We are
Results-Oriented: We're committed to the long game, understanding that your success is the bedrock of our success.
Open: In every facet of our business, we embrace transparency, providing clear insights into what's achievable and what isn't.
Collaborative: Our relationships with partners and clients are paramount to us. Collaboration is not just a word; it's our way of doing business.
Innovative: We fearlessly explore new approaches and embody the innovation principles we advocate.
Determined: Our unwavering dedication means we leave no stone unturned to deliver outstanding results for our clients.
Our Team
Our people-oriented team consists of highly qualified professionals. All experts in their field. With many years of experience supporting organisations innovate, they have the expertise to provide comprehensive, first-rate services to our clients.
Dr Abi
Hird
Innovation Process, Inclusion, Innovation Strategy, Systems.
Abi helps organisations develop processes and systems to unlock innovation. Building on experience supporting thousands of tech and engineering businesses to innovate, Abi has breadth and depth of experience bridging technical and commercial.
Vanessa Bailey
Innovation Policy & Eco-systems, Systems, Design.
Vanessa has a powerful combination of experience working with GOs, NGOs, SMEs, academic institutions and corporate clients to embrace user-centred design techniques and leading-edge entrepreneurship, commercialisation and knowledge exchange strategies.
Tony
Doherty
Innovation Leadership
An expert facilitator and highly skilled coach with more than twenty years experience of consulting, training and coaching on leadership, Tony is perfectly placed to support leaders as they navigate innovation in their organisations.
Dr Laura
Hay
Design Research
Laura helps organisations to understand the people, processes, and systems involved in design and innovation. She has expertise in a broad range of research methods and their application to create knowledge and insights for decision making.
Dr Nell Masey-O'Neill
Innovation Coach
Nell is passionate about exploring the intersection of people, culture and innovation outcomes. As a qualified executive coach and former Innovation Director with a rich biosciences background and a 20 year career in the agri-food sector, Nell brings her scientific expertise, executive and academic experience to help organizations harness their cultural strengths for breakthrough innovation
Advisory Board
Everyone on the board has been chosen first and foremost because they share a value that is intrinsic to how Defankle® works: they each have a innate appreciation for the inherent value of people.
In addition to being kind, hospitable and open, they are sharply intelligent, widely connected, deeply insightful and have lots to offer on how to run a solid, value-adding innovation consultancy.
Founder & Director
Dr Abi Hird FRSA
Founded by Dr Abi Hird, Defankle works collaboratively with an extensive network of trusted partners and experts.
Over the last 15 years Abi has worked with 1000+ businesses to address a variety of complex innovation challenges. Having worked as an academic, with industry and for public sector, Abi has breadth of perspective on design and innovation.
Abi brings a Systems Approach to everything she does. Specific expertise gathered over the years includes bringing manufactured products to market, forecasting resource requirements for innovation and, coaching and building strategy and programmes to capitalise on the potential of design to strengthen innovation.
Abi studied Product Design Engineering at the University of Strathclyde and has a Doctorate in Systems Engineering, awarded for industry-based research in planning innovation processes. Abi also has Post Graduate qualifications in Operational Research (the maths behind decision making) and Academic Practice. She is a Fellow of the RSA.
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