Clarity in strategy, communications and impact

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How i create clarity

A glass marble on a sandy beach with the ocean and sunlight reflecting in the background.

Helping leaders make sense of complexity and set a clear direction.

Universities operate in environments shaped by competing priorities, rapid change and complex internal dynamics. I bring structure, focus, and honest insight to help leaders understand what matters, identify what needs improvement, and move forward with confidence.

What I deliver

  • Strategic narrative and organisational positioning

  • Research impact strategy and pathways

  • Honest assessment of what needs to improve and support to act on it

  • Senior-level workshops on strategy, priorities and impact

Outcomes

Stronger strategies, shared understanding, and a more confident foundation for decision-making.

Clarity

A flock of nine white birds flying in the overcast sky.

Helping people work together around shared goals.

Complex organisations often struggle not because of a lack of expertise, but because effort is fragmented across roles, teams and priorities. I help leaders strengthen communication, build trust and create the conditions for coordinated action.

What I deliver

  • Leadership advisory and team alignment

  • Internal and stakeholder communications

  • Facilitation for senior teams and cross-functional groups

  • Workshops that build shared purpose and coherent communication

Outcomes

Clearer communication, stronger collaboration and more effective organisational flow.

Alignment

Close-up of a water droplet creating ripples on the surface of water.

Turning strategy and expertise into visible, meaningful outcomes.

Impact requires more than activity or reporting. I help organisations, researchers and professional staff strengthen pathways to impact, clarify evidence of change and communicate outcomes in ways that support adoption, influence and long-term value.

What I deliver

  • Thought leadership for visibility, marketing and long-term viability

  • External relations, partnerships and policy influence

  • Impact case studies, knowledge exchange narratives and award entries

  • Workshops on influence, visibility and real-world engagement

Outcomes

Stronger visibility, credible narratives and clearer pathways to impact.

IMPACT

Selected work

  • Large cargo ship labeled 'COSCO SHIPPING' sailing through a busy port filled with stacked containers and multiple cranes, with hills and a city in the background.

    REDEFINE – Strategic dissemination and policy engagement

    I led final dissemination and policy engagement for an ERC-funded EU research programme on Chinese investment in Europe, authoring the closing section of the project’s final report and translating complex, comparative research into policy-focused briefs. I designed and coordinated a targeted LinkedIn engagement strategy to extend reach across policy and academic networks, strengthening visibility, engagement and evidence of impact.

    Final report

  • Cover page of the University of St Andrews Business School Strategy 2024-2029 document, featuring the university's coat of arms and a line drawing of a historic building on a blue background.

    The University of St Andrews Business School strategy

    I was instrumental in developing the first strategy for the newly launched University of St Andrews Business School, leading the sensemaking, narrative and writing required to align senior and academic leaders around a shared vision. In a complex, multi-stakeholder environment, I translated competing priorities into a coherent, owned strategy that leaders could use confidently to guide decision-making, communication and growth.

    Final published strategy

  • A man with short dark hair and beard, wearing a light grey shirt, is sitting and speaking with a woman with long dark hair, sitting outside on a street with trees and buildings.

    research-led storytelling at scale

    I wrote more than forty research features and news stories for the University of Edinburgh Business School, translating complex academic research into accessible, audience-focused narratives. Working directly with academic authors, I interviewed researchers, clarified evidence and shaped stories that reinforced academic credibility while reaching external audiences through web and LinkedIn channels.

    Selected examples:

    Unlocking AI’s potential in healthcare

    A biology-first approach will break the diversity data machine

    How better workplaces could help solve Britain’s health crisis

  • A clear lightbulb resting on sandy terrain at sunset, with the sunset seen through the bulb and the reflection of the sky on its glass surface.

    Research impact translation and strategic evidence base

    I worked closely with academics at The Open University to develop REF 2021 impact case studies in a high-stakes assessment context, supporting researchers in articulating evidence, pathways to impact, and credible narratives at scale. From this extensive body of work, I translated a curated selection into clear, accessible research features and helped structure the supporting web content, creating a coherent evidence base that underpinned the early development of the University’s Open Societal Challenges programme.

    Selected examples:

    Supporting indigenous sustainability solutions

    Rewriting the maths story

    Ending online violence against women and girls

Black and white portrait of Derek Main with short hair, beard, and mustache, wearing a collared shirt, looking slightly to the side.

About me

I work as a strategy, communications and impact advisor, helping organisations, leaders, and researchers make sense of complexity and turn ideas into meaningful outcomes.

My work spans higher education, research and other complex organisational environments where priorities compete, and decisions carry real consequences. I work with leadership teams and individuals who need clarity of direction, sound judgement and a steady hand in politically or institutionally sensitive contexts.

I combine strategic insight with practical delivery, helping leaders, teams, and individuals clarify what matters, align around shared priorities and make progress that is both credible and usable. I use judgement, influence and emotional intelligence to coach, challenge and support stakeholders at all levels, particularly when time is tight and the stakes are high.

I take a pragmatic, improvement-focused approach to organisational challenges. I am comfortable testing ideas, learning from what doesn’t work, and helping organisations adapt so they can deliver on priorities and create lasting value. Everything I do is guided by a commitment to clarity, alignment and impact.

Alongside my advisory work, I founded Excellence Frameworks, which develops ICS Studio. It is an AI-supported platform for developing and reviewing Research Excellence Framework (REF) impact case studies, built by people who have done this work by hand, for the people who do it now. Authors start with what they have and strengthen the case as the evidence comes in. The REF Panel Review Simulator tests each draft against current REF and Unit of Assessment criteria, showing where the evidence falls short and what to do next, and the institutional dashboard gives impact teams a view of every case in development. The aim is to take repetitive drafting and redrafting off people's desks, so they can focus on the impact itself and the judgements only they can make.

ICS Studio also gives institutions a secure alternative to the consumer AI tools researchers may already be using with unpublished material. Data is stored on UK infrastructure and kept separate for each institution, and client content is never used to train AI models. The institution remains in control of its data throughout.

Find out more at www.excellenceframeworks.com.