Who we are
Kinnford Consulting has two Principals – Dr Stephen Mugford and Dr Pamela Kinnear.
We both have post-graduate qualifications in the social sciences, and have also published and been involved in work with strong applied relevance beyond the ‘Ivory Tower’. That means we are able to give advice and insight far richer than the more usual ‘organised common sense’ which is based on experience alone.
- Pamela has a long and successful track record of senior leadership for policy development, advocacy and reform which she combines with skilled facilitation.
- Stephen has been both an advisor to senior leaders over many years and an active player in major change programs, preceded by a long and successful academic career.
We can work with you separately, or together as a duo.
We can also pull together—from our wide professional network—a team with the right blend of specialist skills, subject matter and sectoral expertise for your needs.
Dr Pamela Kinnear
PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT
I offer a unique combination of high-level public policy experience, a track record in the social sciences AND advanced and creative facilitation skills. I’ve been on the ‘inside’ of the policy making tent as a senior executive in Government; and on the ‘outside’ of the policy making tent as a policy advocate – in peak associations and think tanks/research institutes. And since 2015, in my co-owned business, Kinnford Consulting, I’ve brought all that together with cutting edge approaches to facilitation that supports groups to do their best thinking and build honest collaboration.
I care about how we listen and talk to each other (either one-to-one, in groups or on mass) especially if things are tough, or we disagree. I work with teams, individuals and organisations who face complex and challenging tasks, tailoring approaches for them to have robust conversations, make complex decisions, and work successfully across boundaries.
Dr Stephen Mugford
PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT
As a consultant and facilitator, I draw on two sets of experience: as social science academic and highly regarded teacher / supervisor for over 20 years and as a successful consultant involved in a wide range of change projects and evaluations. I set up a consultancy in 1993 that operated in Australia and overseas; this transformed in 2015 into Kinnford Consulting. I’ve always aimed to help individuals and teams reach peak performance, challenging them along the way neither to stay comfortable nor to gloss over the difficult bits. My evaluation work aims not only to say what is going poorly and what is going well but also to explore how to create more of the latter.
I know that honest and open participation builds commitment, effort and innovation. I encourage leaders and teams to find the ‘sweet spots’ that arise when we avoid either/or thinking and instead search for the best of X and Y. I see this as especially important for dealing with complexity: staying open to new possibilities, coping with ambiguity, adapting plans and efforts as events unfold and hence creating viable ways forward.