We’re a small company that aims to make a big impact for business and society.
We’re made up of a core team and a group of associates with experience and expertise in leadership and talent development, sustainability and corporate social responsibility, the non-profit sector and the project management needed to run seamless projects and programmes.
We believe in the power of business and we’re driven by the potential to create business value and social value, hand in hand.
We’ve been doing this since 2003, when we devised our first ever community-based leadership development programme. We’ve been growing our team, and with it our experience and expertise, since then.
Meet the team
Jan Levy
Managing Director
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“Why are we here? I think many people assume, wrongly, that a company exists solely to make money. Money is an important part of a company’s existence, if the company is any good. But a result is not a cause. We have to go deeper and find the real reason for our being…”
– David Packard of Hewlett Packard
I read David Packard’s words in 2000, when in the midst of an MBA at IESE Business School, Barcelona, and in the same year I volunteered in La Paz, Bolivia, and witnessed the stark contrast between the few big companies there and the surrounding community; it was an “a-ha” moment that has led me to focus on the role of business in society ever since.
I joined the founder of Three Hands in 2005 and became MD in 2009. Together we pioneered the concept of experiential, community-based leadership development and I’ve worked over the past few years to develop and deliver a wide offering that supports clients to do business in ways that benefit society, and on growing the Three Hands team – slowly, surely and sustainably.
I’ve had the privilege of applying our thinking to leadership development at Sky, Nationwide and Vodafone; to CSR and Citizenship at RSA, Unilever and Lloyds Banking Group; and more recently to product development and innovation at Legal & General.
Michael Hilton
Director
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“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
– Margaret Mead
I joined Three Hands in summer 2018 because I believe that businesses need to move from being apart from society to being a part of society. Businesses have huge power to improve the world and benefit their companies at the same time – Three Hands projects can inspire and challenge them to do so.
Having studied History at Cambridge University, I spent seven years in the UK Government in a range of challenging roles, including working on the UK’s strategy for securing a global climate change deal.
In 2017, I left the public sector to spend a year on the On Purpose Scheme, where I experienced first-hand the power that immersive projects have to embed skills and shift people’s mind-set on social and environmental issues.
Most recently I worked at A Blueprint for Better Business, seeing how purpose can provide a clear long-term direction for a business, whilst engaging and motivating its people. I am particularly proud of a project I led with some of the UK’s leading stewardship investors on how to identify a genuinely purpose-led company.
Conchita Anastasi
Senior Project Manager
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“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much”
– Helen Keller
I joined Three Hands in September 2021 with 17+ years’ experience in the charity sector. Before this I was Director of Programmes at the Foundation for Social Improvement, a charity dedicated to helping small charities support their sustainability and deliver even more impact. In this role I managed a UK wide training and support programme, which delivered over £1 million worth of value to the small charity sector. As part of my role I also supported and trained small charities to engage with companies, to help create positive social value for both parties.
I have a Masters in Voluntary Sector Management and Fundraising and Marketing from Bayes Business School (formerly Cass Business School). My roles within the charity sector have been varied, including responsibility for fundraising and business development, programme design and management, campaigning and marketing and communications. I am particularly proud of my work on the annual Small Charity Week campaign which highlights the vital contribution small charities make across the world.
I am excited to be part of Three Hand’s small but vibrant team, to continue to play a part in the difference that can be made when businesses and charitable organisations truly work in partnership.
Emily Cebryk
Lived Experts Research Community Manager
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“Never underestimate the big importance of small things.”
– Matt Haig, The Midnight Library
I joined the Three Hands team in October 2022 to manage our growing Lived Experts Research Community. I am excited to help people have their voices heard directly by businesses, and equally to help businesses benefit from the great insight the lived experts in our community can offer.
After leaving university with a languages degree, I joined the adult social care department at my local council in a customer service role. Although I had always been interested in social issues, having worked in marketing and communications for a social impact group at university, it was in this role that I had an eye-opening moment after a conversation with a customer, which led me to develop a real interest in social change and creating a fairer, more equal and more accessible society.
Following this, I spent a couple of years working in customer experience in adult social care – holding focus groups and panels with people who receive care and support and unpaid carers in order to learn from their experiences and work with them to make the changes that matter to them.
Qamraan Dar
Social Impact Project Manager
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“One finger cannot lift a pebble.”
– Hopi
I joined Three Hands in October 2022 as I saw great potential in building bridges and developing partnerships between businesses and community organisations through social impact projects. I am delighted to be part of a small team that makes a huge difference by supporting businesses to go beyond simply publishing a statement and working actively towards generating impact in society by engaging with community organisations, while also strengthening their business too.
While studying History at SOAS University of London, I gained a glimpse into the world of social impact through volunteering and outreach work in Africa and the Middle East. I then acquired a masters in International Social and Public Policy from the London School of Economics which gave me the opportunity to understand the interventions, approaches and strategies to tackling social issues.
Following this, I spent just over a year working as a consultant at a public policy organisation which led me to engage with local councils and organisations from the public, private and third sectors to produce research and evaluation projects. These experiences have required me to engage with community stakeholders through focus groups and in-depth conversations in order to gather the insights and viewpoints of people from across society, to produce value, improvement and change.
Laurie Church
Social Impact Project Manager
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“Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”
– Ruth Bader Ginsburg
I joined the Three Hands team in June 2023 to provide project management support across our three strands of work. I believe in the power of what a truly collaborative partnership can do to create meaningful and sustainable change. I am excited to be part of a small but passionate team at Three Hands, who strive to build authentic relationships across a wide range of sectors.
