STEPS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Client Relationship Director
Alba has over ten years of experience in project management and over five years of experience creating content and designing learning solutions.
Working with global clients on medium to large-scale projects, she brings to the table a fastidious attention to detail, a creative approach to problem-solving and a pathological love for colour coding.
After starting her career as a project manager and producer in the arts and performing arts sector, Alba decided to take a year off to begin a Masters in Colour Design and Technology at Milan Polytechnic, which equipped her with a thorough understanding of the mechanics behind human perception and the tricks played by our brains.
Born in Bergamo, Italy, Alba spent her 20s studying and working across the country and ended up living in over 10 different Italian cities before moving to London in 2016, where she still lives - for now…
Outside of work, Alba has a passion for sewing - inherited from her mother - and is normally busy experimenting with patterns and unusual fabrics. She's also an avid explorer of cemeteries.
Job Titles:
- Client Relationship Director
- Learning Consultant
Alexia has been a learning consultant for over 10 years, working with clients to design and deliver behaviour change programmes for employees using drama-based learning techniques. She has worked with a number of different clients, across the globe on a wide range of subjects - including Diversity & Inclusion, Management Development and Ethics designing live (face-to-face and virtual) and e-learning programmes. She also brings in her experience of working in Graduate Recruitment for a Global Bank when designing and leading workshops specifically designed for Graduate populations. She has a particular interest in developing innovative programmes that achieve long term behavioural change using our Steps to Change approach. Her current clients include, amongst others, King, Generali, Nomura and BP.
Alexia is interested in working with inspiring people who will truly try and understand the learners needs and bring the collective creativity and knowledge they have as a team, to the table.
She works between London and Milan and is waiting for the time when she can start planning another hiking trip somewhere - for now it's all about completing puzzles instead of trails!
Job Titles:
- Marketing Executive
- Global Marketing Director
Aleya Harris is a seasoned marketing executive with a robust background in global roles and strategic storytelling. Currently serving at Steps Drama as the Global Director of Marketing, she brings a wealth of experience from her dynamic career, including her tenure as a Google Vendor Partner and CEO of The Evolution Collective Inc. Aleya's expertise lies in crafting compelling narratives that drive engagement and deliver measurable ROI.
Fluent in both English and Spanish, Aleya excels in connecting with diverse audiences and fostering inclusive communication. Her passion for storytelling extends beyond her professional role, as she is an award-winning speaker and host of the Flourishing Entrepreneur Podcast. Through her podcast and numerous speaking engagements, Aleya inspires and educates on the power of authentic storytelling in business.
Aleya's innovative approach has transformed workplace cultures and market positioning for numerous organizations. With an engaging personality, she effortlessly bridges the gap between creative storytelling and strategic marketing, making her a valuable asset to the Steps Drama team.
Job Titles:
- Head of Business Development, USA
Allen booked his first acting gig at the age of six when he landed the coveted lead role as the Church Mouse in the highly praised (at least by his family) 1986 production of A Christmas Story. It was a defining role, not only in his local church's history, but for his life. He continued to pursue drama in all facets of his life and education receiving his B.A. in Theatre from Austin College in Texas and continuing on to get his M.A. in Acting from East 15 School of Acting in London. Allen has had a successful career in film, television, radio, theatre as well as drama based training for learning and development.
Allen believes that providing people with the challenge to change their behaviour through the use drama and role play is the most powerful tool for personal development and organisational growth. His area of expertise is the Power of a Positive Mindset and his passion is enabling people and businesses to understand that by simply focusing on the positive they will create success. He is based in the US, leads on Business Development for Steps US and has worked globally on a large number of projects from inception to delivery. He is thrilled to be a part of this brilliantly creative organisation that is leading the way in creative consultancy.
