Client: King’s Clinical Academic Training Office (CATO), King’s College London
Programme: Reach, inaugural cohort
Format: Programme launch and ongoing facilitation
Scale: 70+ attendees at the launch
My role: Facilitation and programme shaping, alongside the King’s CATO team

The Context

King’s Clinical Academic Training Office supports clinicians building careers that combine clinical practice and research. Reach is its new programme, and this was the first cohort.

A first cohort sets the tone for everything after it. The launch needed to bring a large, multidisciplinary group together, make the programme feel real from day one, and start the connections participants would rely on.

The Approach

I work in partnership with the King’s CATO team, facilitating sessions and helping shape how the programme develops. The launch combined strategic context with space for participants to meet and connect.

Strategic context — a session on NIHR@20 and the future of NIHR placed the programme within the wider research landscape.
Connection by design — the event was built so participants left knowing each other, not just the content.
Expert-led sessions — the programme continues with sessions led by leading academics.

In the Room

More than 70 people came to the launch, and the energy was immediate. You could feel the strength of knowledge in the room and see new connections forming across disciplines.

The venue added to the occasion. The top floor of the London Institute for Healthcare Engineering offers a view across the Thames to Westminster, a hidden gem for a programme about looking further.

The Impact

Strong turnout — more than 70 people at the launch of a brand-new programme.
Momentum — the programme moved straight into its first expert-led session.
Ongoing partnership — I continue to facilitate and help shape the programme as it develops.

Why It Worked

Partnership, not delivery alone — I work with the King’s CATO team to shape the programme, rather than dropping in a standalone session.
Experience in clinical academic settings — over 20 years across the NHS, higher education and research, and an existing relationship with King’s College London.
Curiosity-led facilitation — an approach that helps diverse groups share knowledge, ask better questions and build the networks that sustain a career.

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