About

I am a practitioner, researcher and writer in the field of International Development with a focus on disaster reduction and sustainable futures.

I see local and community level action as vital to progress and change particularly through  local and national level Civil Society.  Much of my work is both supporting and advocating for effective connection of policy and practice to this level. As well as a range of papers and book chapters I’ve published two books, ‘Making Aid Agencies Work’ (2019) and ‘Disaster Makers’ (2024, in press). See detail of my work in ‘Ideas and Stuff‘.

Previously I worked for eight years as a director of the Global Network for Disaster Reduction, focusing particularly on the development of the innovative ‘Views from the Frontline’ and ‘Frontline’ programmes which gather and share knowledge and experience from local communities across the globe to drive change locally and nationally. During that time I also completed a doctorate at Manchester University titled ‘Horizontal Learning and Social Media in an International Development Network’.

“you have always been a fantastic bridge between academia and practice”:  (Prof. Mark Pelling, Kings College, London) 

In earlier work I produced documentary films about development and humanitarian change for both not-for-profit and corporate organisations over the period 1990-2005, working in over 35 countries, and also produced several broadcast programmes.

The website title ‘Inventing Futures’ reflects my commitment to transformative, sustainable development,  strengthening the ability of local populations to live the lives they wish to, safely and securely.