Translating systems thinking into everyday understanding.
I support institutions, organisations and communities to translate complexity into co-ordinated action for sustainable futures.
Across my work, I help shift systems thinking from an abstract concept into practical tools for navigation and next steps - a way of understanding what is happening, who is involved, what to prioritise, and - critically - how to approach engagement and collaboration when people are starting from very different perspectives.Much of my work focuses on cities as an accessible entry point into complexity and multi-stakeholder systems - the tangible point where global, national, regional and local dynamics intersect, and where different stakeholders, incentives and lived experiences come together in one snapshot.At the city scale, system dynamics become visible and workable. Clearer boundaries make it possible to explore differences, test assumptions, and translate insight into more experimental and grounded approaches to decision-making and action - which can then inform work across other scales.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
About
I am a systems thinking practitioner working across sectors and in place-based contexts. I help people see what others are seeing, so that decisions, communication, collaboration and implementation plans are more aligned from the start.
With 10+ years’ experience spanning government, academia, industry and community contexts, my work focuses on understanding the values, motivations, enablers and barriers that shape systems-level change at different points, while equipping others with the knowledge and tools to scope and navigate this complexity in their contexts.A core focus of my work is exploring how different people interpret and experience the same issue in different ways, shaped by perceptions, influences, context and constraints. This informs the design of engagement, strategy and implementation from the outset - at the point where assumptions about challenges, priorities and solutions are formed - helping ensure that proposals are viable, partnerships hold up through delivery and changes are more likely to be adopted in practice.My practice has developed through more than a decade of independent innovation and design work, applying design as a systems intervention. Working with this complexity led to an MSc in Sustainable Development in Practice (Distinction) in 2021, 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 between theory and practice - helping to ground strategy, policy, communication and collaboration in the everyday realities of how people, professionals and systems interact.
"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 understand how different stakeholders interpret complex issues, and applying those insights to strengthen engagement, strategy and implementation.
World Health Organisation (WHO), Geneva
External Consultant, WHO Tobacco-Free Initiative, Department of Health Promotion
This work focused on understanding how tobacco control evidence, policy and implementation are perceived and acted on across different cultural, institutional and delivery contexts, strengthening the translation of global guidance into practical action.Example work includes:
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.
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 understanding for practical implementation.
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.
Design Council, UK
Specialist Expert & Place-Based Innovation Programme Facilitator
This work focused on helping local councils and community groups understand and work with under-explored stakeholder perspectives and possibilities, strengthening place-based climate action programmes through coaching, reflective practice and structured decision-support.Example work includes:
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.
Worked with London Borough of Hounslow to surface and engage with under-represented residents in an area of extreme urban deprivation. Using design research and systems analysis, facilitated cross-departmental collaboration to reposition climate action as a more just, inclusive and integrated programme spanning equity, care and social-environmental co-benefits, grounded in local context and needs.
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). Helped reposition the enterprise model to strengthen engagement with impact investors, build cross-sector credibility, and support pathways to scalability across UK cities.
University of Bath & Bath & North East Somerset Council
Independent Consultant, Doughnut Economics Engagement Strategy
This work focused on understanding how different stakeholders interpreted economic transition and place-based potential, supporting the University of Bath’s Living Well Now and in 2050 programme alongside Bath & North East Somerset Council’s emerging Doughnut Economics-based economic strategy.Example work includes:
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 co-ordination.
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.
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.
Additional Experience
Further examples of systems practice spanning capability building, organisational change and place-based innovation.
Building systems capability across sectors
Designed/adapted 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, tested and delivered the Bridge to Belonging framework in Bristol, UK, later adopted by 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, partnerships and communities addressing complex challenges where progress depends on understanding different perspectives, navigating competing priorities and strengthening collaboration across sectors and scales.
If you are exploring a systems-level challenge and would like to discuss a potential project, 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.
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.
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: