Ben Emmens

Based in London, UK

Ben is a senior consultant with more than 15 years international experience in leadership, management and consulting. He has particular expertise in Human Resources Management and Organisation Development in the non-profit sector where he has consulted, taught and written on organisational strategy, governance, leadership development, capacity assessment and development and a wide range of people management issues. He has worked in more than 40 countries around the world, for well known non profits including UNICEF, UNHCR, the Red Cross, Save the Children, Oxfam, CARE, World Vision, the IRC, Mercy Corps, the International Food Policy Research Institute, the International Water Management Institute, the World Fish Center, the Scouts and the Humanitarian Leadership Academy. His book ‘Conscious Collaboration’ was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2016 (www.consciouscollaboration.org).

Professional background

Since 2012, Ben has been a Director at the ‘Conscious Project’, (www.theconsciousproject.org) a UK based firm which provides ‘conscious’ consultancy services to organisations committed to social change. Consulting assignments have included facilitating strategy, undertaking organisational reviews and evaluations, assessing capacity and designing and delivering leadership development and management development programmes, and providing coaching and mentoring. Ben is also a co-Director of the ‘Coaching Story’ (www.coachingstory.org) – a non-profit that develops and supports transformational coaches to create positive, lasting change within their communities.

Between 2003 and 2012, Ben was a Director at People In Aid – a non-profit, global network of more than 200 organisations dedicated to improving the quality and impact of aid and development through better people management. People In Aid merged in 2015 to become the CHS Alliance (www.chsalliance.org). As Director for HR Services, Ben had a range of responsibilities including research, learning, consultancy, advocacy, and partnership building within complex collaborations including the Emergency Capacity Building Project (www.ecbproject.org) and the Start Network – a Consortium of International Non-Governmental organisations (www.startnetwork.org). Among his achievements was leading the development of the Core Humanitarian Competencies Framework and the Context humanitarian capacity development programmes.

Between 2001 and 2003 Ben worked for Save the Children UK and was part of the international human resources team, working with a wide range of emergency and development programmes around the world.

Between 1996 and 2001, Ben was an Associate Director and key member of the senior management team at Design Research Unit, an international, multi-disciplinary design consultancy. He had project management, proposal development and marketing responsibilities and also acted as the senior management lead on HR & Learning, quality management (ISO 9001), corporate social responsibility, facilities management and IT.

Between 1994 and 1995, Ben was an English lecturer at the University of Angers, France.

Education and qualifications

Ben received his masters (MA) in Personnel & Development from University of Westminster in 2001, and his bachelors (BA Hons) in French with Spanish from University of London, Goldsmiths’ College, in 1994. He is a certified member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and became a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2013. He is a partnership broker and member of the Partnership Brokers Association, and is accredited by the British Psychological Society to use a range of psychometric instruments including Myers Briggs. Ben is a British national and is currently based in the UK. He works in English, French and Spanish.