Before setting up Confluence in 2009, Rob Fitzpatrick and Laura Thorne worked as front-line practitioners and action researchers at the mental health and criminal justice charity Revolving Doors Agency, and as development managers at the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health (now Centre for Mental Health). Nick O’Shea is an associate of Confluence.
Dr Rob Fitzpatrick holds a MSc in Voluntary Sector Organisation from the London School of Economics and recently completed a professional doctorate in Consultation and the Organisation at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. His thesis explores the relationship between workplace design and individual/organisational wellbeing.
Laura Thorne is an experienced organisational consultant and researcher. She holds particular expertise in working in multi-agency, multi-stakeholder environments and delivering learning and capacity building programmes which draw together contributions from policy makers, front-line services and people with lived experience of exclusion.
Nick O’Shea is a health economist with extensive experience of working with government and voluntary sector organisations in research, policy, senior leadership and governance roles. Formerly Chief Economist at the Centre for Mental Health, he is a long-term volunteer with Lewisham Mencap and the founder of Ignition Brewery.