In summary:
- Writer of four business books, and of "The Cuban Approach" a travel adventure on the back roads of Cuba that developed and described the art of "letting go".
- Animated, engaging, and memorable public speaker.
- Leader of complex organisational and workplace change.
- Workshop leader creating impact long after the workshop ends.
- Industry Cluster developer.
- TEFL qualified language guide for the busy company executive who needs to understand the unwritten language as it is used in English"Corporate Speak" . Use of English at this level is seldom what it seems: it helps to decode with a peer-level native speaker to be ensure full understanding of implied meaning and carefully craft responses.
- Professional and fun
What colleagues have said
Deputy Chief Executive/ Director of Corporate Services at Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service (Now Chief Operations Officer National Fire Chiefs Council - NFCC)
Working with Paquita on a project of national significance for the UK Fire and Rescue Service has been an absolute pleasure. The way that Paquita has been able to join the project part way through and then rapidly develop a working knowledge of the key elements is a testament to her skill, experience and professionalism. She is also great company, so most of the time it doesn’t even feel like work.
Head of Portfolio and Integrated Delivery, NFCC (Now Head of Portfolio Management The Nursing and Midwifery Council)
I had the pleasure of working with Paquita at the NFCC, who very quickly impressed colleagues with her ability to simplify the complex. Paquita's eye for detail and cheery nature made her a go-to colleague that we had enormous confidence in. During Paquita's selection process at the NFCC, I set a task for candidates to produce a business case and was blown away by the level of detail and the absorption of such complex information in such a short space of time. It demonstrated Paquita's unique talent and experience, in a field she had no previous experience in, that she could excel and produce results anywhere!
CTO - Principal Cyber Security Consultant at baseVISION AG | Microsoft MVP - Security | GSEC | KQLCafe
While at Hewlett Packard Germany, I worked with Paquita on several Workplace projects and initiatives. Paquita has been extremely helpful in reviewing and co-authoring service delivery blueprints. One day one of our customers requested a technical proposal at the very last minute, at that time, I initially had a challenge to find someone to work on this at such short notice, until Paquita offered her assistance, worked on it through the night and we delivered the proposal the next day, which was well received by the customer.
Furthermore Paquita is an excellent facilitator who helps drive conversations between service provider and customers.
Founder, Chairman, Strategic Doing Institute l Senior Research Fellow, The Conference Board l JD/PhD
Faced with the most complex and vexing problems, Paquita shows remarkable creativity mixed with a no-nonsense attitude to get moving. She understands how to cut through analytic clutter and move to action. Her willingness to experiment lies at the heart of it. She reframes the most complex challenges into an actionable framework. And then, above it all, she persists.
·Senior Director Avande DACH
While at HP Germany, Paquita worked alongside me in our Strategic Rapid Growth Team at HP at a crucial time of our expansion and development. Her insight into developing the group and external business relationships - and restoring damaged ones - made my own role as Head of Transformation Consulting much easier. On several occasions, Paquita had to step in to present to C level clients at short notice and minimally briefed due to my own unforeseen absence and did so with positive effect.
Paquita proved very effective at Risk Identification and Mitigation and by analytical Root Cause identification avoided contractual obstacles.
I can recommend her skill at the most senior dealings. Her international background is a real asset in both the power of her connections and the broad business and cultural knowledge she has developed
Experience Professor (retired) Tulane Medical Center 1968 - Present 58 years Group Vice President Arthritis Foundation (National Office)
I know Paquita from my time as professor of medicine at Tulane University in New Orleans. I met Paquita while she was leading a group of medical and research professionals in evaluating the needs of the state of Louisiana and the City of New Orleans to develop and construct a biomedical research center to make available research facilities to start up companies developing research findings of scientists at the five major universities in New Orleans, and guide them to successful production and establishment of functioning companies.
Paquita led the group in evaluating the needs of the community and guided us in developing ideas and recommendations to the Louisiana State government. Subsequently, the government made a multimillion dollar investment in building a biomedical research facility which is functioning (10 years later) as a very successful and important part of the biomedical research and development agenda of the State of Louisiana.
Paquita was outstanding in her guidance, and ensured that the group of diverse individuals on the committee understood the information being provided and with her help formulated these data into a coherent document with recommendations to the appropriate governing bodies in Lousiana.
