Work
RNID: from legacy charity to digital-first leader
Over almost 5 years at the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, I helped lead the charity through a major digital and cultural transformation — from rebuilding its services and brand to embedding new ways of working. Here’s how we turned strategy into impact.
Bringing back the RNID name
One of the most significant projects I led was restoring the RNID name after more than a decade as Action on Hearing Loss. The brand had become fragmented and unclear. Awareness was low, stakeholder recognition was fading, and the name didn't reflect the charity's rich heritage.
We commissioned brand research with over 3,000 people. The findings were clear — we needed to reposition the charity with a stronger, more recognisable identity. We brought back RNID as a refreshed, future-facing brand. This wasn’t just a name change. It was a complete rebrand: new visual identity, tone of voice, messaging and website.
We made accessibility central to every decision, collaborated across teams and worked closely with the Board. Within 18 months, brand awareness had more than doubled — from 19 percent to 43 percent. The new brand helped RNID reconnect with the public, increase reach, and restore credibility with funders and partners.
Changing how we work
Putting users at the heart
We started with a six-month user research pilot. It helped prove the value of being user-led and paved the way for wider investment in UX and accessibility — now one of RNID’s biggest growth areas.
Agile, design-led delivery
We replaced outdated processes with sprints, retrospectives and design thinking. What began as breaking down silos became a full team shift toward value creation and rapid iteration.
Culture of learning
From the early days of a “wall of failure” to regular retrospectives and meeting-free learning days, we created space for reflection and growth across the team.
Better decisions, fewer assumptions
We introduced structured, outcome-focused planning. Our product strategies now centre on the real-world impact we want to achieve and the practical steps to get there.
Remote-first, thoughtfully in-person
We fully embraced remote work, while designing meaningful ways to bring people together through staff summits — which I helped shape and host.
Inclusive recruitment in practice
Transparency became central to our hiring. I shared interview questions and prep materials with candidates, helping people feel informed and welcomed. Feedback was consistently positive, and it helped us attract strong, values-aligned talent.
Leading without ego
As a servant leader, I focused on simplification, clarity and trust. I led across product, design, data and IT — learning from specialists and helping stakeholders understand the value of our work.
Rebuilding services and products
RNID hearing test
A small team, a tiny budget — and over 600,000 completions (and counting). What started as an MVP is now NHS-linked and changing lives. People have taken the check, got hearing aids, and come back to tell us how much better family life is. That is real-world impact.
The new RNID website
The old site was broken, inaccessible and out of touch. We started from scratch — mid-pandemic — and built a new site in-house. Today, more than 700,000 people use it each year to access trusted, accessible information and support.
RNID Near You
After a full review of our service landscape, we launched RNID Near You — a digital-first, community-embedded model. Volunteers now use iPads to support people locally, and new tools are helping us scale. A custom app is in development to help with registration and in-person hearing checks.
Contact RNID
We simplified a mess of over 70 contact methods into a single, streamlined experience. With one contact centre and one CRM, we now support more than 15,000 people a year — and we are actively exploring how AI can help scale that even further.
Collaborations that changed the game
We worked closely on accessibility — from mapping hearing loops on Google Maps to hosting inclusive employer events at their London office. The collaboration was inspired by the work of volunteers in the US and showed how tech and charity can align. We also supported Google on the design of the hearing loss section of their Accessibility Discovery Centre in London.
Spotify
A podcast accessibility challenge I raised on social media sparked a meaningful partnership with Spotify. It began with a tweet and turned into a long-term effort to make audio content more accessible for deaf audiences.
