About Vicky Cosstick

"When people ask me what I do, I say I am an independent consultant and change facilitator. I like to work with individuals, groups and organisations that are excited about and/or struggling with learning, change and development.

My passion is tailor-making processes that help individuals, groups or teams, and organisations to be more effective, to change and to learn."

Vicky Cosstick is a consultant, facilitator and coach who works primarily in the international aid and development sector, and with voluntary organisations.

She has been working as a consultant and as a facilitator of small and large groups since 1980, specialising since 2002 in international development.

She responds to client needs to design extremely practical and engaging processes to support and implement change and learning in organisations.

Her technical expertise is in designing processes and agendas for teams with a wide range of country and technical programme experience. She has worked intensively on projects in HIV and AIDS, gender, sustainable agriculture, civil society, advocacy, sex and gender based violence, and child rights, protection and participation. She has worked with groups and programmes in Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, DRC, and Uganda; Tamil Nadu, S India, and Cambodia.

Vicky has been influenced by a wide range of organisational practice and theory, including adult learning, gestalt and complexity theory. While her work is always flexible and creative, it is rooted in proven, well-established traditions of group dynamics and organisational development.

Highlights of her career and professional education include:
MSc Change Agent Skills (University of Surrey), MA Theology (Columbia NY), BSc Sociology 2:1 (Kingston and University of London)Advanced Certificate in Mediation Skills for workplace dispute mediationDistinction in PG Cert Conflict Resolution, Coventry University & Responding to Conflict (2009) for essay on "Complexity and Conflict Resolution: Aspects of the peace process leading to the Belfast Good Friday Agreement of 1998" -- which took John Paul Lederach's The Moral Imagination and applied it to explore the web of relationships and conversations which preceded and surrounded the peace process in N Ireland.Chair of the Board of International Childcare TrustTrustee: Irish Chaplaincy in BritainTrustee and Chair of OD committee for Send a Cow 2006-2009Member of Association of Management Education & Development and Royal Commonwealth Society.Published several times 2007 - 2011 in Journal of Organisations & People: articles on consultancy, facilitation, coaching and complexity.Learning and Staff Development Manager, CAFOD 2002 - 2005Work in adult and clergy education for Westminster, Southwark and Portsmouth RC dioceses -- including five years as pastoral director at Allen HallEight years work and study in New YorkJournalist, freelance writer and editor