Carolyn Graham

Client Feedback

“…she is very friendly but quite firm and is good at keeping everything right on track…” 

Overview

Carolyn is an experienced and versatile mediator (CEDR accredited 2003) who applies skills learnt at the sharp end of doing business and managing people to mediate in civil and commercial, employment and workplace disputes, combining commercial instincts with sensitivity and natural people skills.

She mediates throughout the UK in disputes from the public, private and charitable sectors and has worked full time as mediator and conflict resolution professional since 2006.

Additionally, she is a qualified conflict coach and mediation supervisor and when not mediating, assists organisations in developing core conflict competencies amongst staff through a series of bespoke training and coaching interventions.

Professional Background

After completing a music degree at Royal Holloway College, London University, Carolyn began work as an arts administrator. Within the first 18 months of her career, she had worked with heavy metal band Motorhead, the Royal Opera House and the Cancer Research Campaign – a formative experience from which emerged some of the future hallmarks of Carolyn’s personal and professional style; flexibility, adaptability and the ability to relate to a wide variety of people. All skills which Carolyn puts to good use in her mediation practice today.

Over the next 25 years, working in small not for profit, as well as large commercial arts and entertainment environments and ultimately as programming Director at London’s Southbank Centre (14 years), Carolyn honed her skills in the management of people, of money and of resources.

With a good head for figures, she has considerable experience in financial management (budgets up to £6m), contract and co-production negotiation. Other areas of expertise include organisational development and change management; union/management negotiations and all aspects of staff management (including appraisal, training, recruitment, mentoring, disciplinary/grievance, team building).

Carolyn played a critical role in the 2006 Royal Festival Hall £111m refurbishment programme. Over a two year period, she managed the briefing process, negotiating with the multiple internal and external stakeholders to produce the agreed project brief, which subsequently became the key control document right through to post occupancy review.

This ability to manage and synthesise a range of diverse opinion and not get bogged down in the volume of detail; to distil down to the core essentials and harness the collective commitment necessary for an agreed outcome to be reached are some of the key skills used and valued in Carolyn’s mediation work today. 

Expertise