My career started with a university placement year at the Metropolitan Police where I learnt essential research and project management skills, whilst enjoying the occasional exciting day-out with specialist units. I no longer get to zoom about in police cars, helicopters or boats, however I am still just as fascinated by what makes people tick and translating this into business decisions.

After university I spent 8 years acquiring a thorough grounding in research techniques, thanks to the NOP graduate scheme and the sheer variety of work on offer at my last agency, BDRC Continental. With so many agencies keen to label researchers as either ‘quanties’ or ‘quallies’, I was fortunate enough to run a wide spectrum of projects, ranging from focus groups with school children to depth interviews with equities traders and surveys using advanced statistical techniques.

Research that is well applied and communicated can (and should) be so much more than a box-ticking exercise, so I was thrilled to come across Foolproof in late 2010. I totally buy-in to the ethos of user insight and research as an important basis for innovation and strategic development.

Outside of work I come from a family of social animals and foodies, so it’s no surprise that I enjoy cooking, irrespective of whether it’s a Masterchef inspired technical dish or whipping-up a meal for 20 in the middle of a hockey pitch (paella, inspired by fellow Foolproofer Rob!) I am also rapidly turning into a bit of a history geek, which I consider to be a symptom of my researcher’s nature; some would say ‘nosey’, I prefer ‘inquisitive’!

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