Insight · Foresight · Innovation
Explore what the future could look like. Then work back to what to do now.
I work alongside insight, marketing, innovation and strategy teams, either on a project or as part of the team two or three days a week. Together we get to know people and their world as it is today, explore what the future could look like, and work back to a plan your team can act on, testing and learning as we go. I've spent 20+ years leading insight & strategy inside organisations like Sainsbury's, William Grant & Sons and Nestle and continue to be fascinated by this field.
Insight
I bring together research, behavioural understanding and strategic foresight to uncover the insights, tensions and opportunities shaping what comes next.
Foresight
Scanning emerging trends and weak signals to build future scenarios that inform decisions today.
Innovation
Identifying opportunities and designing experiments that turn insight into action to build the capacity to learn.
Sustainability & future-facing challenges
Working with teams on the complex, long-horizon questions where commercial value, consumer needs and wider responsibility overlap.
Why curiosity
Curiosity is what sits underneath good insight, good futures thinking and good innovation. It’s the habit of noticing, asking and trying things before you’re certain. We can practise it and get better at it, and have fun experimenting together, whilst driving impactful change.
Ways to work with me
You can work with me in a fractional insight, foresight or innovation capacity or hire me for 'future of' workshops or curiosity training.
I’m particularly drawn to work around sustainability, wellbeing and positive change, especially projects that leave people, places or things a little better than they found them..
Organisations I've worked with
Twenty years inside organisations like these
I started my career as a qualitative researcher at Ninth Seat (then RDSI), before moving client-side and working in-house for a range of organisations including Nestlé, McDonald’s, Sainsbury’s, William Grant & Sons and New Look. Most recently I’ve been freelancing with Unilever, as well as conducting ad hoc research impact evaluations for charities and CICs.
Testimonials
What people say about working with me
Clare brings an exceptional combination of energy, insight and agile leadership. She has a rare ability to uncover human truths while creating an environment of action and impact. Clare consistently inspires teams to think expansively, reframe assumptions and embrace new possibilities, making her an invaluable partner for innovation and growth.
I’ve worked with Clare on a number of longer-term insight activities. She provides a fabulous curiosity lens resulting in genuinely creative outputs. Her skills as an agile coach have been invaluable to the running of complex projects. Beyond that, Clare is an energetic and enthusiastic team player.
In October 2025 Remixd CIC commissioned Clare to evaluate one of its anchor projects: a weekly social and wellbeing lounge for vulnerable adults. Together we devised a draft outline for the report and Clare used her extensive knowledge to fill in the gaps. Clare conducted a series of in depth interviews with attendees and stakeholders. She showed sensitivity when interviewing the project attendees and professionalism when reaching out to stakeholders. Clare produced a well structured report that has been used for funding bids and impact reports. I would recommend Clare for any impact/ evaluation work.
I have loved working with Clare over the past few years. She brings optimism and momentum to even the most complex challenges. She has repeatedly taken a blank sheet of paper and created a path forward through asking the right question, bringing the right people to the table and building strong teams. Her expertise in insight, strategy, sustainability and business partnering has been hugely valuable in leading complex projects that would have dented the energy of most people. Her curious mindset keeps both her and those in her orbit going and brings new ideas and influences to drive impact.
I cannot recommend Clare highly enough. She is deeply customer-centric and has an exceptional ability to turn complex ideas and initiatives into clear, understandable actions that drive results across the organisation. She is a thoughtful, strategic thinker who instinctively knows how to prioritise efforts based on impact and alignment with broader business goals. Clare is efficient, dependable, and consistently delivers on her commitments. On top of all that, she is a fantastic colleague: collaborative, supportive, and an absolute pleasure to work with. I would jump at the opportunity to work with her again in the future.