Action Learning Associates

Katie Venner – senior associate

With an extensive background in arts and leadership initiatives Katie has held senior posts in voluntary and public sector organisations as well as providing organisation development consultancy with local authorities, public sector bodies and creative businesses.

A creative and original thinker, Katie has for the past six years been working as a coach and change agent. She is a lead facilitator on the Cultural Leadership Programme’s Leadership Facilitation Skills course, a CLP Advisor and is currently editing a resource on cultural leadership writing for CLP and Creative Skills.

Action Learning facilitation and training

Katie facilitates cross-sector action learning sets for directors and senior managers in a large number of organisations from leading charities and arts or cultural agencies to local authorities. She also facilitates in-house action learning sets for organisations such as the National Culture Forum’s Leading Learning Programme and Creative Partnerships.

Katie regularly delivers accredited action learning facilitator training – recent customers include CLP, Creative Partnerships, Creativity, Culture and Education and Devon County Council. Katie delivers experiential workshops introducing action learning at conferences and seminars, most recently to Fellows on the Clore Leadership Programme. Katie's group facilitation includes planning, visioning, reflection, team building and problem-solving with voluntary sector boards, senior management and project teams in the public and private sectors.

Consultancy and experience

Katie has contributed to a range of research and evaluation programmes and is currently working on a pilot programme of ‘learning histories’ with cultural organisations, which will be published in a report for Arts Council England.

"Katie was amazing. I found her approach comforting and yet challenging. She was an inspirational facilitator and has made me want to learn more about action learning and facilitating."
Lindsey Gregory, Operations Manager, Creative Partnerships

Qualifications

• MSc (with distinction), Surrey University, 2008, in Change Agent Skills and Strategies, Research project in inter-organisation collaboration and action learning
• Accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) to deliver action learning facilitator training (2008)
• MSc (Dist), Surrey University, 2008, in Change Agent Skills and Strategies, Research project in inter-organisation collaboration and action learning
• FACET5 accredited
• BA Hons University of East Anglia, History of Art & Film Studies
• Reiki Master