About Us
Our team
We bring diverse experiences and a track record in business growth, and change and transformation projects.
Andrew Shapland, Director
In 2011 Andrew was given a six-month sabbatical from his long-term employer and enjoyed a long and memorable honeymoon with his wife Caroline. The trade off on return was to be deployed to a major business transformation and work winning programme. It was career-changing, introducing the skills, behaviours, insight and confidence that allowed him to develop into the successful leader of complex projects and programmes he is today.
Now, Andrew uses drive, ambition and calmness to lead organisations through complex changes. He is highly experienced in solution design, service transformation and end-to-end ownership of business growth projects. Andrew is skilled at winning new work for the organisations he works with, bringing an impressive track record of tangible growth results. Through building honest and trusting relationships at C-suite and executive leadership level he is able to support leaders through transformation, create a more effective voice for ideas that already exist in organisations, and influence positive culture changes.
To get to know Andrew more, check out his feature in our FPP Games series, where we interviewed the team during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games...
Sinéad Sibley, Director
Sinéad is a project and programme management professional with experience in leading complex multi-million-pound change programmes within the public sector including Defence, Housing and Facilities Management. She understands the challenges and risks of delivering a high-profile programme and works consistently to identify root-causes and functional resolutions to problems. She has an excellent ability to build relationships with colleagues and stakeholders at all levels and from different backgrounds to produce high-performing teams.
Without knowing it, writing her PhD thesis gave her excellent practice not only for producing awesome written work of her own but for raising the bar for content developed by others. Sustainability and social value benefits have been a focus throughout her career and steer her approach to solution development through a people-focused lens which strengthens an organisations position for the future.
To get to know Sinéad more, check out her feature in our FPP Games series, where we interviewed the team during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games...
Toni Adams
Toni initially took a temporary job in a call centre after graduating from University. Little did she know this would be the first step in a successful and fascinating career spanning nearly 30 years so far. Toni has seen first-hand the evolution of customer services from a simple phone on a desk, to the highly sophisticated technology-led environment it is today.
Having worked in various operational and strategic leadership roles, across multiple industries, Toni knows the secrets to delivering the highest quality and award-winning customer experience. She helps our clients to understand, develop, and deliver the strategic benefits of a ‘customer first’ approach. A certified Agile™ Practitioner, Toni can also help navigate the tricky path of translating operational needs into technical solutions.
To get to know Toni more, check out her feature in our FPP Games series, where we interviewed the team during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games...
Martin Barrow-Starkey
Martin enhances the depth and breadth of our skills in the implementation stage of our projects, lending our clients his skills, experience, passion and perspectives on leadership. Martin’s ambitious thinking and thoughtfulness are infectious and he energises people to achieve remarkable outcomes. We are excited by the value he adds to our clients and by the role he will play in helping to keep our team fresh, exciting and focused.
Martin trained as an Electrical Engineer and has held very senior roles in Automotive, Logistics, Transport/Infrastructure and Building Services. His experiences cover operational and business unit leadership, sales leadership and business transformation.
Emma Johnson
Emma is a communications, culture and engagement expert. Emma's positive and determined attitude is a great fit for the For People and Places team. Her skills in marketing, communications and public relations add new strings to our bow while her passions for customer, collaboration and sustainability, combined with a willingness to get out of her lane rather than stay in it, bring a natural fit with the rest of the team.
Emma has experience across Housing, Utilities, Infrastructure, Central Government and the Built Environment and over the last six years has lent her skills to organisations ranging from start-ups to global corporates.
To get to know Emma more, check out her feature in our FPP Games series, where we interviewed the team during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games...
Adam Cowper-Smith
Adam’s interests in how technology, sustainability and customer service impact the provision of cleaning and soft facilities management are grounded in 30 years experience. Recently he has: worked with clients to manage service improvement in outsourced contracted services; used his innovative solution development skills to challenge traditional thinking; re-mobilised national public sector contracts; and mobilised multi site national contracts to incredibly timescales.
Adam spends time with the people delivering services at all levels; seeing, feeling, hearing the challenges they encounter. He excels at comparing customer expectation with specified outputs to identify, recommend and influence operational transition to improve productivity, client satisfaction and sustainability.
To get to know Adam more, check out his feature in our FPP Games series, where we interviewed the team during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games...
Laura Collins
Laura builds strong relationships which allows her to deep dive into businesses quickly to understand any issues and areas of weakness that can be improved. She likes to embed herself into the workplace so that she can ask difficult questions and work through solutions. Laura has project managed a number of high-profile IT projects with success and has excellent problem-solving skills.
With over 18 years’ experience working in secure military environments, Laura is used to handling confidential data and understands the need to be discreet. Her strengths lie in business improvement working through processes to see how they can be improved to make business areas work more efficiently and effectively - be that by saving money, removing waste, or looking at system improvements.