For the past 10 years I have been working in the charity sector in a variety of roles, including front facing client support, project coordination, service management and international project support. I have always had an interest in building a career which helps society in some way. As a result in 2015 I obtained a Masters in Human Rights. Throughout my studies, I grew a particular interest in gendered violence and began working for a national charity which supported people affected by domestic abuse. I gained first-hand experience of supporting people impacted by such abuse, whilst also managing a large volunteer team. I have since gone on to work in organisations which focus on combatting modern slavery and trafficking both on a local and international level.
In all my roles prior to Three Hands I have enjoyed playing a role in building projects and partnerships which aim to tackle these issues collaboratively and recognising the importance of this in making a real difference in our communities.
Lucia Bertello
Social Insight Consultant
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“The heart of leadership is connection and connection is about empathy, curiosity and emotional courage.”
– Brene Brown
I joined Three Hands focusing on its ‘Social Insight’ arm, bringing my experience as a qualitative and ethnographic researcher across the public, private and third sectors. I strongly believe that listening to different people’s stories is a powerful way to construct a genuine understanding of the world, fostering empathy, and inspiring meaningful change. It is a privilege for me to witness and contribute to Three Hands’ mission of bringing these stories to the forefront of businesses.
My motivation for engaging in meaningful work stems from a desire to make a tangible impact on the real world. And my curiosity and enthusiasm to learn new things and understand people’s attitudes and behaviours led me to pursue a career in psychology and social research. I enjoy learning from people with diverse backgrounds and mindsets, continually challenging both my and others’ assumptions. Additionally, I have a background in Cognitive Neuroscience of Music, driven by my passion for music and the conviction of its power to connect people and generate social impact.
Before joining Three Hands, I worked in a randomised control trial in deprived communities in Panama, evaluating a parenting programme, and at an insight and innovation agency in London.
Sue Acton
Programme Facilitator (Associate)
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“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
– Barack Obama
After completing a degree in Psychology at Oxford, I joined Barclays. I remained with them for over ten years and held senior roles in operations and marketing. As Diversity and Inclusion lead, my remit included customer vulnerability and financial inclusion.
The next phase of my career was inspired by the idea of business as a force for good. I created the UK’s first 100% Fairtrade certified soap company. Waitrose became stockists, amongst others, and the business won several ‘best start-up’ awards.
At Monzo, I gained first-hand experience of supporting vulnerable customers. This provided real insight into the importance of front-line customer service teams. At Betknowmore, I created and delivered training to raise awareness of gambling harms at work.
I joined Three Hands as an Associate in 2022, and it’s a great fit. My focus as a freelancer is vulnerability, inclusion, and business and social change. I am also interested in wellbeing at work and leadership, both part of my MSc studies in Organisational Psychology.
Sian Modine
Programme Facilitator (Associate)
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“Could a greater miracle take place, than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant?”
– Henry David Thoreau
For much of my career I have worked as a learning and development specialist, facilitator, and leadership coach to help organisations deliver their business strategies and create environments that encourage people to develop and succeed. In recent years I have become increasingly interested in the challenges of leading for a sustainable world. My work now extends beyond just focusing on the success of organisations and the people who work in them to how they can operate as a ‘force for good’ in the world.
I started working with Three Hands as their approach of creating business and social value aligns perfectly with my focus to help leaders create workplaces, communities and societies where both people and the natural world can flourish.
My work with Three Hands involves the design and delivery of experiential leadership programmes that develop leadership capacity whilst also benefiting community organisations.
Richard Strudwick
Programme Facilitator (Associate)
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“Our species needs, and deserves, a citizenry with minds aware and a basic understanding of how the world works.”
– Carl Sagan
I am an unashamed lover of learning, of difficult questions and complicated answers. Working with Three Hands allows participants to get their teeth into real issues in a novel, challenging and supportive environment.
The work I deliver with Three Hands, for clients like Sky, Vodafone, Npower and Herbert Smith Freehills, is challenging and engaging. It pushes me and participants to deliver with impact and presence, to really confront our output and look for improvements.
I run experiential programmes focusing on emotional intelligence, behaviour change, values-based decision making, ethical leadership and social interaction. Where possible these programmes are delivered in schools, fields, charities, huts, canoes and occasionally a meeting room.
The impact and learning of a programme are greatly enhanced if it is a visceral experience, connecting with real people, learning about yourself and others, creating accessible memories and skills that participants can put into action immediately and see the effect.
Graham Precey
Non-Executive Director (Associate)
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“You can never cross the Ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
– Unknown author, maybe lost at sea!
I cut my sustainability teeth with a track record of helping PLCs and not-for-profits practically apply the principles of social, environmental and economic value to their business model.
For the last 10 of my 17 years at Legal & General Group PLC I served as their Head of Sustainability, investing over £25m into social value projects.
My experience in not-for-profits ranges from chairing the 4 Cancer Group which provides over 1,000 people going through cancer treatment a year with a break, to serving on the Board of the Foundation for Social Improvement to accelerate the growth of small charities in the UK.
Most recently I’ve cofounded the Social Enterprise NRG (Newhaven Regeneration Group) in Sussex which is innovating they way that coastal communities regenerate themselves surrounded by 180 degrees of fish!
I’ve worked with Three Hands over many years as a client and advisor to develop their charity and corporate co-created product and market insight proposition.