A spotlight on our partners
Many of our projects are delivered in collaboration with partners. Beyond their specific sector or industry skills, they are brilliant and generous people who broaden our perspectives on complex issues.
We asked three of our collaborators to shed some light on their expertise and what they love about their work.
Francine Bennett
Fran is a leading expert and advisor to government and health organisations on data and AI, with a particular interest in the social impacts that come with new technology. She is a board member of the Ada Lovelace Institute, whose mission is to make data and AI work for people and society.
What I work on
I work on AI and data-driven technologies. I help organisations to keep abreast of the changing landscape of these technologies and the nuances of that landscape, and to work out where and why to apply them. Most importantly, I help them to plan, strategise, and deliver in a way that gets them the right outcome.
The problem I am passionate about solving
I am passionate about supporting organisations to make the most out of technology, and to take control of the potential that it offers, rather than being driven by the technology itself. AI has created massive technological and social shifts, and I think it’s critical to make sure it is shaped and applied in service of people and society.
How I think about working with Firetail
I think about working with Firetail as a great chance to collaborate with other subject matter specialists whose values I share, collectively helping public and third sector organisations to use all the tools available to deliver on their missions.
Stephen Hilton
Stephen is Founder and Director of City Global Futures, a leading Smart and Sustainable Cities consultancy. He draws on 20+ years of senior level experience and works with cities, government bodies, communities, universities and businesses across the West of England, the UK and around the world.
What I work on
I explore the intersections of technology, place, human experience, regenerative economy, and sustainability - leveraging research, strategy, and creative storytelling to help organisations navigate inclusive, future-focused transitions.
The problem I am passionate about solving
Innovation often prioritises what’s technically possible over what’s meaningfully valuable - neglecting ecosystem health, community agency, and long-term resilience. I’m driven to reframe progress towards systems that regenerate nature, empower diverse voices, and sustain us all.
How I think about working with Firetail
I bring a mindset of curiosity, clarity, and co-creation. Firetail’s strategic depth and commitment to purpose-driven impact aligns with my own values. Together, I believe we can uncover fresh insight, reshape narratives toward regeneration, and embed sustainability imagination into the work we do.
John Hitchin
John is an independent strategy, research, and evaluation consultant with 20+ years of experience in exploring questions of evidence, efficacy, value and impact in the social sector. John is a co-founder of Stories of Change, a new partnership exploring the relationship between vision, evidence and narrative in the social sector.
What I work on
I am interested, with my business partner Anna Waldie, in how evidence, narrative and strategy intertwine in the work of the social sector, and how the best work comes when we get engage with those things together and with some sort of balance. Evidence and questions of value are useless if we're not thinking about what future we're trying to build, and who gets to tell the stories about how we got to where we are, and where we're going. I love working with charities and funders who are willing to engage in all of it and see where that takes us.
The problem I am passionate about solving
I would love to crack two problems. The first, how do we enable place-based approaches to social change to be a recognised and understood field of practice to allow the social sector and civil society more broadly to work consistently in ways that support community development and how people experience their lives, rather than structured by top-down, departmental approaches to the world. And in doing that, secondly, how do we create the infrastructure that is needed by people and places doing this work to thrive and do their best work. Right now, I feel we are stuck between two ways of understanding change, and that's leading to a lot of competition and confusion, and not enough collaboration.
How I think about working with Firetail
I love working with Firetail, because they think so clearly and well about strategic choices and how to consider the future. They work on evaluations and other projects, but that strategic and futures-lens is so helpful to the problems we face as a sector and a society.