About us
DHA are policy, research and communication specialists. We help communities, charities, networks and public sector agencies across the UK, and beyond, to understand and influence the world around them.
We work at all levels – from grassroots community projects to government agency initiatives – to deliver communications, advocacy and research expertise which helps shape real change, make sense of complexity and bring people closer to the decisions that affect their lives.
We specialise in arts and culture, global development and social change and sustainability, working across design, storytelling and strategy development through to policy advocacy, discourse analysis, evaluation and learning.
Our expertise
"Your flair and your close attention to detail made it a pleasure to work with you."
Cambridge Education
Storytelling lies at the heart of what we do and the way in which we help people shape the world around them. We use our writing and design skills to develop powerful narratives which combine clarity and coherence with compelling content to inspire understanding and action across different platforms.
In our complex and fast-paced world, concise and evidence-informed advocacy builds momentum for action that can change people’s life prospects and opportunities. We work with you to ensure that you are engaging and supporting decision makers to make choices based on sound evidence and powerful argument.
Communication becomes a catalyst for change when it is targeted at your key audiences and focused on what you hope to achieve. We support you to plan and deliver communication and advocacy strategies that meet your audiences where they are at, making the most of the resources you have and supporting your colleagues to embed sound communications into everything you do.
Good understanding and evidence is the foundation for meaningful change. From robust research to evaluation and strategic learning, we help you explore, reflect and understand how to affect the world around you.
Connecting with audiences means making sure they have clear and accessible information – and that the information is presented in a compelling way. From data platforms and visualisations, including report cards and animated films, we work with you to share ideas and information in ways that drive advocacy and accountability and speak directly to those you want to reach.
Discourse analysis is the key to really understanding prevailing narratives around social disadvantage and, from that, building support for systems change. We combine discourse analysis expertise developed as part of our broader research and evaluation offer with the power of industry leading software and ‘on the ground’ communications experience gathered over two decades to work with partners to develop pragmatic recommendations based on genuine insight.
Storytelling lies at the heart of what we do and the way in which we help people shape the world around them. We use our writing and design skills to develop powerful narratives which combine clarity and coherence with compelling content to inspire understanding and action across different platforms.
In our complex and fast-paced world, concise and evidence-informed advocacy builds momentum for action that can change people’s life prospects and opportunities. We work with you to ensure that you are engaging and supporting decision makers to make choices based on sound evidence and powerful argument.
Communication becomes a catalyst for change when it is targeted at your key audiences and focused on what you hope to achieve. We support you to plan and deliver communication and advocacy strategies that meet your audiences where they are at, making the most of the resources you have and supporting your colleagues to embed sound communications into everything you do.
Good understanding and evidence is the foundation for meaningful change. From robust research to evaluation and strategic learning, we help you explore, reflect and understand how to affect the world around you.
Connecting with audiences means making sure they have clear and accessible information – and that the information is presented in a compelling way. From data platforms and visualisations, including report cards and animated films, we work with you to share ideas and information in ways that drive advocacy and accountability and speak directly to those you want to reach.
Discourse analysis is the key to really understanding prevailing narratives around social disadvantage and, from that, building support for systems change. We combine discourse analysis expertise developed as part of our broader research and evaluation offer with the power of industry leading software and ‘on the ground’ communications experience gathered over two decades to work with partners to develop pragmatic recommendations based on genuine insight.
Projects
Blog
Meet the Team
- Daniel HarrisManaging DirectorDaniel founded DHA and leads on our technical direction. He is a policy and strategic communications expert, advising and coaching global development programmes, agencies and NGOs on achieving reach and impact through creative communication and policy advocacy. Daniel draws on a career managing award-winning campaigns for trade unions, working as a special adviser to the UK’s first secretary for the Department for International Development and helping transform Liverpool into one of the UK’s main arts and culture hubs.
- Jon FlinnDirector of CommunicationsJon helps organisations get their stories heard and leads DHA’s communications and advocacy in the third and public sector. He has developed place-based narratives for culture bids across England and, as a former journalist, helps shape the narrative of our policy and research work with clients working in the arts and for social change and delivers media coverage. He is a writer, workshop facilitator, media specialist and trainer. He is also an all-weather cyclist and a fair-weather kayaker.
- Tamsin CoxHead of Policy and ResearchTamsin builds organisations’ understanding and evidence base to help them improve their practice and share learning with others. She leads DHA’s research, analysis and evaluation work, particularly in UK and the Europe-wide arts and culture sectors. Her expertise includes: larger-scale public events, urban regeneration and place development initiatives; cultural workforce experiences, development and inequalities; grant-making practices; self-evaluation methodologies and collaborative evaluation techniques; and organisational reflection and strategic development. Tamsin is a Fellow of the RSA, an Associate at the Institute of Cultural Capital (University of Liverpool/Liverpool John Moores University) and an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology at the University of Liverpool.
