Arte Research networks with local consultancy companies and specialist freelance consultants, and brings together teams with exactly the right skills needed to deliver assignments across a range of thematic areas.

Barbara Parkinson

Barbara Parkinson has been involved with the third sector in many capacities. She has a breadth of experience working at the grass roots level of community development and as a strategic leader of the sector locally and nationally. She has been involved with many organisations as a trustee. Previous roles include Vice Chair of the National Association of Voluntary and Community Action between 2002 and 2007. She is currently NAVCA’s representative on the national Rural Services Network.

Barbara also has wide experience of working in the pubic sector, especially in terms of rural regeneration in the West Midlands. Since becoming an independent consultant several years ago, she has specialised in relationships between the public and third sectors, and particularly those focused on organisational development, good governance and collaboration. Barbara is a member of the Chartered Management Institute, an I&DeA accredited peer (undertaking reviews of local strategic partnerships across the country), and a qualified yoga instructor. For more details, contact barbara@nashrockshouse.com



Chris Bonnard

Chris Bonnard has a great understanding of the strategic role of the sector at local, regional and national levels. He is familiar with the processes of community consultation and offers strong facilitation skills. He has a strong commitment to the role of the third sector in supporting civil society, to developing its appropriate service delivery role and to equality and diversity. He has an excellent understanding of the region’s ambitions for social, economic and environmental regeneration. Chris has significant experience of strategic planning and change management in voluntary organisations and working in both service delivery and policy environments.

Chris has served on the Boards of Directors for the West Midlands Regional Observatory, the West Midlands Regeneration Centre for Excellence and West Midlands European Network. He was also a founder member of the West Midlands Equality and Diversity Strategy Partnership. He served as the national representative of regional strategic networks on the Capacity Implementation Team set up by the Active Community Unit of the Home Office to establish ChangeUp. Most recently the director of Regional Action West Midlands, the West Midland’s region’s voluntary and community sector infrastructure organisation, prior to that Chris worked as Chief Executive of Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council (WVSC). He has held many trustee roles, for example, as Chair of his local Victim Support Scheme. Prior to this, he was a Principal Officer at Croydon Council, leading a team of specialist volunteer organisers of a thousand-strong volunteer force working in health and social services. He has also been Deputy Director of Resettlement for Ockenden Venture, working on the resettlement of Vietnamese refugees throughout England and Wales.

In Autumn 2006, Chris established chrisbonnardconsulting to support voluntary and community organisations and the public sector in strategic and change managing, mapping research, facilitation and mentoring. He well understands the importance of effective and focused consultancy work as an aid to cross sector decision-making. During this period Chris has been commissioned with Arte Research to undertake a range of assignments, including work for the Volunteering Hub, the Governance Hub, the Commission for the Compact and Capacitybuilders. For further information, email to chris.bonnard@btinternet.com



Lief Vandevoort

Lief Vandevoort, MA, is a Belgian national and a Brussels-based independent consultant and associate of Arte Research. A sociologist by education (Leuven, 1978), Lief has has completed a range of research in association with various universities and been a policy adviser to two Flemish Education Ministers. Prior to setting up her own consultancy, she was the director of a major, school-focused community empowerment project in Brussels.

Lief’s research has focused on equalities groups (in particular: women; disadvantaged youth; and minority ethnic communities). As a policy designer and project manager, she has a record in implementing community-based change strategies at both national and local levels.

Lief’s experience in qualitative social analysis has led her to develop particular skills in tailoring change strategies to the needs of local communities, and in persuading actors from all sectors to take active roles in projects that reach beyond their short-term interests. Her communicative skills have enabled her to complete a number of training assignments with both front-line and managerial staff in organisations involved in change processes.

A CV and full list of Lief’s consultancy work to date can be obtained by emailing lief.vandevoort@skynet.be



Matthew Noden

Mat has worked as a senior consultant and as a research and development officer for a local authority. He has worked closely with third sector and public sector clients on strategy development and around the thematic areas of unemployment, crime, health, youth, housing and education and training issues. His consultancy experience is specialised in the areas of Neighbourhood Renewal, Neighbourhood Management, youth policy and practice, evaluation, delivery plan development, and community consultation. Until 2005, Matthew worked for CSR Partnership where he played a central role in managing the West Midlands Neighbourhood Management Network and evaluations of Neighbourhood Management pilots and initiatives in both the West Midlands and the North. Since then he has been working independently from his base in the North West. His CV can be obtained from mnodi76@hotmail.co.uk



Keith Cowling

Keith Cowling is a registered architect with 25 years experience as a community architect and social entrepreneur. Until recently he was a director of Insight 02 Ltd, specialising in the engagement of non-professionals with the built environment and the involvement of communities in the design and management of their neighbourhoods.

He has a particular interest in community-lead capital projects and the management of community assets, as well as a broad experience of urban and rural regeneration policies and community-based interventions in local economies. Elsewhere his work has focused on training, capacity building and legal frameworks for organisations and community groups, environmentally conscious design and sustainable development.

For a full CV, contact keith@eyehouse.info