Anike is a storyteller and an all-round curious human being passionate about creative learning and knowledge exchange, and a big believer in the power of storytelling to facilitate both. Before joining Steps in 2022, she had previously worked in the European Parliament where her worked focused on EU immigration, asylum, and fundamental rights legislation. She has also worked for Barking and Dagenham Council as a Culture Coordinator for Children's Social Care.
She graduated from Loughborough University with a B.A in European Studies and Goldsmiths, University of London with an M.A in Social Anthropology and Development. She loves languages, plants and being close to the sea.
Job Titles:
- Project Coordinator
- US Navy As a Medical Assistant
Ariel is from the Washington DC Metropolitan area. She has spent most of her life involved in the performing arts. Anything creative from putting on home "productions" with her family, learning the clarinet, singing and dancing in school theatre plays, and being part of a HBCU marching band danceline have been some of her happiest moments.
After receiving her BS in pre-professional physical therapy, Ariel joined the US Navy as a medical assistant. Serving almost six years, she grew a passion for being a listening ear and comfort to the patients she served. Following her service, Ariel began her journey to completing her MA in Arts Management while welcoming in her first child.
Being part of the many women with a late diagnosis of ADD, Ariel has become very passionate about the intersection of arts and health and how arts participation positively affects our mental and overall wellbeing. Outside of Steps, Ariel can be found spending time at home with her husband and daughter, slowly making her way to becoming a romantasy bookworm, singing her favorite ballads LOUDLY in the car, waiting patiently for classic Disney trivia challenges, and never missing the opportunity to do or learn every line dance at a party. If the electric slide is playing, you will find her there.
Ashake graduated from the University of Kent with a degree in Accounting & Finance, and then went on to study ACCA at Kaplan Financial. She has more than 7 years experience working in the account division within different industries.
She enjoys learning and interacting with people, which made her interested in working at Steps, and has been enjoying doing so since she joined in the Summer of 2016.
Outside work, Ashake likes spending time with family, friends and most of all the love of her life - her young son.
Beth holds a degree in Drama and English literature from the University of Birmingham. Since graduating, she has interned in producing roles with Kaye Winwood Projects, a company blending sensory design and gastronomy, and at Arcola Theatre in London. She has a keen interest in inclusive arts, which she has pursued as a practitioner with Angel Shed Inclusive theatre company and when volunteering at film festivals in Birmingham and London.
Having focused on BSL integrated theatre during studying, Beth has an interest in increasing opportunities for D/deaf and Disabled people in all areas of society. She is excited to be part of an organisation designed to create behavioural change and with diversity at its core.
When Beth isn't working, she can often be found visiting London's galleries and stopping off at various veggie food spots.
Originally hailing from Louisville, Kentucky, Chad began his career in learning and development at Arena Stage in Washington, DC, working in the Community Engagement Program, and has continued across the country over the last 17 years. He has worked as a director, educator, and art administrator creating and facilitating programs for people of all ages.
Chad is passionate about using theatre within learning spaces to develop skills to become caring, compassionate, and creative people. In his spare time, Chad produces theatre experiences such as 14/48, a 48-hour play festival, and Go! A Theatre for the Very Young micro-play festival. Chad is also a proud American Alliance for Theatre in Education Board Member. The rest of his spare time is spent playing pretend and reading books with his 2 kiddos Jax and Wilder.
Born and raised in NYC, Colleen has been a performer, teaching artist/applied theatre facilitator and arts administrator for over a decade. She has a background in designing and leading theatre workshops for all ages, and in co-devising original work that centers the interests and voices of young people. Her interest in using theatre to support adult learning comes from her background in early childhood education, and what she sees as a pressing need for play-based learning and joy in education beyond the early childhood classroom.
Before joining the Steps US team in 2021, she had facilitated classes, performances and workshops for multiple venues including The New York City Department of Education, Fairfield University, The American Alliance for Theatre in Education (AATE), The Creative Arts Team (CAT) Junior Youth Theatre, The New York State Occupational Therapy Association (NYSOTA), Symphony Space, LaGuardia College and The University of Rwanda. . She holds an MA in Applied Theatre from the CUNY School of Professional Studies. She currently lives in Manhattan with her husband and two funny and brilliant kids. She was once voted "wittiest" in 8th Grade, and that might be her favorite accolade.