I recommend Paquita with the highest commendation and support her in any search she may undertake in the future. I will be happy to discuss further with anyone who so wishes. Brian T Butcher, PhD, Professor of Medicine (retired)
Lt Col Simon Wilkinson TD DL - Deputy Lord Lieutenant Buckinghamshire, Owner. The Wilkinson Partnership.
I came to know Paquita in her role as Cultural Manager Milton Keynes. She is one of those people who in in the most testing situations, sees the positive and inspires people to achieve and perform at, or beyond the ability. Highly motivated, creative, fun and immensely hardworking she is truly passionate in everything she does. I would trust her with my life too!
Head of Development: Camphill Community, Milton Keynes
I worked with Paquita in her team at Culture Milton Keynes. She is a diligent strategist who has an excellent ability to see the wide picture and gather together the best people to achieve results.
Working within Paquita's team was an absolute delight, and on a personal level I learnt a lot from watching how she interacts with clients and takes stakeholders on a journey to become advocates of the programmes.
Paquita is optimistic and brings an invigorating energy to any environment. Working with her was an honour.
Director at ClearPoint Consulting Ltd
I worked with Paquita when we were both at HP Germany. Paquita has a great supportive nature and a bubbly, infectious enthusiasm for the tasks she undertakes. She is thorough and conscientious colleague and manager, always looking to get the best for people and projects at the same time.
In her own words
We all have many faces and it is often difficult to find the personality of the individual from professional interaction.
Better known in commercial circles for her management of complex IT and organisational change and for drafting and managing clear project proposals and delivery plans - and in the not-for-profit sector for bringing wider participation for improved results and steering a diplomatic course to develop collaboration, we know there are other sides to her interests and activities, so we asked Paquita to tell a bit about herself.
Here are her responses.
How do you describe yourself?
Who am I and why?
A question I sometimes ask myself, as I have had a life full of fascinating adventures.
,I suppose I am a catalyst for creative thinking - someone who offers the benefit of many different perspectives learned from my wide geographic and cross-sector background
I am curious. I like people. I see possibilities, and help others identify those they see. I believe "fun" should be a part of everyday life.
Experience has taught me that we all have different perspectives and for each of us, the way forward is clear and unambiguous. Sadly, that clarity may not be shared with the same precision by others critical to our success, so it is our work to bridge that gap.My experience and background has seen me become a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, Commerce, and Manufacturing, in London, England and also a Fellow of the Strategic Doing Institute.
However, my passions are writing and researching, walking our Chow Chow Bailey who is on a path forward from a troubled first 3 month elsewhere and is throughly entertaining, cooking and hosting meals with friends, travelling, photography, and getting to know people as I go.
I am also a proud member of the Cloud Appreciation Society!
Where have you lived and worked?
In the past, I have lived in some magical places: tropical far north Queensland in Australia, in a loft apartment in New Orleans, a Schloss apartment (like a small castle) in Germany, and on a more temporary basis in a cottage in the Dordogne, France, a frescoe-walled villa in Bologna, Italy, and on an airfield in the UK. Now, it's mostly in an old stone house with faded blue shutters, looking out across a patchwork of agriculture at an ancient mountain-top village in the French countryside.
My camera is a constant companion and the photos I have taken are some of my treasures.
Having also worked in many places (my native Australia, the UK, USA, Germany, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, plus The Hague in the Netherlands, Paris - France, & Helsinki - Finland) I realise how much I have learned from each place and the people I met there, many of whom are still good friends though geographically distant.
What are your hallmarks?
With an overdeveloped sense of curiosity and a belief that fun should be part of every day and every project, my projects are successful and memorable.
I ask the questions that redefine the objective and include those not usually consulted.
My mantra is none of us is as smart as all of us.
My clients, peers, and colleagues from many past projects still communicate and share experiences. I count that as a particular success.
My LinkedIn profile has some recommendations (above) I am particularly proud of.
Your summary?
So that's me. Professional, fun, curious, and more interested in having work I love and where I make a difference, than in having a vertical career path.
I have always excelled where the challenge is great and the resources constrained: constrained by a surfeit of lack - or of intentional disruptors.
I live in what has been described as a combination of an art gallery and a library.
The artwork feeds the soul,
the library feeds the curiosity
- the fun feeds everything.