We hope the first half of 2026 has been treating you kindly.
There always seems to be a little more energy and positivity as we move into spring and summer, and it has been a good busy start to the year for us at changemaker.
We have been out at events, speaking with clients, building our associate community, developing Thought Dialogue, and continuing to focus on the work that helps people and organisations make change happen.
On behalf of all of us at changemaker, thank you, as always, for being part of our journey.
The first half of 2026 has moved quickly, and the market feels different to where it has been over the last few years.
It is not perfect. There is still caution. Global uncertainty, cost pressure and slower decision making are still part of the backdrop. But across the conversations we are having, the data we are tracking, and the activity we are seeing across change and transformation projects and programmes more positivity to green lighting initiatives.
Through spring, the mood started to feel lighter. Conversations became more active. Offers were being made. Clients were starting to talk about projects with more intent. Associates were seeing more movement as well. The market has not fully bounced back, but it does feel like there is more appetite, more confidence and more practical activity than we have seen for a while.
For the last few years, many organisations have been cautious. Projects have been delayed, paused or reshaped. Teams have been asked to do more with less. Change has still been needed, but investment has often been slower to unlock.
Now, we are starting to see signs of that pressure turning into action.
There is work to be done. There are programmes that need moving forward. There are leadership, delivery and change challenges that cannot sit still forever. And as fewer good people are actively available, the value of trusted, proven resource naturally increases.
For changemaker, the first half of the year has been busy in the right way. We have been active across events, tenders, marketing, client engagement, associate conversations and new business activity. There is still plenty to convert, but the direction of travel feels positive.
As we move into the second half of the year, the most useful thing you can do is stay close.
Tell us what you are seeing. Keep us updated on your availability. Share what kind of work you want to be considered for. And if you know someone you would genuinely recommend, someone you would trust, hire, or happily work alongside again, please introduce them to us.
Good people are always hard to find. In a market that is starting to move, trusted relationships matter even more.
Over the last couple of years, AI has moved from future facing idea to everyday business conversation.
Globally, locally, and across the people we speak to, the shift has been fascinating to watch. A year or two ago, the mood was often simple. AI is coming. We need it. We need to move fast. We need to find savings. We need to get ahead.
That conversation has matured.
The excitement has not disappeared, but the tone is becoming more practical. Organisations are starting to ask better questions. Not just “what can AI do?”, but “what problem are we actually trying to solve?”, “is our data good enough?”, “are our people ready?”, and “what needs to change around the technology for it to create value?”
That is where things get interesting.
We have all seen the memes and jokes about implementing AI, but there is a serious point underneath them. Organisations have rushed towards AI without enough clarity on purpose, process, people or governance. The result is predictable. If the data is poor, the output is poor. If the use case is unclear, the benefit is unclear. If people are not taken on the journey, adoption becomes patchy. If human judgement is removed too quickly, mistakes start to multiply.
AI can be hugely powerful when it is used well. For some people, it acts almost like an exoskeleton, enhancing capability, improving productivity and helping them work faster, sharper and more creatively. Used properly, it can support better thinking, remove friction, speed up routine work and create space for higher value activity.
But that is not happening everywhere, and success rates are much lower than expected. The AI revolution is slowing down while leaders finally take stock. Hopefully find the middle ground with an evolution, rather than revolution during what is an industrial revolution! That is a lot of ULTION!
In some environments, there is an over reliance on the tool and not enough ownership of the outcome. Content is being produced without being checked. Decisions are being supported by outputs that people do not fully understand. Work is being automated before the process has been properly challenged. Names are attached to things that have not had enough human scrutiny.
It also creates frustration. Leaders may expect instant value. Teams may feel uncertain or exposed. Some roles may change quickly. Others may be removed before the organisation has fully understood the impact. The technology may be impressive, but if the change around it is poorly managed, the results can fall short.
This is why the conversation around AI seems to be shifting. The early hype has quietened slightly. The question is no longer whether AI matters. It clearly does. The question is whether organisations can implement it in a way that is thoughtful, safe, useful and human.
From what we are seeing, the projects that work best are not the ones that simply drop in a new tool and expect magic. They are the ones with proper end to end change management around them. Clear purpose. Better data. Sensible governance. Training. Communication. Behaviour change. Leadership alignment. Time for people to understand what is changing and why.
That is the real secret sauce.
AI adoption is not just a technical project. It is a people project. It changes habits, roles, confidence, decision making and ways of working. If people do not trust it, understand it, or know how to use it well, the benefit will be limited.
For changemaker, this is an important and positive sign. We are not interested in the hype for the sake of it. We are interested in what actually helps organisations change, improve and deliver better outcomes.
AI will continue to evolve. It will continue to automate work. It will continue to reshape roles, teams and operating models. But Skynet is not quite upon us just yet.
