Preparing people for collaboration in complex place-based systems.

Context • Connection • Cohesion

I help leaders and teams develop the skills to understand people, place and context more clearly before stakeholder engagement and solution design begin.Place-based collaboration is cross-sector and multi-stakeholder by nature. When projects move forward without shared context, they often encounter challenges such as competing perspectives, low engagement, unintended consequences, or discovering too late that the source of a problem lies elsewhere.I work with leaders at the earliest stage of a project to slow down how decisions begin - helping them develop the ability to notice what is often overlooked: the people, relationships, histories and local conditions that shape how change actually happens.

About You

You work in policy innovation, local government, architecture and design, community organisations, social enterprise or purpose-led business.

You are often responsible for moving place-based work from idea to action - and may be noticing that early assumptions about 'where to start' become less certain once different perspectives are included.You might be asking:

  • Why do different people see this challenge so differently?

  • Are we starting in the right place?

  • What are we missing?

  • Who else do we need to speak to?

  • How do we avoid a(nother) false start?

Exploring these questions early leads to stronger engagement and more effective collaboration later.

If you are a programme manager responsible for enabling place-based change through learning programmes, cohorts, accelerators or leadership development, I also support programme design and delivery.

Working together

I work with leaders and project teams at the earliest stage of place-based work, helping them strengthen how a challenge is understood before decisions are made.

Drawing on systems thinking, design thinking and behavioural science, I help teams move beyond default approaches and develop capabilities to see what is already present before deciding what should happen next.Together, we explore different perspectives, lived experience and contextual factors to build a clearer understanding of the challenge and create the conditions for effective collaboration.This begins by learning to:

  • Arrive with a question, not a solution

  • Identify where to begin in context

  • Understand why perspectives differ

  • Notice what change already looks like locally

  • Recognise what enables or prevents change

Depending on the work, this takes three forms:

One-to-one or small team advisory
Structured advisory support for project leads and teams to strengthen early-stage thinking, build contextual understanding, and support confident decision-making.

CPD and learning experiences
Workshops, learning resources and thinking tools that develop the skills to better understand people, place and context before collaboration begins.

Programme design and facilitation
Supporting organisations to design, strengthen and deliver learning programmes that build capability for working in complex place-based systems.

The aim is always the same: to strengthen the foundations of a project before significant time, resources and relationships are invested in the wrong direction - whether at the very beginning, while there is still scope to shape how the challenge is understood, or when it becomes clear that deeper understanding is needed before continuing.

"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, Strategic Designer & Design Council Expert

Examples

The following examples show the kinds of situations I support - where early-stage clarity, context and shared understanding shape how projects begin or regain momentum.

When systems-level ideas conflict with local reality

A community green space was being proposed as a climate-positive intervention in an area of significant urban deprivation. Through design research, it became clear that the proposed intervention would not be used as intended. Further work revealed a more urgent, locally relevant need. This enabled a shift in priorities, with resources redirected to a community hub focused on vulnerable local young people, and a cross-department team formed to address social and environmental priorities together.

When global policy meets local contexts

Global health policy leaders were seeking new ways to support country-level engagement beyond standard health framings. Behavioural research methods were introduced to explore how meaning might shift across cultural and everyday contexts, identifying alternative entry points for country-level engagement. This resulted in a series of non-health-related angles for place-based practitioners to explore with local stakeholders.

When initial engagement attempts spark tension

A public-sector partnership working on local economic transition was struggling to bring cross-city stakeholders together without tensions rising in early conversations. A structured engagement and inquiry process was introduced to establish common ground among stakeholder groups, and identify more effective approaches to building collaborative relationships in the local context.

When climate communication fails to resonate

A local government team working on climate engagement was struggling to connect with young people through standard communication approaches. Participatory research methods were designed and demonstrated to support young people in shaping the framing of climate issues from their own perspectives from the outset, leading to more relevant and grounded engagement over time.

When purpose-led ideas struggle to gain traction with investors

A social enterprise developing urban hubs for climate skills was finding it difficult to gain investor confidence, despite strong social purpose and clear intent. Clarification of the operating model, strengthening of the articulation of value, and development of evidence of comparable social and practical impact helped present a more legible and scalable proposition across UK cities.

In each case, the work strengthened the conditions for cross-sector, place-based collaboration by improving how the challenge is first understood from different perspectives, and ensuring those perspectives are included in the early stages of inquiry.

"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.
- Emily Whyman, Senior Programme Manager, Design Council

About me

Over five years working across climate, health, economic and urban development, I have come to see that the quality of outcomes is often determined by the quality of the starting point.

I help teams strengthen the starting point by developing the skills to better understand context, surface assumptions and uncertainties, and explore different perspectives.Combining five years of applied cross-sector research, ten years of independent design and innovation practice, and an MSc in Sustainable Development in Practice (Distinction), this work draws on systems thinking, design thinking and behavioural science. It brings together technical insight and human experience to connect systems-level challenges with the realities of place.I have worked with local government, universities, community organisations and social enterprises, as well as organisations including the World Health Organization, Design Council, University of Bath and the Centre for Sustainable Design, helping translate climate, health, economic and innovation agendas across sectors and scales.One pattern remains consistent throughout: the conditions for collaboration become stronger when we learn to notice what is already there.

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, WHO

Contact

My work focuses on strengthening the conditions that makes place-based collaboration possible.

If you are working on a place-based project and want to better understand the challenge in context before moving into design or delivery, I would be delighted to hear from you.You can get in touch via email, LinkedIn, or the contact form below: