Karen Walkden has been a Chartered Business Psychologist for over 25 years. She has worked across a range of organisations, from public to private to third sector. She founded Flourishing Consulting Ltd in 2007.

Here are a few things that Karen did before setting up Flourishing.

Inclusive Play Opportunities Project – Service Development Manager (4 years)

IPOP provide trained support playworkers so that disabled children and young people can access mainstream play and leisure activities of their choice. They operate in the London Borough of Barnet. Karen's role was initially to expand the service into other boroughs, and evolved into a marketing, publicity and capacity building position.

Additional achievements included the development of an on-line inclusive play toolkit so that play providers could self-assess and be supported by IPOP to take actions to become more inclusive of disabled children. Also the development of funding bids with a perfect 10 success rate, and a package of services for schools.

Prudential Assurance Co Ltd (6 years)

Field Operations Planning Manager
A wide ranging co-ordination role working across all the functions providing services to the UK sales force. The role involved ensuring that the sales force were engaged with and participated in the development of new services. Also managing the release of different products and services in a co-ordinated and joined up fashion.

PA to Field Operations Director
A development role to support the sales force through a major restructuring exercise.

Personnel Operations Manager
Karen managed a team delivering the full range of HR services to the Field Operations and Marketing teams - including senior managers and back office field staff.

Occupational Psychologist – Organisation Development Team
Delivering recruitment, assessment and selection tools - including assessment centres for senior management roles. Also appraisal system design and delivery, career counselling and training in the use of assessment tools. Focus primarily on senior managers in the UK sales force.

Post Office – Occupational Psychologist (1 year)

Recruitment, assessment and selection services provided to the three businesses that made up the Post Office at that time. Included assessment centre design and assessor training.

Advanced Personnel Technology Ltd (2 years)

First job and new life after graduating - right in at the deep end with a small HR consultancy. Clients included major players in the finance industry as well as those in manufacturing, telecoms and IT. A broad role gaining a lot of skills in a very short space of time. Focus on recruitment, selection and assessment. Especially graduate recruitment. We were a small organisation with a marvellous design for life.

Voluntary Positions Trustee of WAVE - We are All Valued Equally (current)Chair of Salaam inclusive scout group (current)Director of Barnet Mencap (7 years – including 2 as Vice Chair)Trustee of the Barnet Voluntary Service Council (2 years – including one as Vice Chair)Barnet Parent Partnership Advisory Group (2 years)Set up Barnet Siblings Group with a group of parentsHearts of Oak Publicity Manager (1 year)