I have been involved in politics for over 30 years having started my political journey on the NUS Wales Executive Committee with Vaughan Gething, former First Minister of Wales. I have also been a councillor and a parliamentary candidate as well as having worked for EMAP where I developed the first online political lobbying system DeHavilland Engage which won new product of the year in 2007.

I have also worked outside politics having been involved in market research and web hosting at director level. This showed me that traditionally political engagement has been seen as just being within the remit of larger organisations. It was at that point that I set up Keystone Consulting and we have worked for 15 years to ensure that is not the case. We therefore work with smaller organisations or those that have traditionally shied away from involvement to give them their voice too.

Through this business I provide strategic advice covering public policy, parliament and the political process. This ensures that my clients are fully involved in the political process and that they have the intelligence they need to be both proactive and reactive when engaging with political decision makers. This ensures they have the strongest arguments possible to influence both legislation that is going through Parliament as well as legislation that is in the pipeline.

Recent work includes the adoption of amendments into legislation, ministerial meetings and briefing by clients and reputation management. Key sectors I cover include crime, education, retail, tax, pharmaceuticals, and transport.

Key sectors I cover include education, retail, tax, pharmaceuticals, and transport.

Key successes include: • Developing legislation to make it mandatory for teachers to be trained in identifying autism before they qualify; • The introduction of a standalone offence for those that attack shopworkers; • Removal of the £200 threshold from the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014; • Introduction of business rates relief for retailers; • Lobbying for better education for excluded children to ensure that they are able to get the education they deserve and stay out of the justice system. This included ensuring that online and blended learning became part of the guidelines of the Children and Families Act 2014 for disenfranchised children • Ensuring that the needs of the high speed logistics sector were fully acknowledged in the Williams/Shapps Rail Review; Lobbying the Government to ensure that sub-postmasters are key strategic partners in their plans to ensure that access to cash remains for those that wish to use it.

Current campaigns include: • Lobbying on prison reform to ensure the focus is on skilling to reduce reoffending • Developing legislation to make it mandatory for teachers to be trained in identifying autism before they qualify; • Further reform of business rates to make it easier for independent retailers to succeed