It's been a remarkable year
“Lucy and her team were efficient, flexible, generous and thorough. ”
“They were patient and perceptive listeners and knew how to challenge us whilst respecting our red lines, nothing was too much trouble for them.
They were also good humoured and kind. ”
“Lucy and her team’s approach to the delivery of this project was exceptional and it was particularly beneficial to have the involvement and expertise of the range of Associates that worked on the project. ”
Just a few of the wonderful testimonials we have received from our clients this year.
2022 has been a busy one for Cultural Associates Oxford (CAO). It’s also been a time of subtle change and transition.
The company only started at the end of July 2019 and since then we have worked with and for 39 clients on an incredibly diverse and exciting portfolio of commissions. Our clients have included: National Trust, British Council, University of Swansea, Rothschild Foundation, University of Oxford, Chartered Institute of Archaeologists, Houses of Parliament, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Discover DeCrypt, Buckinghamshire County Council, Marlow Film, River and Rowing Museum, Buckinghamshire Culture, Art Fund, and the Museums Association.
The turning point has been seeing clients returning to us for repeat business - this means a great deal to CAO as we pride ourselves on building relationships that are meaningful, positive, production, and impactful. Looking back over the last 12 months, my feeling is that key to our success has been that we care - about our clients, and their audiences and customers, and because of this we really do enjoy our work. The relationships we have been building over the last three years feel like partnerships and I am looking forward to seeing them grow.
Key to building these relationships is the CAO team. This year we established a core of Senior Associates who play a vital role in the company’s growth and development - Helen Wilkinson, Miki Lentin, Caitlin Griffiths and Maurice Davies. I can not thank them enough for their hard work, professionalism, support and friendship. Throughout the year we have enjoyed working with our fellow Associates - Mairead O’Rourke, Pegram Harrison, Rozia Hussain, and Naile Muslu. And we are delighted to have welcomed new Associates: Kamal Mahtani, Ella Snell, Beccy Shoesmith and Lynsey Smith on board. Underpinning all our work is our brilliant Project Manager, Tamsin Stewart.
We’ve undertaken research, evaluations, and consultations - we’ve delivered options appraisals, business plans, governance and strategic reviews, leadership programmes, and training and development programmes - we’ve worked with community groups, governing bodies, CEOs, civil servants, policy makers, creative entrepreneurs, diverse teams (from curators and learning teams, to operations and retail teams), and business leaders - we’ve made films and published reports - we’ve run workshops, focus groups and surveys - we’ve attended and spoken at international conferences.
We’ve done all of this online and in real life - embracing this new hybrid world, actively looking for the opportunities it can bring us and our clients.
“It’s been a remarkable year”
Lucy Shaw, Director and Founder, CAO
It’s been a remarkable year and I am really looking forward to 2023.
Thank you to all our clients and the CAO team.
Lucy Shaw, Director and Founder, CAO