About Lisa

My interest in the arts began when I saw my first play in 1980 - Henry V at Leeds Grand Theatre.

A period at Wakefield Youth Theatre, a BA Honours in Theatre Studies and Dramatic Arts and an MA (Distinction) in European Cultural Policy and Arts Administration followed, interspersed with digressions into the world of fashion, special effects and rock music.

My first arts post was at Birmingham Arts Marketing. Then five heady years at Warwick Arts Centre - an invaluable training ground where I marketed a vast range of visiting companies, orchestras and artists.

In 1999 I became an independent consultant. Since then I have been lucky enough to work with some amazing, talented people. A lot of my learning and good practice has come from individuals who led by example, placed confidence in my abilities and allowed me to grow, develop and fly.

Probably the best investment I made in my career development was for training in qualitative research. It provided me with the skills to explore the role and value of culture in people's lives from all walks of life and examine the nature of their relationship (or lack of) with specific art forms and organisations.

Since working in qualitative research I have become utterly convinced of its value in unlocking astute customer insights and getting to the core of people's motivations and behaviour. It's a fascinating process …and whilst there is no denying that quantitative data is an important marketing tool, qualitative encounters take you beyond the tip of the data iceberg to mine the humanity beneath.

I am extremely fortunate in being mentored by Caroline Pakel-Dunlop of To The Heart Consultancy - an intuitive qualitative research and creative facilitation practitioner. The impact of her advice and support has massively influenced my own creative thinking and processes. True to the name of her company, she is helping me see through what I thought was already good practice in order to get 'to the heart' of issues I believed I already knew how to tap - a revelation.

As for my approach to branding - my starting point is to identify the truth, currency, resonance and believability of a cultural proposition that makes it uniquely connect with individuals. The challenge then is to develop a communication strategy that strike a chord with those individuals - be that a niche market, internal marketing or public profile raising.

Throughout my career, what has driven me is a passionate belief in the value of cultural engagement. My professional aim is to encourage, persuade and inspire people to experience the arts and culture. I achieve that by working strategically with organisations to improve their customer empathy and develop truthful, persuasive and inspiring branded communications.