Dr Doug Belshaw
I help charities, NGOs, and public bodies sort out drifting strategy, technology nobody chose, and credentials that don’t land. Projects run from a few days to a few months.
Your strategy has drifted and no longer describes what you do. Tools or platforms that nobody really chose are shaping your work. The story about impact, credentials, or recognition reads well on paper but doesn’t land with the people it needs to reach.
These threads get knotty, and most advice pulls on one at a time. I use systems thinking to show how they connect, then help you decide what to change first.
Amnesty International UK
Research, stakeholder mapping, community strategy, technology assessment, and platform set-up for a community of activists and educators. The project went from an initial concept to a clear plan, with Amnesty’s own team able to carry it on.
INASP
Advising on procurement, platform choices, and longer-term strategy for INASP’s main site and its Rising Scholars network of more than 14,000 researchers in 175 countries.
BBC Research & Development
A framework to help 14 to 19 year olds engage critically with AI, built from 40 existing frameworks and 35 expert interviews for the Responsible Innovation Centre. Read the report.
Skills Development Scotland
Led a project with Youth Awards Network providers to set up and test open-source digital credentials infrastructure for Scotland, ending with recommendations for a national roll-out.
I did some of this work as a founding member of We Are Open Co-op, which closed in May 2026 after ten years. Dynamic Skillset has traded since 2014. More reports and writing are on the Resources page.
A clear scope and a clear price, so you know what you’re getting and can budget for it. Most people start with a Watershed Review.
Start here
01 Three days
£2,400 + VAT
For one part of your organisation that keeps getting stuck, where nobody can quite say why. Your team runs the Watershed check, and I analyse the answers with more capable AI models than the free version uses. I interview four or five people, then we spend two hours making sense of it all together.
You get a short systems map, the three places where a change would make the most difference, and a recommended next step.
02 Six weeks
£9,500 + VAT
For when your strategy no longer describes what you do. I map who’s involved and how the work really happens, run two workshops with your people, and help you write a strategy you can act on.
You get a stakeholder map, a strategy your board can sign off, and a plan for the first six months.
03 Ad hoc or ongoing
From £800 + VAT
Advice when you need it, priced by the piece of work, from a single session upwards. It suits a programme, a platform rebuild, or a change in how you work. I join the meetings that matter and look at plans before they’re fixed. Then I tell you what I see.
You get a senior adviser who knows your organisation, without hiring one.
Working on AI or digital credentials? I’ve spent more than a decade on digital and AI literacies and on Open Badges, so a review or strategy can focus on either.
Need help with Big Tech dependency, data, or digital sovereignty? That’s FIELD STATION, my company with Tom Watson.
Working with Doug on Amnesty International UK’s Community Platform project has been a genuinely collaborative and positive experience. From the outset, Doug brought deep expertise in community strategy, user research, and digital transformation, combined with a strong commitment to co-creation and participation. He helped us engage activists, educators and staff throughout the process, ensuring that the platform was shaped by the needs of the people who will use it.
Doug is able to balance strategic thinking with practical delivery. He supported us with extensive research, stakeholder mapping, community strategy development, technology assessment and platform set up, helping us move from an initial concept to a clear vision and implementation approach.
Doug worked as a partner rather than a traditional consultancy, sharing knowledge throughout the process and helping to build internal capability. Doug’s experience of online communities and commitment to collaborative working has played an important role in helping us create a community platform that supports Amnesty’s activists and educators to connect, collaborate and drive human rights impact together.
I appreciate that Doug operates at multiple levels simultaneously. He understands technology deeply, and he’s equally comfortable navigating community dynamics and organisational change. Whether he’s presenting, writing reports on micro-credentials, or facilitating strategic planning sessions, he stays grounded in human-centred approaches and open practices.
Doug brings exceptional clarity of thought, deep expertise in digital literacies, and a collaborative spirit that elevates every session he’s part of. He’s equally at ease shaping big-picture strategy as he is engaging participants in practical, hands-on learning. Any team would benefit from Doug’s insight, integrity, and sheer commitment to meaningful professional development.
His work on pre-planning was timely and efficient, yet effective. I know from past experience that the day itself could have been a huge challenge but went really smoothly, mostly down to the sociocratic processes put in place by Doug. This is testament to the energy, enthusiasm and preparation that went into it.
Always really switched on. A sane voice around all things educational technology and standards and much more — always look forward to working in Doug-related space.
I took some mentoring sessions with Doug. I wasn’t expecting much because I thought I knew my service pretty well. I was wrong — Doug unearthed a lot for me to think about. I’ll be back for more.
Book a free 30-minute video call, or email if you’d rather write. Tell me a little about your organisation and what’s on your mind. You don’t need a brief.
On the call I’ll ask questions and tell you whether I’m the right person. If I’m not, I’ll suggest someone who is. If we’re a good fit, I’ll send a short proposal within a week, with the scope, timings, and a fixed price.
I’m based in Northumberland and work remotely with organisations in the UK and internationally. I travel when it helps the work.
Book a free 30-minute call