Danny has worked in media production since the early 90's and has written, directed and produced multimedia material for broadcasters, brands and organisations in the private, public and third sectors. He has held senior positions since early in his career but has always remained hands-on with the work he delivers, believing that, in an industry shaped by emerging technology and evolving techniques, the best leaders will also be practitioners. Crossover knowledge, from the creative to the technical, helps Danny see a project from many perspectives at once. He enjoys this practical element of his work and relishes the challenge of working alongside clients to create innovative and effective resources on time and on budget. Danny joined Steps as Director of Steps Media, in response to client demand for scalable solutions that embed and sustain the ‘live' learning experience.
Job Titles:
- Client Relationship Director
Elisa's personal and professional motto is "Sharing stories, making change".
After completing her research into the power of narrative for her Master of Science degree in Clinical Psychology, she attended drama school and worked as an actor, writer and director for a number of years. In that time she also wrote for the Independent and created theatre shows based on interview material, with an eye to inspiring behaviour change around gender equality.
She joined Bluehat Group's Learning & Development team as their Lead Facilitator in January 2015. There she honed her coaching skills and designed and delivered creative solutions for clients across a range of industries, before finding her "true professional love match" in Steps in 2016.
She has designed, written and managed learning projects for clients in both the public and private sector, including ING, Generali and Adyen.
Emmanuel graduated with a 2.1 studying Business, Management & Public Policy at Aston University. Not only having a high interest in Finance, he also comes from a sporting background and still takes part in sports outside of Steps alongside helping his local community. Some examples are helping with sports initiatives (such as basketball competitions) and volunteering at his local food bank, especially during the Easter and Christmas period.
Since joining the Finance Team at Steps in 2018, Emmanuel has enjoyed meeting and interacting with different types of people - it makes for a very fun environment. He enjoys the opportunities Steps gives to take part in new things, such as making a few acting appearances for different projects and contributing to creating vox-pops. Aside from being part of the Finance team, there are always new and interesting ways in which every individual can add value to some of the client projects here at Steps.
Gary joined Steps in 2004. He is passionate about using drama and the skills of professional actors to fundamentally shift people's mindsets and inspire real behavioural change. In addition to being a highly skilled designer of learning programmes, Gary is also an engaging facilitator and actor. He has designed and led programmes across the globe for a wide range of organisations including Rolls Royce, Vodafone, Sky, Parliament UK, Network Rail, Ernst & Young, European Bank for Reconstruction & Development, Council of Europe, Linklaters, RNLI, Southern Housing Group and The Co-operative Group, helping them to embed key values and behaviours.
Gary is a graduate of Rose Bruford College and worked as a freelance actor/director for 15 years prior to joining Steps. He believes that a well-stocked biscuit tin is the key to winning friends and influencing people - take full advantage when you come to visit!
Job Titles:
- Project and Design Manager
Gaynor is a Theatre Practitioner, Facilitator, Project Manager and Youth Worker who has a heart for creating dialogue and understanding between people. Having fallen in love with Forum Theatre in 2009, she remains endlessly fascinated by the power of this approach to enliven debate, make the invisible seen, and create positive change in people and systems.
Gaynor worked for the British Red Cross for over a decade, leading education and youth engagement programmes and designing educational resources using drama. She was deployed to deliver ‘train-the-trainer' projects internationally, as well as offering CPD to teachers in the U.K. Her interest in these topics led to her undertaking MA modules in Training for Development Education and Children's Rights in Practice. She has lived and worked in both Burkina Faso and Mexico, speaks French and Spanish and is skilled at working cross culturally.
