Meet the team

Sarah Vogel

Tasha Bevan

Tasha is a committed and versatile team player a skilled facilitator, leader and coach. Her clear and grounded style make her fantastic to work with, whether you are co training with her, being coached by her, or a participant on a course.

Her client feedback is consistently excellent and she has proved time and time again what a flexible and indispensable member of PDAs team she is, turning her hand to ever more varied tasks and projects.

She is also a talented relationship manager and manages several key accounts for PDA.

Emma Hodges

Dr Emma Hodges is an experienced organisational development practitioner and senior leader with over twenty years’ experience working in healthcare including twelve within the charitable sector. She has expertise in healthcare service and workforce re-design and in particular enjoys creating networks of people and organisations for a common purpose. With a professional background in Human Resources combined with seven years as a charity CEO, Emma has both big picture thinking as well as an eye on governance and Board accountability.  

Emma has expertise in institutional change, and the embedded cultural and professional barriers that can get in the way of new ways of working. 

She is an accredited Fierce facilitator and MBTI practitioner and enjoys using these and a range of other tools with individuals and teams

Emily Parker

Emily has worked in learning and development for many years and has been working independently since 1997. Since then PDA have collaborated with Emily many times and consider her to be one of the family! Recent projects include developing and delivering a dynamic customer service programme for one of the largest health insurers, delivering influencing skills to senior teams, teaching image and impact to women in a major banking group, and training Fierce Conversations workshops to retail directors at a major Building  Society.

Emily is licensed to use MBTI step I and II psychometric tools, Verax Lifestyles 360 degrees feedback tool as well as SHL’s psychometric tools. Emily is also accredited to deliver Fierce workshops and is a key member of our skills delivery team.

Paul O'Keeffe

Paul is our media manager at PDA and Director of his own communications company, Boulder Group. Paul worked for nine years as a BBC broadcast journalist, mainly at BBC Radio 4 and Five Live. Prior to that, he worked for five years as a journalist for Institutional Investor, writing and editing for publications aimed at the financial services community.

“I really enjoy working with organisations like PDA to help make their ideas and knowledge available to as many people as possible. I work on the premise that there is nothing that can’t be explained easily to somebody” 

Paul has a BA Hons in History from Warwick University, and a post-graduate diploma in Broadcast Journalism from City University, London.

Allison Joseph

Allison is a creative, dynamic equalities diversity & inclusion specialist. With over 20 years experience within youth & community work sectors, Allison uses core youth work values of participation, empowerment & education to underpin her work across a range of professional roles.

“I have been an equalities practitioner for 15 years delivering training, project management & professional development to colleagues in youth work as well as related sectors. I am passionate about inclusion & widening participation for all communities and whilst my particular expertise lies with race & identity, I am dedicated to improving understanding around intersectionality to give tangible outcomes for all.”

Specialist areas:

• Race Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

• Identity & Inclusion (protected characteristics)

• Voice & Influence

• Mental Health

• Social Health - SRE (Sex & Relationships Education)/drugs and alcohol education

Dr Naomi Irvine

Naomi is an accredited Fierce facilitator. She specialises in helping individuals to find their voice in complex organisations, focusing on gender empowerment, courageous conversations, personal effectiveness, leadership development, and coaching and mentoring.

She is an experienced facilitator of reflective practice, culture change, workplace learning and career development. Prior to working independently, Naomi worked in the higher education sector, in research, business development, organisational development, and equality and diversity functions. 

Naomi believes in having engaging conversations so that everyone can be their most authentic, talented and empowered self in work and in life. Colleagues speak of her engaging and facilitative style, and her ability to ask questions that move the conversation towards a successful outcome.

Deborah Mullins

Deborah is experienced in a broad spectrum of development topics, specialising in leadership and management, wellbeing, career development and teams.

With over 20 years’ experience of developing people and organisations, Debbie works at all levels within a range of industries including healthcare, education, telecommunications, legal, construction, aerospace, haulage, and recruitment.

Debbie is often described as genuine and personable and provides professional and pragmatic development with challenge and support in equal measures.

Debbie’s credentials include:

• MSc Human Resources Management (Associate CIPD)

• ILM 5 Coaching & Mentoring

• NLP Diploma                     

• Mental Health First Aider

• Fierce Conversations Accredited Facilitator

Penny Heater

Penny is a part of our coaching team, with over 20 years cross-sector experience. Her diverse background encompasses start-up and growth entrepreneurs and consultants, (individually and in peer groups); senior leadership in the education sector; teenagers, graduates, mid-lifers, women-returners making important life choices and improving the life-chances of community-based offenders through work and education. 

Penny completed her accredited training with the Coaches Training Institute. She also holds a post-graduate certificate in coaching. 

Paul Sayers

Paul joined PDA in 2008 as a business and financial consultant and became passionately interested in the learning and experience that PDA offers. He trained as a coach with the Coaches Training Institute and successfully completed the PDA Train the Trainer programme and is now a Fierce Conversations facilitator. Paul is a fantastic all round member of the team: he has worked in the legal sector, a publishing career including Professional and Legal Editor of the Estates Gazette and as an actor and director in his own theatre company.

“The team at PDA is very creative and talented. I became involved as I wanted to work for a company that connects with its clients and really understands the benefits of what it offers”.

Simon Bolton

Simon joined PDA’s delivery team in 2009 after over 20 years experience in educational and learning environments. As a professional teacher, he mentored staff in new and creative approaches to teaching. He has also worked with voluntary agencies training adults who work with children. He now delivers a variety of intensive skills training events for PDA and is working on our portfolio of development courses for teachers and leaders in education.

“PDA presents people with really useful and easy to understand tools that work. It’s really good when you see what we do really working for people”.