- David CaseyDesignDave transforms ideas into clear and compelling visuals. He leads on all DHA’s design work and brings more than 15 years’ experience to developing creative visual concepts that re-brand organisations and their focus, convey data and bring clarity to research reports, digital data visualisations and websites. Dave is a keen drawer and photographer who is inspired by his surroundings, whether it be up a mountain or on the tube.
- Brenda BalmerOffice ManagerBrenda ensures DHA keeps ticking over. She manages our finance and administration, helping us to maintain efficient day-to-day processes and systems so we can deliver projects on time, within budget and to a high standard. Brenda is studying to become a fully qualified accountant and a member of the Association of Accounting Technicians. She loves to run and can often be found training for various charity races
- Anna ReeveCommunications coordinatorAnna is our creative lynch-pin, working across all channels to connect the different parts of key projects and turn them into something wonderful. She is both a strategy planner and a content creator and leads on multi-channel campaigns that draw together video, animation, social media and print content. She works across DHA’s client portfolio with specific focus on our development work.
- Maria Pia ArriolaCommunications assistantPia supports the team with administrative and communications work for our global development portfolio. She assists in project management, development of materials and implementing strategies across multiple partner projects. She makes sure we are on track to deliver on every project and that we take care of every detail. She has experience in the communications field, as a journalist and PR officer, and recently finished her Master’s degree in Media, Campaigning and Social Change. Pia is passionate about social causes, especially migrants and refugees.
Associates
Hazel Province has a long track record of success as a performer, manager, strategist, leader and mentor in the culture sector, including an in-depth knowledge and experience of opera companies both nationally and internationally. Hazel was Director of Planning at The Royal Opera House, and prior to that Orchestra Director. Since 2019 Hazel has been working independently, with a portfolio of work which has included 2 years as interim director of planning at Welsh National Opera, and she is currently Industry Lead (Opera) for the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Opera360 Masters degree. She is a Governor of The Royal Northern College of Music, Chair of The Music Education Hub in Dorset and remains well networked within the Opera Industry internationally.
Sarah Gee trained as a classical musician and has worked in the arts sector for 30 years, initially with orchestras, then as co-founder and managing partner of Indigo-Ltd where she worked on marketing, fundraising and organisational development with hundreds of organisations over fifteen years. Since 2019 she has combined consultancy work with her role as CEO of Spitalfields Music. Current clients include Turner Sims Southampton, Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy, and Culture Central. She also has substantial governance experience, and is currently Chair of The Stringcredibles, Vice Chair of the British-American Project, and a trustee of the Royal Philharmonic Society and Motionhouse.
Kat Barton is an experienced facilitator and trainer with a background in campaigning, community organising and advocacy. She has been working in the not-for-profit sector since 2004 and is passionate about supporting people to take action for social change.
She worked on disarmament issues for several years, undertaking numerous different roles ranging from organising and participating in high level meetings with decision-makers to supporting grassroots activists in their campaigning against new nuclear weapons. Kat is as comfortable working with large NGOs as she is with small grassroots groups and has helped numerous organisations to enhance their impact, work together more effectively, develop their values and practice, and take meaningful action on the issues that matter to them.
Dawn is an independent consultant within the public and not for profit sectors. She has a wide range of skills including evaluation, training and coaching. She’s expert in criminal justice, community safety, young people and participation. Her recent consultancy projects include: curriculum advice to the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) on a key leadership course, evaluation of a prison based project for young people, and evaluation of a community safety programme. She has a reputation of approaching all work with endless patience, and has been a school governor for almost 10 years.
Kate has been a consultant in the cultural sector since 2007. She has over twenty years’ experience in arts and heritage, as a freelance consultant and previously as Head of Community Partnerships at National Museums Liverpool. In 2015, Kate spent seven months as interim Chief Executive at the Florrie, a heritage venue in Liverpool, where she led a strategic financial and management review and board development process. In 2019 she was Interim Senior Development Manager at Tate Liverpool, managing the team during a period of transition and coordinating the gallery’s work with local higher education partners.
Her range of services includes project management, strategic planning, stakeholder consultation, evaluation and fundraising, with a track record of developing successful National Lottery Heritage Fund applications. She is a trained facilitator and runs workshops to support clients with strategy, project design and reflection/evaluation. Kate is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Director of The RED Archive CIC and trustee at Sefton Park Palm House Preservation Trust. Kate has worked with DHA on a number of projects, including evaluation of the Heritage Compass and Arts Fundraising and Philanthropy programmes for Cause 4, and facilitation of focus groups with artists and curators to develop commissioning guidance for a-n.
Rob is an experienced and highly creative graphic designer with over 20 years in the public and not for profit sectors. Projects for which he has been responsible have ranged from campaign and programme launches to internal communications, branding, high profile publications, graphics and animations across print and digital media.
Martin has 35 years’ experience in communications and advocacy for non-profit organisations. His specialisms include writing and editing, campaign development, media and stakeholder relations, and crisis communications. He is passionate about campaigning for progressive policy change, particularly on environmental and development issues.