In addition to her work at Steps, she freelances to facilitate drama projects with community groups of people who have shared experiences, such as mental illness, homelessness and addiction. The projects aim to foster a sense of belonging, self-esteem and self-expression.
Gaynor runs Rehearse the Revolution in London; an informal and friendly collective of people, who are interested in playing with Forum Theatre and using applied theatre for social change. The group is open to everyone, with or without prior experience.
Job Titles:
- Associate Relationship Manager & Personnel
Georgina has been with Steps since October 1997, and is now Associate Relationship Manager, as well as leading on Personnel within Steps.
She studied for 3 years at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge and has a degree in Business & Communication Studies. Before attending University, Georgina was trained in classical ballet and still dances in her spare time. She has a wealth of experience in managing both UK and International client relationships from inception to delivery. Georgina assists with recruitment and internal development for associates and manages the casting process at Steps, and plays a key role in the day to day liaison between Steps and our Associates.
Job Titles:
- Client Relationship Director
Jack has a wealth of experience in cultural diversity, born in the French speaking part Switzerland from Italian and Danish parents, Jack has developed a keen interest in all drama based learning opportunities ranging from presenting a French learning quiz show on Channel 4 to devising Cultural Intelligence seminars for multinational organisations.
After studying Economics and Languages in Lausanne, then graduating from Mountview Theatre School in London, he worked as a theatre, film and television actor all over Europe, performing in English, French, Spanish, Italian and German. He has an extensive training experience working with EY, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Morgan Stanley & KPMG. He also has a CIPD accreditation in Advanced Facilitation.
Job Titles:
- Client Relationship Director
Jahnavi has a bachelor's degree in Journalism, Psychology and English Literature and an Actors diploma from the institute - Anupam Kher's Actor Prepares, Mumbai. She started her career as an actor at the age of 16 and has worked in multiple theatre productions in the city of Bangalore. She has also worked in a number of South Indian movies (in languages, Tamil & Kannada) as the lead female actress. She is well known for her work in the movies Parari & Bhagyaraj.
She joined Steps in the year 2011 as a free-lance associate and moved up to being a Client Relationship Director for India, in 2016. She quit working in the movies to join Steps full-time, because she found a lot more meaning in the work that Steps does. She believes that this is the right platform for her, to use her skill as an actor for a greater purpose. She is passionate about meeting new people, understanding different cultures. As a Client Relationship Director, she has written, managed and delivered successful programs for organizations like Walmart, KPMG, Adobe, Visa to name a few. She believes that working for Steps has completely transformed her as a person and made her realize that there is more to life than just being a good actor.
She lives in the city of Bangalore and is married to Shreyas Pandit. She loves doing Yoga, watching stand-up comedy and spending time with animals in and around her neighborhood during her free time.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Director, UKE
Jennie joined Steps in 2008 with a passion for creative communication & marketing. Fast forward a few years and having managed a range of client and network relationships across Steps' territories, she now sits on the Global Board and UKE Senior Leadership Team as New Contact Development Director. As part of the global Business Development team Jennie shares responsibility for building strategic global connections and partnerships, with a particular focus on forging new connections within the UK and Europe. She creates inspiring content to further Steps' Vision and reputation, and works closely with the Client Relationship Directors, Country Heads and extended teams in BD, Innovation and Media to co-ordinate, develop and implement targeted business development activity. A passionate advocate for Steps' people-centric approach to behavioural change, Jennie often represents Steps as a speaker, writer and contributor.
A graduate of Cardiff University and a qualified affiliate of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Jennie works flexibly between London and Gloucestershire, where she lives with her young family. When not working she loves singing choral music, developing her (fledgling!) baking skills, exploring the great outdoors and escaping on camping trips...
Job Titles:
- Project and Business Development Manager
Jessica joined Steps in the Fall of 2019 as an expansion to the USA team. Her passion for activating change through theatre led her to a Master's Degree in Applied Theatre with The City University of New York. There she learned new and creative ways to use theatre as a behavioral change tool with a keen curiosity towards facilitation and effective learning.
