Age 21, not long out of university, I found myself in a basement under Margate Post Office working in the Housing Benefits team for Thanet District Council. Fast forward to 2025 and, after 20+ years of working for and with the public sector, I have been privileged to see the impact that these organisations have on resident's lives. That is why I have set up Colbear Consulting – to continue to support organisations to change people’s lives in an increasingly difficult financial environment.

During my career I have built my experience working with a range of organisations including local authorities, central government and health. I was a Manager in the public sector team at PwC and worked for over 15 years at IMPOWER Consulting, including 7 years as a Delivery Director. I am also a Chartered Management Consultant (Experienced Professional Level).

During this time the projects I am most proud of include:

• A two-year programme to redesign Adult Social Care for a London Borough which tangibly changed lives for the better while reducing spend in the council by c.£5m.
• Improving the speed and effectiveness of hospital discharges for a county which resulted in a 39% reduction in long-term care placements.
• Leading the development of a new operating model for a county’s Home to School Transport service, which identified £4.5m of savings.
• Leading a team trialling a needs-led assessment tool for children’s social care, which resulting in a saving of £2m from the looked after children’s budget.

When I’m not working I enjoy spending time with my wife and two children, listening to Bruce Springsteen and supporting a series of underwhelming sports teams (Tottenham Hotspur, New York Giants – the list goes on).