Are you looking for the perfect consultant for your next project? See my 2009 overview (click the icon below) and look no further!

I am a well established and highly professional independent consultant offering a wide range of project development, management, delivery and support related services with a varied portfolio and satisfied client base spanning the public, private, academic and third sectors.

I have an established track record of obtaining effective, timely and value-for-money results for all my clients. I am highly organised, thorough, flexible, adaptable, resourceful and able to “hit the ground running” adding value and producing results from day one on all projects.

I have a positive and forward looking approach and consistently contribute strategic thinking, good ideas, creative solutions, enthusiasm and energy to all projects undertaken.

A confident natural communicator, I have well developed relationship management, influencing, motivating and partnership working skills with a track record in establishing relationships swiftly and in gaining the respect and input of others.

“Holly provides the rare combination of a strategic thinker who has a strong sense of practical delivery and excellent project management skills. What’s more, Holly has the contacts and the knowledge of the region which is a real added bonus and can give your project a head start.”

- endorsement from Chris Dessent, MD, Creative Concern

“Holly brings real commitment to any project she manages. She’s thorough, professional and ultimately totally reliable and has brought a fresh sense of strategic perspective to the several projects we have worked with her on.”

- endorsement from Lynne McCadden, MD, Northwest Vision and Media

With my wide set of skills, knowledge, experience and contacts, I am highly flexible and adaptable enabling me to successfully develop, manage, deliver and support varied projects for a large range of clients.

I provide a broad range of services to my clients. These include:

• project and programme development
• project and programme management
• project and programme delivery
• strategy, business plan and action plan production
• sector planning, development and strategies
• marketing, communications and PR strategy and delivery
• research, mapping, analysis and feasibility studies
• tender, bid and proposal production and process management
• monitoring, evaluation and reporting
• stakeholder consultation, partnership working and relationship management
• event and workshop organisation, management and facilitation
• network, working group and advisory panel development
• contract, grant, budget and financial management
• creative thinking and problem solving
• service level agreement and memorandum of understanding development
• board and steering group servicing
• organisational support provision

I have extensive experience of operating in both strategic and operational contexts in complex multi stakeholder environments across the public, private, academic and third sectors.

My background and current portfolio includes several specialist areas :

• creative, media and digital industries
• regeneration, housing and sustainable communities
• skills development, training, learning and business support
• economic development, innovation and knowledge transfer
• environment and climate change
• marketing and PR
• national and international charities
• the service sector
• retail

In addition I am a Board member of the University of Manchester Alumni Association Advisory Board.

I have worked in regional, sub regional, local, national and international contexts and particularly extensively in the North West.

With my wide set of skills, knowledge, experience and contacts, I am highly flexible and adaptable enabling me to effectively develop, manage, deliver and support varied projects for a large range of clients.

Since establishing my consultancy business in January 2006, I have successfully completed multiple projects for clients including:

• University of Salford
• RENEW Northwest (Regional Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Communities, now part of NWDA)
• Greater Manchester Learning and Skills Council
• Media Training North West (now incorporated within Northwest Vision and Media, film, television and digital media development agency)
• Creative Concern (issues-based communications consultancy)
• Manchester: Knowledge Capital (public private partnership progressing Manchester’s global knowledge economy)
• ENWORKS (environmental business support programme)
• Northern Edge (university network for the creative industries across the Northern Way)
• Academy for Sustainable Communities (now encorporated within the Homes and Communities Agency)
• Elevate East Lancashire (Housing Market Renewal pathfinder)
• Achieving Cumbrian Excellence (local authority capacity building programme)
• Burns Collett (creative industries research and project management consultancy)
• CIDA (Cultural Industries Development Agency)

“Holly brings real commitment to any project she manages. She’s thorough, professional and ultimately totally reliable and has brought a fresh sense of strategic perspective to the several projects we have worked with her on.”

- endorsement from Lynne McCadden, MD, Northwest Vision and Media

“Holly provides the rare combination of a strategic thinker who has a strong sense of practical delivery and excellent project management skills. What’s more, Holly has the contacts and the knowledge of the region which is a real added bonus and can give your project a head start.”

- endorsement from Chris Dessent, MD, Creative Concern

Further references are available on request.

With my wide set of skills, knowledge, experience and contacts, I am highly flexible and adaptable enabling me to effectively develop, manage, deliver and support varied assignments for a large range of clients.

Projects to date have included:

• developing and managing a major regional skills programme
• project managing a complex partnership feasibility and business planning process
• completing a sector strategy and action plan
• undertaking a project feasibility study
• planning and managing the delivery of a workshop programme
• researching and producing a project development plan
• managing an EU tender process
• producing a network development action plan
• preparing a consultative discussion paper
• coordinating a training programme
• devising and implementing a partnership work programme
• contributing to a communications project and strategy
• facilitating an organisational forward planning day
• assembling a programme tender application
• researching and interviewing work as part of a feasibility study
• providing wide ranging organisational capacity building support

Further details on these projects are contained within my CV (click the icon below).

I established my consultancy business in January 2006 (initially under my maiden name of Holly Rowan).

Prior to working as an independent consultant I held senior management positions for:

• Skillset (Sector Skills Council for the creative media industry)
• Manchester: Knowledge Capital (public private partnership leading on the city region’s global knowledge economy)
• Groundwork (national environmental regeneration organisation)
• MAG (international landmine clearance charity)

Prior to that I worked for:

• Cobbetts (large commercial law firm)

• Waterstone’s Booksellers
• OWM Chartered Accountants

Please find full details of my independent consultancy experience, career history, education and qualifications in my attached CV.

07920 055315

holly@hollyrhesson.co.uk

www.hollyrhesson.co.uk

17 Rossendale View
Todmorden
OL14 6HN

VAT registration number: 900362469