With years of experience as a facilitator in education and as a professional music theatre actor, Jessica is thrilled to bring her unique skillset to be a part of the Steps team. She is currently based in New York City and now believes that after almost a decade she can finally claim the title of "New Yorker" - just in time to move to New Jersey!
Job Titles:
- Global Marketing Coordinator
Originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, Joanne grew up surrounded and involved in an Arts based household, which was developed through her participation in the youth organisation of the Lyric Theatre. These productions lead to many opportunities to meet with film and theatre industry professionals and ultimately lead to Joanne's decision to pursue Film Studies at Queen's University Belfast. After graduating, Joanne moved to London in the hopes of finding various opportunities to develop her skills and career goals.
Since moving to London, Joanne has pursued a variety of media and tech-based jobs like writing film reviews for an online magazine, commercial and wedding photography, teaching assistant in the media department of a sixth form college, and also working as a camera technician in a digitisation and archiving company. Joanne joined Steps in October 2021 as part of the Project Support Team, and is excited to continue her career within Steps.
In her free time, Joanne is usually crocheting, sewing, seeing films at the cinema, or endlessly scrolling through dog rescue homes, looking for her future furry friend.
Julian is a passionate advocate about using drama as a tool to inspire people. He has seven years experience participating in learning and development programs in professional services, technology and publishing among others. He has lead independent drama workshops at the University of Balearic Islands (UIB), SNTS Theatre and Spanish Actors Union and has a strong background in account management and digital marketing.
Liz finally officially joined Steps in January 2018. Her association with them goes back some 18 years and she has been inspired and energized by the work ever since. As a former client Liz spent most of her working life in Pfizer both in the UK and for 5 years in New York. She has worked in Sales, Marketing, Training, Management Development and finally found her sweet spot in HR and Organizational Development. She enjoys working with leaders to figure out how do you achieve your business goals through people. She loves to travel and has worked or visited some 35 countries and has recently discovered Africa.
Since leaving Pfizer as an independent consultant Liz has undertaken projects in innovation, executive coaching, HR and leadership development and most recently as an interim CEO in Ghana for 9 months. Her definition of a great life is work hard, play hard and there is nothing finer than fish tacos and a glass of chardonnay. Liz and her husband now live in California, her British roots show through with a constant supply of "proper tea" delivered by the English Tea Company.
She is passionate about many things but making sure everyone has access to enough decent food and the medicines they need are top of the list. She is inspired by Nelson Mandela and if she could have a super power it would be to make more time .
Liz has an MBA from Strathclyde University and a Certificate in Effective Organizations from USC in Los Angeles.
Job Titles:
- Manager - Associates and Operations, India
Madhavi holds a Masters in Personnel Management and a BA degree in Politics, both from Pune University. She has also completed a Diploma in Computer Engineering and one year professional course in Computing. Madhavi joined Steps as an India Coordinator in June 2012 and now works as an Assistant Manager - Associates and Operations.
Prior to joining Steps Madhavi enjoyed a varied career, with roles including teaching, administration and coordination, training program management and customer service. She has remained connected to the training, development and education sector over the years, working with Microcomm Infotect, APEX Program and ICFAI University. Madhavi has created a strong contact network and enjoys building connections and establishing a good rapport with those around her.
She lives in Pune with her husband Vishal and enjoys reading books and exploring new places.
Job Titles:
- Global Finance and Operations Director
Magnus has an MSc in Business Administration from Stockholm University, Sweden. He moved to London in the summer of 2004 and immediately perused his CIMA qualification which he completed in 2008. Since then Magnus has worked in various finance roles in companies such as Kodak, Pitney Bowes and Reed Learning (a UK L&D business).