As a STEM Ambassador and Brownie leader, Laura is passionate about the future of young women in industry and strives to encourage them to be whomever and whatever they want to be.
To get to know Laura more, check out her feature in our FPP Games series, where we interviewed the team during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games...
Brian Shuttleworth
Brian is a seasoned professional in the realms of consulting, operations, and talent acquisition, specialising in Customer Experience (CX), outsourcing, and technology. Armed with two decades of expertise in operational and strategic assessments, project oversight, technology integration, and team management. Brian brings a wealth of knowledge and insight to the table.
His career spans across diverse industries, encompassing public, non-profit, as well as both B2C and B2B private sectors. Throughout his journey, Brian has forged partnerships with leading BPO firms, CX technology innovators, telecommunications giants, and retail and utility conglomerates.
Having recently transitioned from a successful tenure leading a CX-focused recruitment division, Brian has returned to the consulting arena, where he continues to excel in delivering exceptional value and results.
To get to know Brian more, check out his feature in our FPP Games series, where we interviewed the team during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games...
Dee Wilder
With over 20 years of experience as a corporate PA, Dee has supported senior executives across various industries, honing a diverse skill set that enhances business operations and boosts company efficiency. Her expertise has been instrumental in keeping teams focused and productive. In addition to her corporate experience, Dee has worked in the retail industry and customer-facing roles, broadening her understanding of client needs and service excellence.
Currently, Dee is completing a History degree, which has further refined her written and verbal communication skills. She has also served as a school governor for six years, where she has focused on children's safeguarding and contributed to the school's strategic development.
To get to know Dee more, check out her feature in our FPP Games series, where we interviewed the team during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games...
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Immy Barrow-Starkey
Immy started at For People and Places as a Marketing and Communications Intern, supporting key marketing and comms work, both internally and client facing. She has since taken on a permanent role as part of the Assistant Project Management Team, but primarily continues to provide marketing and communications support. She also specialises in and enjoys social media management.
Immy has an academic background in psychology, which complements her practical experiences, providing her with a deep understanding of human behaviour and effective communication strategies. She also offers a modern perspective within a workforce, providing new ideas and alternative ways of thinking, learning and working.
To get to know Immy more, check out her feature in our FPP Games series, where we interviewed the team during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games...
Richard Slack
Richard has a passion for collaboration, helping others understand the power of effective relationship management across organisational boundaries to support a culture of continuous improvement – unlocking value and driving change.
A qualified member of the Institute for Collaborative Working, Richard has developed collaborative relationship management systems and helped organisations achieve and maintain ISO 44001 certification.
Richard’s military background has given him an excellent leadership and mentoring foundation and the confidence to challenge the status quo in a way that encourages people to think differently. Originally a chef, Richard has spent the last 20 years in operational and leadership roles across a wide spectrum of support services including but not limited to, logistic, housing, engineering and capital projects. Richard has played a leading role in the mobilisation of a vast and complex public sector support services contract.
Richard’s skills in assurance, continuous improvement, and collaboration allow him to communicate in a way that simplifies complex situations, gets to the root cause of issues quickly and inspires people to take an outcome-based approach to positively impact working environments.
To get to know Richard more, check out his feature in our FPP Games series, where we interviewed the team during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games...
Tracy Thomas
Tracy is a highly motivated person with years of experience within customer focused roles in several areas including housing, careers and the chemical industry. She is a highly organised administrator and is experienced in multi-tasking in busy environments.
Tracy's academic background is in Business and Finance with a degree in careers guidance thrown into the mix! Tracy also sits as part of the Trustee Board of her local scout group and has been involved in the group for the last 18 years. She gets heavily involved in large fundraising events such as the annual Scout Christmas post which arranges delivery of over 7000 cards to the local town and villages.
To get to know Tracy more, check out her feature in our FPP Games series, where we interviewed the team during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games...
Our history
We united under For People and Places in 2020, after our Directors worked together on various projects in the previous 8 years. Since then, we have built a team of carefully selected associates with deep specialist knowledge, an unquestionable desire to win and, equally importantly, alignment with our values.
Our core values and behaviours
We are not the type of people to write down values just for the sake of it. The For People and Places values drive a set of core behaviours that we individually and collectively work to bring to life.
Courage and Encouragement
Being individually and collectively bold, taking smart risks, making tough interventions.
This value is Underpinned by the core behaviours of:
- Kindness
- Authenticity
- 'As-One’
Impact
Delivering positive impacts on everyone we meet and the world around us.
We understand that we can only make a lasting impact if we practice:
- Tenacity
- Passion
- ‘Self-care’
Future Focus
With a thirst for knowledge and a look ahead we help experts to shape and articulate a clear future focus.
Our forward thinking approach is only sustainable if our work is guided by:
- Inquisitiveness
- Ambition
- Obsessed with Better
Used in the right way, our core behaviours support a culture that is inclusive, open-minded and values uniqueness.
