Standing to lead the SDP through its next stage.
The political foundations are strong. What the party lacks is scale: money, organisation, reach, candidates and better ways to use members’ time and skills.
My background is in finance, consulting, media and hard-tech startups. Most of my work has involved analysing an organisation or idea, working out what matters, and turning it into something other people can understand and support.
Helping William develop the SDP’s fundraising case earlier this year gave me a close view of what the party already has, what it lacks and what serious growth would require.
Building a fundable case
£150m raised
by hard-tech startup clients
I've worked in analysis, strategy, storytelling and design: understanding the business, finding the real investment case and building the pitch around it.
The SDP is essentially at 'seed' stage - and that's where backers support the team and vision as much as the plan. I'll bring a fresh approach to political fundraising that doesn't compromise our values or plans.
Running a volunteer organisation
A student film festival that outlasted the pack
I helped build Watersprite - now the world's largest student film festival, receiving thousands of submissions from around the globe and still free to enter and attend, as we first envisaged.
I know that volunteer-led organisations can be powerful and create something meaningful - but they need careful stewardship, clear communication and a strong, deliberate plan.
Understanding the SDP’s growth problem
I helped William Clouston and his team develop the party’s fundraising case through analysis, strategy, storytelling and design.
That meant looking closely at the party’s ambitions, the capacity it would need to build and the questions a serious funder would ask.
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As a leader, I must set direction, make decisions and take responsibility. I should also find people smarter than me, to build a team with the skills to deliver.
I want the SDP to draw on good people from across the party, and find new talent to help us grow.
As the campaign unfolds, I'll introduce some key members of my team.
Some roles will require professional staff. Others should draw on members with relevant time, knowledge and experience.
My working life has crossed several sectors, but the work itself has had a consistent thread: analysis, communication and helping people make difficult decisions.
Banking
Corporate finance and equity research
Management consulting
Strategy and analysis
Film and media
Including NBCUniversal and Watersprite
Hard-tech startups
Technically difficult, capital-intensive businesses
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Ask a question, book a conversation or tell me what experience you could bring to the team.