Having trained as a journalist, Martin spent a year in health journalism before switching into media relations and publications at Christian Aid (1988-97), where he was in the forefront of successful campaigns on debt relief and child sex tourism. At Oxfam (1997-2000) he led and expanded the organisation’s fundraising and advocacy partnership with the Glastonbury Festival. He was Marketing Director at the Soil Association during a period of rapid growth in the organic market (2001-2006), and spent over six years (2016-2023) as Director of External Relations and Advocacy for Islamic Relief Worldwide, one of the world’s biggest Muslim charities. He has supported over 20 other non-profits with communications and campaigns as a freelance consultant.
Hazel Province has a long track record of success as a performer, manager, strategist, leader and mentor in the culture sector, including an in-depth knowledge and experience of opera companies both nationally and internationally. Hazel was Director of Planning at The Royal Opera House, and prior to that Orchestra Director. Since 2019 Hazel has been working independently, with a portfolio of work which has included 2 years as interim director of planning at Welsh National Opera, and she is currently Industry Lead (Opera) for the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Opera360 Masters degree. She is a Governor of The Royal Northern College of Music, Chair of The Music Education Hub in Dorset and remains well networked within the Opera Industry internationally.
Sarah Gee trained as a classical musician and has worked in the arts sector for 30 years, initially with orchestras, then as co-founder and managing partner of Indigo-Ltd where she worked on marketing, fundraising and organisational development with hundreds of organisations over fifteen years. Since 2019 she has combined consultancy work with her role as CEO of Spitalfields Music. Current clients include Turner Sims Southampton, Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy, and Culture Central. She also has substantial governance experience, and is currently Chair of The Stringcredibles, Vice Chair of the British-American Project, and a trustee of the Royal Philharmonic Society and Motionhouse.
Kat Barton is an experienced facilitator and trainer with a background in campaigning, community organising and advocacy. She has been working in the not-for-profit sector since 2004 and is passionate about supporting people to take action for social change.
She worked on disarmament issues for several years, undertaking numerous different roles ranging from organising and participating in high level meetings with decision-makers to supporting grassroots activists in their campaigning against new nuclear weapons. Kat is as comfortable working with large NGOs as she is with small grassroots groups and has helped numerous organisations to enhance their impact, work together more effectively, develop their values and practice, and take meaningful action on the issues that matter to them.
Dawn is an independent consultant within the public and not for profit sectors. She has a wide range of skills including evaluation, training and coaching. She’s expert in criminal justice, community safety, young people and participation. Her recent consultancy projects include: curriculum advice to the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) on a key leadership course, evaluation of a prison based project for young people, and evaluation of a community safety programme. She has a reputation of approaching all work with endless patience, and has been a school governor for almost 10 years.
Kate has been a consultant in the cultural sector since 2007. She has over twenty years’ experience in arts and heritage, as a freelance consultant and previously as Head of Community Partnerships at National Museums Liverpool. In 2015, Kate spent seven months as interim Chief Executive at the Florrie, a heritage venue in Liverpool, where she led a strategic financial and management review and board development process. In 2019 she was Interim Senior Development Manager at Tate Liverpool, managing the team during a period of transition and coordinating the gallery’s work with local higher education partners.
Her range of services includes project management, strategic planning, stakeholder consultation, evaluation and fundraising, with a track record of developing successful National Lottery Heritage Fund applications. She is a trained facilitator and runs workshops to support clients with strategy, project design and reflection/evaluation. Kate is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Director of The RED Archive CIC and trustee at Sefton Park Palm House Preservation Trust. Kate has worked with DHA on a number of projects, including evaluation of the Heritage Compass and Arts Fundraising and Philanthropy programmes for Cause 4, and facilitation of focus groups with artists and curators to develop commissioning guidance for a-n.
Rob is an experienced and highly creative graphic designer with over 20 years in the public and not for profit sectors. Projects for which he has been responsible have ranged from campaign and programme launches to internal communications, branding, high profile publications, graphics and animations across print and digital media.
Martin has 35 years’ experience in communications and advocacy for non-profit organisations. His specialisms include writing and editing, campaign development, media and stakeholder relations, and crisis communications. He is passionate about campaigning for progressive policy change, particularly on environmental and development issues.
Having trained as a journalist, Martin spent a year in health journalism before switching into media relations and publications at Christian Aid (1988-97), where he was in the forefront of successful campaigns on debt relief and child sex tourism. At Oxfam (1997-2000) he led and expanded the organisation’s fundraising and advocacy partnership with the Glastonbury Festival. He was Marketing Director at the Soil Association during a period of rapid growth in the organic market (2001-2006), and spent over six years (2016-2023) as Director of External Relations and Advocacy for Islamic Relief Worldwide, one of the world’s biggest Muslim charities. He has supported over 20 other non-profits with communications and campaigns as a freelance consultant.