
Drawing on more than 20 years in executive leadership, governance and organisational change, I help leaders think clearly when the stakes are high.
My work brings together coaching, consultancy, mediation and humanist celebrancy.
At first glance, those might seem like very different things.
But over time I've come to realise that they are connected by a common thread: helping people navigate important moments with clarity, compassion and confidence.
Sometimes that means working with a leader facing a difficult decision. Sometimes it's helping a team move through conflict or organisational change. Sometimes it's supporting a family as they create a meaningful funeral for someone they love.
The contexts are different, but the underlying work is often surprisingly similar. It is about creating space for reflection, honest conversation, better decisions and meaningful outcomes when life or work feels complex.
Before creating Forster Jones Consulting, I spent more than twenty years in senior leadership roles across higher education, commercial organisations and the charity sector.
During that time I led complex, multi-site services, managed large teams, delivered organisational change and worked at executive and board level on governance, risk and strategy.
My roles combined substantial people leadership with commercial and operational accountability.
Alongside those responsibilities, I became increasingly interested in the human side of leadership and organisational life: how people make decisions, navigate uncertainty, manage relationships and move through periods of change.
That interest led me to develop my work in coaching, consultancy and mediation.
More recently, it also led me to become an accredited Humanist funeral celebrant.
While that may seem an unusual addition to a professional portfolio, it feels like a natural extension of the work I've always done: helping people through significant transitions with care, clarity and humanity.
Alongside my independent practice, I am an Expert in Residence with BIPC North East and a Registered Provider for NBSL’s Sunderland Business Support Fund and the North of Tyne Business Support Fund, helping businesses to improve their competitiveness.
These roles allow me to work with charities, social enterprises and businesses at different stages of development, giving me an up-to-date understanding of the opportunities and challenges organisations face in practice, not just in theory.
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Whether I'm sitting around a boardroom table, facilitating a difficult workplace conversation or meeting a family after a bereavement, I see the same themes again and again.
People are often dealing with uncertainty.
They may be carrying responsibility, facing difficult decisions or trying to navigate change.
They are often looking for clarity, perspective and a way forward.
My role is not to tell people what to do.
It's to help them think more clearly, understand what matters most, explore their options and move forward with greater confidence.
I believe people are usually far more capable than they realise. Given the right support, most already possess the insight and resourcefulness they need.
Writing helps me make sense of the world.
My reflections explore leadership, change, governance, relationships, family, loss, purpose and the often messy realities of being human.
Some begin with a professional conversation, others with a book, a journey, a funeral, an allotment observation or a seemingly ordinary moment that sparks a bigger question.
They aren't designed to provide definitive answers. They're an invitation to pause, reflect and look at familiar challenges from a different perspective.
If you'd like a sense of how I think and what shapes my approach, the reflections are a good place to start.
People often describe me as calm, thoughtful and practical.
I bring curiosity rather than judgement, and challenge where challenge is helpful.
I am interested in what is really going on beneath the surface of a situation, while staying focused on practical outcomes and next steps.
I don't believe every problem has a simple solution.
But I do believe that most situations become easier to navigate when people have space to think, talk honestly and consider things from a different perspective.
My aim is always to create the conditions for better conversations, better decisions and better outcomes.
My work is guided by five values:
Seeing what is true, understanding what matters, and identifying practical ways forward.
Bringing calm and perspective when situations feel uncertain or overwhelming.
Meeting people where they are with warmth, respect and curiosity.
Doing work that aligns with values, purpose and long-term impact.
Supporting people, organisations and communities to do work that matters.
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I'm based in Newcastle upon Tyne and work with clients across the UK.
Outside work, you'll often find me cooking, spending time on my allotment, travelling, exploring new places to eat, or working on a (usually a bit rubbish) crochet project.
I'm Chair of Eating Distress North East, a Trustee and Director of Humanists UK, and an accredited Humanist funeral celebrant.
Those roles keep me connected to the things that matter most to me: people, community, good governance and making a positive difference.
I've never been especially interested in having all the answers.
What interests me is helping people think more clearly, have better conversations and make decisions they can live with.
Whether that's supporting a leader through change, helping a team resolve a difficult issue, or working with a family to create a meaningful farewell, the purpose feels remarkably similar.
Forster Jones Consulting Limited is a company registered in England and Wales (14076236)
Our registered address is in Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 3BU
kay@forsterjonesconsulting.com
Trustee & Director, Humanists UK | Chair, Eating Distress North East | Humanists UK Funeral Celebrant | BIPC North East Expert in Residence
Connect with me on LinkedIn | Facebook | Forster Jones Consulting (Google) | Kay Jones Humanist Funeral Celebrant (Google)
Serving Newcastle upon Tyne, the wider North East, and national clients
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