ABOUT SARAH

My name is Sarah Bond, and I’m Director of WITH.

I have over 30 years’ experience of working as a consultant, coach and facilitator in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors in the UK, Europe and globally. I have worked both in-house and externally with leaders, managers and teams – including senior leadership teams – in support of change.

Early in my career I spent six months volunteering in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.  That experience led me to want to understand more about inequality at home in the UK, and how I could contribute to addressing it. I took a year out to study social policy as a postgraduate and for the next few years worked in UK-based non-profit organisations, always choosing those with a clear purpose around reducing workplace inequality.

From a career in the non-profit sector, I then pivoted to the for-profit sector, holding onto my mission around addressing inequality as I did so. I spent several very happy years as European Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Employee Engagement for global accounting firm KPMG before setting up my own consulting practice in 2012, with a focus on strategy and implementation around inclusion.

My subsequent discovery of the world of organisational development was a game-changer for me. Through OD I delved into topics such as organisational change, group dynamics, complexity and resistance, and increased my experience, skills and accreditation around consulting, coaching and facilitation. I continued to expand the scope of my work beyond the UK, and beyond inclusion, whilst all the time holding the values of inclusion close to my heart, and my practice.

GESTALT IN ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

In 2019 I encountered a Gestalt approach to organisational development for the first time.  Since then I’ve been focused on the integration of Gestalt principles and practices into my work, which means – amongst other things – that I work in the here-and-now to support my clients’ awareness and the range of choices they are able to make in complex and uncertain contexts.

Alongside my consulting, coaching and facilitation work I’m currently co-Director of Conference Board’s Inclusion Council for Europe, and trustee of Arnolfini Arts, an amazing international centre for contemporary art based in Bristol, UK. Outside work, my first love is my family. I’m also a big fan of fresh air, cold water swimming, walking, running, gardening, art, music, reading, cooking and eating.

I have a Practitioner Certificate in Consulting and Change from The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations (TIHR), a Certificate in Human Systems Dynamics from the HSD Institute, and I am a certified Systemic Team coach and Action Learning Group facilitator. In 2024 I completed the iGOLD programme (International Gestalt in Organisation and Leadership Development), developing my awareness and skills in intervening in complex client systems. I am currently training to be an individual and group Gestalt psychotherapist at the Gestalt Centre in London, UK.