GKG Associates

Al Bell

Passionate about resourcing and equipping the already thriving voluntary, community and charity sectors to become more effective and impactful using the experiences I have gained through working in the charity, voluntary and corporate blue chip environments.

I specialise in

Marketing - strategy development, market and consumer/service user research, communications and promotion, branding and segmentation.

Organisational development – business planning, restructuring and change management, people management, organisational effectiveness, personal tools for business including ; negotiating skills, effective boardroom skills and conflict management

Training and facilitation - in any of the above subjects or to ensure your meeting reaches workable outcomes.

I have a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, am qualified in both qualitative and quantative research skills with the Market Research Society and have an undergraduate degree in Business and Hospitality. I have worked with Oxfam, The Directory of Social Change, Community Matters as well as smaller organisations that have local and national impact.

Andrew Woodgate

Andrew is a member of Framework, an values-based consultancy which provides capacity-building support so that non-profit organisations can become more effective and more healthy. Consultancy, training, facilitation and coaching all form part of his repertoire. He is also experienced in strategic planning, developing effective leaders, stakeholder involvement, process facilitation and helping organisations develop a clearer vision.

Andrew was been employed in the environmental movement, then as management adviser with NCVO, and since 1998 he has been self-employed..

Special interests: community building; human and spiritual connection; the environment; group process.

Career background: City stockbroker; Friends of the Earth; CPRE.

Qualifications/training: Certificate in Training and Development (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development); Post-Graduate Diploma in Voluntary Sector Management (City University Business School); Post-Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Development and Facilitation (University of Surrey School of Management); plus a BA in Modern Languages and an MA in Japanese Studies.

Maitrisara

Maitrisara has worked in the voluntary sector for 18 years primarily in education for grassroots community groups, local, national and international NGOs.

Trained originally in secondary education she worked with teachers and young people to develop a range of creative learning activities which address current issues such as economic inequality and racism through the promotion of an understanding of citizenship, social change and conflict resolution.

She has designed a number of accredited courses and written an extensive range of teaching materials for organisations such as UNICEF, South Bank University and CAFOD. She has been trained by community educators from Central America and South Asia and is part of an international network of educators who use participatory approaches with marginalized communities. She is one of the most experienced trainers in Participatory Appraisal in the UK and uses these approaches to break down the barriers which prevent the most excluded from having a voice. Working with Oxfam and the UK community practitioners network, she has co-authored an extensive guide on planning and commissioning participatory appraisal.

She has 14 years of experience managing community based organisations, project management, mentoring and fundraising from a variety of statutory and non statutory sources.

Rosemary Hallam

Rose brings her management consultancy to GKG with over twenty-five years’ experience of working in health services and the voluntary sector, with sixteen years at Director level. She has particular expertise and knowledge in the areas of health, community enterprise and development, disability, and social exclusion/inclusion. Rosemary balances her career with voluntary work on important community issues at local, county and national level. These include an All Party Parliamentary Group on mental health and employment, the TEC National Council Equal Opportunities Committee, She is currently on a Government Advisory Committee on Disability and Employment (DEAC), and is a member of Oxford Brookes University Court, the advisory body on development.

Sally Ramsden

Sally is a qualified journalist, communications consultant and trainer with a track record in the national media. She runs her own business, Media Matters, providing communications, PR and training services for public sector, voluntary and ethical organisations from government ministries to grassroots community groups.

Sally is passionate about enabling people to have a say on issues which affect them and helping to level the playing field. To this end she she particularly enjoys running training programmes, focus groups and master classes in media and communications skills. She loves designing collective processes for developing vision and clarifying core mission and messages and is creative as well as meticulous in planning and organising high-impact consultative workshops and public events.

She previously spent a decade working in the Arab world and has travelled extensively in conflict zones both as a consultant a journalist.

James Gray-King

James is a graphic designer. He works as a freelancer and works with a wide ranging client base including a music promotions company who promote nationally. He has worked on brand creation and development in addition to one-off pieces for established organisations.

James is also employed by Swansea Institute of Higher Education running their Student Enterprise program. This involves helping students with business advice abd support to encourage them to set up themselves and also motivational talks to students in all faculties.