WHO WE ARE
Our Team
While our team come from different backgrounds and experiences, one thing that we have in common is that we all stepped back from successful careers in the corporate world to consider "what next?"
The C&8 team are passionate about team building, development, and facilitation. We have a shared perspective on life, and most importantly want to make a positive impact on people and their workplaces, through embracing curiosity, creatitivity, and collaboration.
KELSEY
Kelsey has harboured a lifelong love for libraries and the magic of storytelling. From primary schools' colourful rooms to university oak desks and modern digital archives, she's always been captivated by the creativity and comfort of a good story.
Stories, for Kelsey, are the cornerstone of civilization, helping us make sense of the world an our role in it. With 15 years of experience spanning digital production, marketing, documentary film, and communications, Kelsey empowers organizations, teams, and individuals to rediscover storytelling's power in unexpected ways.
Certified as a Storytelling Facilitator and OKR coach, Kelsey combines her dual undergraduate degrees in film and anthropology with a master's in aesthetics and narrative theory. She marries a scientific storytelling approach with her innate creative flair to both train and facilitate storytelling-led leadership and development sessions, as well as deliver freelance storytelling consulting services.
Originally from the United States, Kelsey now calls Newcastle upon Tyne, UK home. She lives there with her husband, who keeps her grounded, and their daughter and labroador retriever, who keep her young at heart.
AARON
Aaron Quinn has over twenty years of experience leading teams and developing leaders across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. He's worked with companies including WPP, Nike, LinkedIn, Uber, Danone, and Bayer, helping senior leaders and executive teams improve effectiveness and build psychologically safe environments.
Aaron specializes in team effectiveness, leadership development, and navigating organizational transitions. He's particularly skilled at working with senior leaders facing mid-career transitions - those asking what's next or whether their current path still fits.
He's a certified Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coach and trained facilitator with the Asian Leadership Institute. At Collaborate & Eight, Aaron designs and facilitates workshops for leadership teams focused on high performance, psychological safety, and cross-cultural collaboration.
Based on the Greek island of Aegina, Aaron also co-founded Laughing Heart Retreats, helping leaders explore what makes a fulfilling life beyond career success.
CATHY
Cathy brings two decades of international experience in sales and learning & development to the table. Her 16-year stint at Google, where she worked in Sydney and Dublin, honed her skills.
Today, Cathy serves as an Organisational Development Consultant/Practitioner, a certified Leadership Coach with the Association for Coaching, and a certified Gallup Strengths Coach. Her expertise lies in helping organizations, leadership teams, and individuals unlock their potential by turning challenges into growth opportunities.
With a background that spans five countries and diverse roles, Cathy values exposure to different places, people, and cultures. She hopes to instil a love for exploration in her two young daughters.
As a certified Clifton Strengths coach, Cathy specializes in helping individuals and teams harness their strengths effectively. Her areas of interest include Facilitation, Training, Team Building, Change Leadership, Resilience and Well-being, Career Coaching, Return to Work, and Team Effectiveness.
SEÁN
Seán has over twenty years of experience building teams and delivering campaigns for major brands across Asia, Europe, and North America. Throughout his career, he observed a consistent pattern: the difference between people who thrived and those who struggled wasn't talent - it was whether their environment let them lean into their strengths.
Seán excels at spotting potential others miss and creating the conditions where that potential can show up. When teams have psychological safety, understand their strengths, and collaborate authentically rather than performatively, everything improves: creativity, innovation, and results.
He particularly enjoys helping early career professionals and first-gen talent find their footing in corporate environments, though he works with teams at all levels on effectiveness, psychological safety, and collaboration.
At Collaborate & Eight, Seán designs and facilitates workshops that help teams work better together.