message through the form and I'll get back to you shortly.
"I would describe Carra as rigorously creative, in that she combines systems thinking and critical thinking with the spontaneity needed for new ideas. Not many people can do this. She questions everything and because she's also a terrific person, connects with people on many levels. It's an impressive combination of skills for change-making. Working with Carra definitely made me a better designer."- Darren Evans, Design Council Expert & Founder, Engine Room Design
"A special talent for looking at projects delivering solutions that satisfy the requirements from all stakeholder perspectives, are
truly relevant and have undeniable integrity."- William Knight, Director, Material Matters; formerly Show Director, 100% Design at London Design Festival
University of Bath / Bath & North East Somerset Council, UK
Independent Consultant, Regional Economic Development Strategy
Independent specialist leading a 2-year city-wide engagement and insight programme in Bath (~100,000 population), supporting the University of Bath’s Living Well Now and in 2050 programme in connection with Bath & North East Somerset Council’s emerging Doughnut Economics-based economic strategy.Example projects include:
Exploring pre-conditions for effective cross-city collaboration
Convened cross-city stakeholders using multi-format methods (workshops, online groups, public events and participatory activities) to explore how different approaches shaped engagement dynamics and supported (or hindered) trust-building, participation and shared understanding across stakeholder groups amid competing priorities and incentives. This helped inform context-led approaches to long-term place-based collaboration.
Translating Doughnut Economics for public audiences
Delivered a public lecture introducing Doughnut Economics as a framework for cross-sector collaboration and place-based economic transition, translating complex systems thinking into accessible insights for a mixed public audience (~80 in-person attendees plus livestream audience). Drew on Amsterdam’s adoption of the model and related initiatives to explore pathways for local application and cross-city dialogue on regenerative economic development.
Incorporating engagement insight into institutional strategy
Advised leadership on cross-sector inclusion to strengthen legitimacy and early-stage alignment across public, private, third sector and community actors ahead of a public launch event. Analysed and synthesised post-launch insights into structured outputs to inform Bath & North East Somerset Council’s engagement and economic strategy development, producing independent public and internal reports on findings and recommendations.
Design Council, UK
Specialist Expert, Place-Based Capability Building for Systems Change
Programme facilitator working with the UK Government’s official advisor on design, embedding systems capability across regional programmes through design research coaching, reflective practice and decision-making tools. Programme reflection, refinement and learning cycles supported ongoing systems learning and capability within the Design Council in turn.Example projects include:
Embedding youth values in council climate communication
Equipped Essex County Council leaders to examine the limited response to Net Zero communication from younger audiences. Participatory research and futures-thinking activities with secondary school students surfaced underrepresented youth values, motivations and priorities, strengthening the development of a Youth Climate Ambassador Programme and wider climate engagement strategy.
Aligning Net Zero strategy with urban equality
Worked with London Borough of Hounslow to address urban inequality through climate action in an area of extreme urban deprivation. Using design research and systems analysis, facilitated cross-departmental collaboration to reposition climate action as a more integrated programme spanning equity, care and social-environmental co-benefits, grounded in local context and implementation constraints.
Translating social enterprise for investment readiness
Supported place-based social enterprise development for an urban co-working and community hub hybrid focused on circular climate mitigation and adaptation skills (repair, grow, make, share), within constrained funding and investment contexts. Helped reposition the enterprise model to strengthen engagement with impact investors, build cross-sector credibility, and support pathways to scalability across UK cities.
World Health Organisation (WHO), Geneva
External Consultant, WHO Tobacco-Free Initiative, Department of Health Promotion
Specialist consultant for the WHO Tobacco-Free Initiative, supporting the translation of global tobacco control policy into practical, context-sensitive tools for implementation within countries and across sectors.Example projects include:
Expanding tobacco cessation narratives for practical policy implementation
Analysed graphic health warnings from 37+ countries to identify underexplored narrative approaches for tobacco cessation, generating new research opportunities and supporting policy implementation across diverse cultural and national contexts in line with WHO FCTC Articles 11 & 12. The work was published in the 10th WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, in collaboration with WHO specialists.
Strengthening public-private-civil society partnerships for collaboration
Brought multi-stakeholder and lived-context perspectives into the development of the WHO Tobacco Cessation Consortium, a complex global collaboration of more than 60 public, private and civil society sector organisations. This supported alignment across diverse institutional priorities and ways of working, and helped ground decision-making in real-world implementation contexts.
Anticipating tobacco industry interference through collective foresight
Initiated a Tobacco Industry Interference Timeline mapping how tobacco industry tactics have evolved across policy, marketing and public perception since 1912, highlighting recurring industry behaviours that help anticipate future strategies in line with WHO FCTC Article 5.3. The work was published in the 10th WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, in collaboration with University of Bath and WHO specialists.