Who we are - Sonnet Advisory & Impact

Sonnet and our values

We are a consultancy that provides financial, strategic and impact advice to organisations that want to improve their business performance and social impact.

As a Community Interest Company, we are proud to have committed to transferring 65% of our profits into a fund available to support social research programmes and other activities designed to address issues within the sectors we work in.

Our approach

We believe that every organisation that cares about its impact should be able to benefit from expert advice and guidance.

We can act as a sounding board, sharing in the development of solutions. We can manage the whole process or ‘chip in’ where we’re most useful. However we work, we keep our clients involved at every stage so they can both lead and learn.

Reinforcing leadership, ownership and pride

Facilitating collaboration to build solutions together

Sharing knowledge and practices to empower teams

Articulating collective intelligence

Our team

Jim Clifford OBEChief Executive

With over thirty-five years in managing and advising social enterprises, charities, public agencies and private sector organisations facing all sorts of opportunities and challenges, I can draw on so many real life situations, experiences, and solutions.

Chris TheobaldDirector

I work to support clients in a wide range of situations, drawing on nearly 20 years’ experience of delivering impact evaluations; advising on transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, business sales and finance raising projects; the development of strategy; and providing technical advice such as valuations of businesses and assets.

Tim GageFinance Director, Senior Consultant

I focus on enabling clients to better manage their financial responsibilities and improve the governance of their organisations. Financial understanding and management can provide the basis for good decision-making and the maximisation of impact.

Emily HutchisonImpact Project Lead

With my background as a government economist and economics consultant at Ernst & Young, at Sonnet I support clients to assess, articulate and value the impact of policy changes projects and organisations.

Kirsten HopkinsSenior Consultant

My expertise in service design, impact measurement and social innovation, enables new, fresh and ‘out-of-the-box’ perspectives to tackle social issues.

Roshni AroraManager

Whether it’s an impact exploration and evaluation, a fundraising, exploring options for how to do it, or a sale or merger transaction, I can work through it with clients to a successful conclusion.

Jake KempExecutive

Impact applies to any organisation and therefore everyone has the potential to be a force for good. I help a variety of organisations to develop their understanding of need, their impact ambitions, their approaches to delivery, and their articulation of the value they bring – socially, environmentally and economically.

Emily HunterAnalyst

I believe that all organisations are capable of having a positive impact, and that research and evidence is a vital catalyst behind this. I bring that catalyst.

Catherine CookeExecutive

I am an experienced mixed-methods social researcher, bringing insights from work in the UK and overseas in community challenges and programmes, and in gendered issues.

Helen WebbExecutive Assistant

I am a key point of contact for organisations seeking our help, whether new clients, or old friends returning with a new project. I work with the team to ensure we are always equipped to help.

Alice HulbertManager

I explore with clients all sorts of puzzles – from impact research and management to how to use partnering, corporate acquisition and good governance to improve delivery of that impact.

Lucy ClagueManager - Financial & Advisory

I am passionate about providing financial and strategic advice in a way that is pragmatic, collaborative, and impact-focused, to support our clients in delivering their mission.

Associates of Sonnet

Professor Peter WellsNon-Executive Director, Sonnet & Professor of Public Policy Analysis and Evaluation, Sheffield Hallam University

In addition to my role on the Sonnet Board, I am Professor of Public Policy Analysis and Evaluation in CRESR, at Sheffield Hallam University.

Professor Sarah PearsonNon-Executive Director, Sonnet & Director, Social and Economic Research Institute, Sheffield Hallam University

Alongside my Non-Executive role on the Sonnet Board, I am Professor of Social Research at the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research and Director of the Social and Economic Research Institute at Sheffield Hallam University.

Professor Ed FerrariDirector, Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR), Sheffield Hallam University

I am the Director of the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR) at Sheffield Hallam University. I regularly work with Sonnet, and am on its Strategic Management Board.

Miguel PantaleonExternal Consultant

I work as an external consultant with Sonnet and am an experienced systems thinker and works mainly on projects within our Strategy, Systems and Governance practice.

Our corporate partners

Sheffield Hallam University

Sonnet Advisory and Impact CIC is an associate company of Sheffield Hallam University. SHU is proud to be a partner of Sonnet and together we work to combine academic, policy, strategy and financial expertise to benefit organisations and wider society. Sonnet is able to draw on expertise from across SHU and in particular from its leading policy research centres, Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research, Centre for Development and Research in Education and the Centre for Behavioural Science and Applied Psychology. Working together with SHU’s Social and Economic Research Institute we seek to address some of the major social, economic and environmental challenges we face.

Speak to us to find out how we can help