Prior to joining Steps Magnus was the FD for Reed Learning where he developed a good understanding and passion for L&D and behavioural change. At Steps Magnus has a broad remit spanning from Finance to HR & Operations. When Magnus isn't working he is making the most out of living close to nature taking his boys for hikes in any of the nearby forests or, weather permitting, swimming in any of the close by lakes.
Job Titles:
- Digital & Media Production Manager
Mairéad graduated from the University of Surrey with a degree in Theatre and Performance, where she performed in plays, assistant-directed a production of Animal Farm and was a part of the Theatre and Improvisation society. After University, Mairéad worked as a Stage Manager for a show devised by fellow graduates at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Since then, Mairéad has worked as a freelancer for an Artists' Company working in interactive media. She has worked on a range of projects including immersive theatre, a live interactive feature film, a Museum app and a parade in Philadelphia.
Mairéad specifically focused her dissertation on looking into the new levels of interactivity and participation found within Digital Storytelling and has continued to have an interest in interactivity and participation within Theatre. She is excited to continue to explore this use of participation within drama at Steps and to work across disciplines, specifically the use of media as another form to inspire behavioural change.
Job Titles:
- Global Director of Digital and Virtual
Mark gained a BA (Hons) Degree at the Rose Bruford College and worked as a professional actor for 8 years. He joined Steps as a freelance associate in 1995, became full time in 2002 and has been part of Steps' Board since 2005. Mark is responsible for leading a number of key client relationships as well as writing and delivering learning initiatives for clients as diverse as ING, DLA Piper, IMC and Melbourne School of Engineering .
Outside Steps, Mark has worked as a professional script writer, including contributing sketches to the BAFTA award-winning Horrible Histories for the BBC.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Non - Exec Chair
Matthew has 40 years experience in business and, in particular, organisational learning and behavioural change. He is a skilled facilitator as well as specialising in learning design and evaluation. His recent clients include The Co-operative Group, Oxford University Press, TFL, IBM and Deloitte. Matthew recently led our ground-breaking research project exploring the key factors in achieving lasting behaviour change in organisations.
Matthew was a partner in PricewaterhouseCoopers where he led the Learning and Organisational Change business having previously been UK and European Head of Learning and Development. Matthew is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Job Titles:
- US Operations and Administration Support
Melissa has spent her entire life in Southern California. She participated in both the Campuswide Honors Program and the Social Ecology Honors Program at the University of California, Irvine, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Social behaviour. While attending UCI, Melissa worked as a teaching assistant, research assistant, and child care intern. After college, Melissa worked behind the scenes at different companies, where she became interested in working in operations.
She joined Steps in July 2022, which is her first experience in a "work from anywhere" organization.
Outside of work, Melissa enjoys crocheting, gardening, playing video games, and spending time with her dog. She also enjoys learning new languages, and is currently learning Spanish and French.
Job Titles:
- Project and Design Manager
Job Titles:
- Client Relationship Director
Job Titles:
- Associate Relationship Manager, India
Job Titles:
- Marketing Coordinator, India
Job Titles:
- Client Relationship Director
Job Titles:
- Project and Design Manager
Job Titles:
- Client Relationship Director
- Member of the Board
Simon is a Client Relationship Director and Board Member. He has spent over 30 years working in learning and development in both corporate and educational settings. He joined Steps formally in 2002 with responsibility for client relationships and business development.
A large part of his client work includes a focus on Diversity and Inclusion, Inclusive Leadership and Unconscious bias, and clients Simon include Penguin Random House, Oxford University Press, IBM, Choice Hotels, Deloitte, and Dechert.
Simon has a BA (Hons) degree in Performance Arts from Middlesex University and subsequently trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. He ran his own storytelling company before joining Steps working primarily through social services and in educational settings, facilitating work with the homeless, refugees and young people in care.
Job Titles:
- Client Relationship Director
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who is a humanitarian leader, spiritual teacher and an ambassador of peace.
Job Titles:
- Project and Design Manager
Job Titles:
- Finance & Ops Manager, India