Graham is a seasoned strategist and systems thinker with over 20 years’ experience driving social impact across health, justice, youth development and addiction systems. He has worked extensively with central and local government departments, major funders, think tanks, leading charities, corporates and grassroots organisations, helping them to shape strategy, design innovative systems-focused solutions and influence national policy.
Over the years, Graham has been at the forefront of systems change, helping to shape national and local approaches to neighbourhood safety, health inequalities and community-led rehabilitation.
Key contributions include:
Supporting the formation and effectiveness of Community Safety Partnerships across England and Wales
Chairing the Offender Health Collaborative, commissioned by NHS England to develop a national liaison and diversion operating model
Leading Beyond Youth Custody, a Big Lottery-funded programme focused on transforming support for young people leaving custody
Co-designing the operating model for the world’s first social impact bond at HMP Peterborough with Social Finance
Helping to establish Addiction Awareness Week, launched by HRH The Duchess of Cambridge (now HRH The Princess of Wales) in 2019, as part of Action on Addiction’s advocacy programme aimed at reducing stigma, promoting public awareness, and improving access to early intervention approaches
Graham brings a distinctive combination of strategic insight, systems thinking, policy expertise, and frontline experience. He is known for his cross-boundary leadership and ability to connect vision with practical action.
He excels at:
Designing and delivering systems-focused change
Facilitating cross-sector and cross-boundary collaboration
Embedding lived experience into service design and evaluation
Scaling evidence-based initiatives that are impactful and sustainable.
At the heart of Graham’s work is a belief in the power of communities to be centrally involved in change that affects them. He champions approaches that are inclusive and evidence-informed, and that achieve long-standing systemic impact.
An experienced chief executive and seasoned non-executive director, Graham also coaches and mentors senior leaders, helping them navigate the complexities of systems working and cross-boundary collaboration. This includes:
Clarifying their organisation’s role within wider systems
Developing high-leverage relationships and propositions to achieve both organisation-specific and system-focused goals
Strengthening community-led approaches that complement traditional service delivery and supply chains.
Graham is the former Chief Executive of Action on Addiction and the former Interim Chief Executive of Nacro. He also has many years’ experience as a strategy, communications, and operations director. He currently serves as Vice Chair at YMCA St Paul’s Group where he is also Chair of the Performance Committee. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Graham is a seasoned chair and public speaker at conferences, roundtables and events as well as in the media. He brings unique insights, a relational approach, practical support and a strong strategic and systemic focus to everything he works on.
Partnership | Fellowship | Collaboration | Joint Ownership | Community
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