Strategy is the opportunity to do things better.
To create an impact the world needs.
I’m an independent consultant and coach who is all about creating meaning, connection, and change for good.
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Everything I do centres on isolating truth and difference to create strategy in action.​
Background
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My career started in brand, communications and qualitative research. Working with brands including Unilever, MTV, and John Lewis, I learnt how to build relationships, the power of storytelling and the art and science of research.
In 2013, I joined Girl Effect to do something different.
I moved to Ethiopia to translate brand, behaviour change, and research to improve global gender equity. I built girl research teams and created youth brands in Tanzania, Malawi, Rwanda and Nigeria. To date, Girl Effect has reached more than 45 million people.
After starting a family, I returned to London to focus on social change closer to home. I worked on several creative and cultural projects including, influencing the launch of Celebration Day a day for positive remembrance in the UK; platforming London's LGBTQIA+ experience of sports culture to inform Nike's DEI strategy and working to transition the law firm Pinsent Masons to become a purpose-led business (the firm was awarded most innovative Law Firm in 2023 by the Financial Times).
I joined The Unmistakables, a DEI consultancy that creates change, internally (leadership & culture) and externally (brand & comms) working with creative industries, charities, retail and the public sector. Projects include: decolonising communications (words & images) with the equitable creation of a Representation In Communications Policy for WaterAid that led to campaigns such as First Cup; supporting Mind to become an anti-racist organisation by platforming lived experiences, and helping Tik Tok reduce bias in content moderation across its platform globally.
Most recently, I’ve become a qualified coach to inspire change at an individual level. I blend the practice across my work and offer 121 coaching series.
Beyond work, I’m into 90s RnB and Hip Hop, decluttering and boxing.
I’m a big reader who loves solo time and also the chaos of family life.
I run Write Club, a women’s writing club focused on journaling, life writing and memoir.
Work
I work across multiple issues, but my key interests are:
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Girls & women, health & wellness, leadership & work culture & underserved people.
I specialise in the following:
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Social and behavioural change
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Organisational culture change
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Human-centred qualitative research (and emerging life-centred design)
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Creative and reflective narrative practice
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Coaching
Coaching
I love the words of Arthur Ashe when it comes to making change:
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can”
I enjoy creating spaces for people to think honestly and openly about changes they want to make, helping them take action towards those goals and keeping them accountable.
I focus on coaching women to support them:
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Get ‘unstuck’ in their career
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Find clarity on what they want
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Reconnect with their beliefs and values
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Rebuild confidence
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Rediscover their creativity
I generally coach my clients bi-weekly for 3 months to optimise impact.
Each coaching series includes:
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An initial 1-hour ‘discovery session’ to discuss goals and contract on ways of working
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A write-up of emerging insights, tools, techniques and agreed actions
Toni Morgan: Strategy Manager, Responsible Innovation, Global Trust & Safety
ByteDance
“Ruth is an outstanding researcher, characterised by her meticulous attention to detail, innovative problem-solving abilities, and profound expertise in data analysis. Her ability to distill complex information into actionable insights was pivotal to our project's progress. Ruth's strategic thinking and thorough research methodologies ensured that we navigated the uncharted territory of platform fairness with confidence and precision.
Working with Ruth on this project was truly a highlight of my time at TikTok. She has my highest recommendation and I look forward to the opportunity of working with her again in the future."
Simon Carter: Head of Media Relations
The Scout Association
"Throughout the period I worked with Ruth she was 100% positively engaged with the process and added value to the process every time we met.
She was always looking for new ways to make sure our research would be rock solid in its credibility and was designed in such a way that we could extract valuable information from the research to support us going forward. Her strategic thinking help us work out when and where we could use the material we were generating.
As well as always being on it Ruth was a pleasure to work with. She was engaging and open to the needs of me as a client.
I look forward to working with her again."
Professional Leader: Coachee
International Development, East Africa
"Ruth is incredibly kind and supportive. Through our sessions, she helped me deeply explore my values, skills, and professional aspirations. Her guidance allowed me to take a clear and honest look at my career, leading to valuable insights and new opportunities I’m now pursuing. Ruth’s assistance was instrumental during the reflection and planning stages, and I’m so grateful for her expertise and encouragement. I highly recommend her services to anyone seeking clarity and greater fulfilment in their career journey."
Eli Keery: Inclusion Executive
The Unmistakables
"Ruth was my line manager at The Unmistakables, where she led numerous projects in which I was actively involved in qualitative data gathering and analysis. She is a true embodiment of integrity, consistently going above and beyond to ensure that projects are executed with precision and care. Ruth's work is always centred around the needs of people, striking a thoughtful balance between the expectations of clients, consumers, and internal teams. This made her an invaluable leader during my time working under her guidance.
Her openness and honesty are both refreshing and transformative, cutting through the pretence and bureaucratic hurdles that often impede corporate progress, particularly in the DEI work we were engaged in. The projects we worked on together covered a wide range of topics and engaged diverse communities, often requiring us to navigate areas that were new or unfamiliar. This is a challenge that many approach with fear and assumptions. However, Ruth’s constructive and grounded approach turned these challenges into opportunities for growth.
I worked with Ruth on a one-off coaching session and it changed the game for me. Her compassion, thoughtfulness, and methodical approach helped guide me out of my slump and into an energised and positive space to start putting my goals into action. I cannot recommend working with Ruth enough, in a coaching or brand/strategy capacity (I've been lucky enough to have experienced both). A true gem of a person and professional that delivers seamlessly no matter the task.
Natalie Moores: Brand Futures Director
Smarts
"I approached Ruth ahead of a huge professional change, and I am so glad I did. I've never had any coaching before but she expertly guided me through the set-up, made me feel completely at ease from the start... But most importantly she helped me prepare myself for this career shift. She was an active listener, gave me the space to explore my feelings towards it and also offered constructive challenges where they were much needed to push my beyond my own restrictive barriers. Ruth is also such a lovely person to spend an hour in the presence of, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to anyone feeling stuck, apprehensive or at a crossroads."
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