The organisations that get this right will be the ones that combine technology with strong human change. They will not just ask what AI can replace. They will ask what it can improve, where people still add value, and how teams need to be supported to work differently.
That feels like a much healthier conversation. And hopefully, as the noise settles, more organisations will give proper thought to the people affected by AI, not just the systems being introduced. Because the real value will not come from installing technology. It will come from helping people use it well.
One of the areas we are building this year is changemaker Insights, our space for sharing practical thinking, real experience and useful conversations around the problems organisations are trying to solve.
At the heart of this is Thought Dialogue, our video conversation series.
The idea is simple. We want to create a space where people can talk openly about real business challenges, practical solutions and the realities of making change happen.
That might include change management, leadership, delivery, culture, transformation, technology, people, adoption, capability, or the messy human side of getting things done.
But the focus is always the same.
What is the problem?
What makes it difficult?
What actually works?
What helps change land, stick and create lasting value for people and businesses?
Not scripted.
Not overproduced.
Not full of jargon.
Just good people having useful conversations about subjects they know, care about and have lived through.
For us, Thought Dialogue is part of a wider push to be more visible, more connected and more useful. We want to beat the drum a little more for the work we do, the people we work with, and the lessons our associate community has built over many years of doing this properly.
There is a lot of experience in the changemaker network. People who have delivered complex programmes. People who have led teams through uncertainty. People who have seen what works, what does not, and what leaders often miss when change gets difficult.
Thought Dialogue gives us a way to capture some of that wisdom and share it more widely.
In many ways, each conversation becomes a live case study. A chance to explore real challenges, lessons learned, practical insight and the human side of delivery. It also helps create useful content for our website, YouTube channel and social media, giving clients, associates and future partners a clearer sense of who we are, what we care about and how we think.
For our associates, there is a clear benefit too.
Taking part gives you something useful to share. It helps raise your profile, gives you credible content for LinkedIn, supports your personal brand, and creates something you can point people towards when talking about your experience.
It is also a chance to talk about something you are genuinely passionate about.
That might be AI adoption, culture change, leadership, programme delivery, project controls, HR, transformation, capability building, stakeholder management or anything else connected to helping organisations change well.
The format is deliberately simple. A bit of preparation, a clear topic, and then a relaxed conversation. More chewing the fat than formal panel session. More real insight than corporate performance.
One of our principles as a business is that this should be enjoyable. Good work matters, but so does connection. Some of the best ideas come from open conversations, kicking the tyres, asking honest questions and seeing where the discussion goes.
This year, we’ll be doing more with our YouTube channel, and developing some of that thinking into podcast-style content.
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE and keep an eye out for episodes and tell us what you think we should be talking about in future. If there’s a topic, you’re passionate about, we’d love to explore getting you involved.
This is about having fun, sharing thinking, and building the changemaker reputation together.
If you have a topic, a story, a strong view, a lesson learned or a challenge you think others would benefit from hearing about, we would love to explore it with you. wes.plumb@changemaker.org.uk
This is about sharing knowledge, building profile, supporting the next generation of leaders and giving our associate community a stronger voice.
If that sounds like something you would enjoy, come and be part of it.
Our associate community has always been central to changemaker.
The better we know you, the better we can support you, represent you and connect you to the right opportunities. So, as we move through the year, please keep in touch.
That includes:
• your latest CV
• your likely availability
• the type of work you are looking for
• your preferred rate or day rate range
• sectors, clients or types of change you are most interested in
• anything you are seeing in the market that may be useful to know
Please continue speaking with the person at changemaker you know best. If you are not sure who to contact, or if it relates to resourcing more generally, Wes Plumb is helping manage our associate network and resource pipeline.
You can reach him at: wes.plumb@changemaker.org.uk
The project pipeline is looking positive, and we are planning for that momentum to continue.
To do that properly, we need to keep expanding our network with the right people. Not just more people, the right people.
So, if there is someone you would genuinely recommend, someone you would rubber stamp, hire again, work alongside, or trust to deliver in a difficult environment, please introduce them to us.
Good referrals are hugely valuable. They help us grow the associate community carefully, while maintaining the quality, trust and delivery standards that matter to us.
We also want to work more closely with associates who spot opportunities with clients, contacts or organisations they are already speaking to.
If you are working with a customer and see a wider opportunity where changemaker could help, we would be very open to that conversation.
That could mean:
• additional resource support
• change or transformation capability
• delivery support
• leadership or advisory input
• helping shape a wider solution around a client challenge
You can be as involved as makes sense. Some associates may want to simply make an introduction. Others may want to stay closer and lead that opportunity and help shape the solution. We are open to both.
We are also exploring a more formal way of managing this, including appropriate NDA arrangements and a clear success-based commission structure where relevant.
The principle is simple.
If you help create a meaningful opportunity, and that opportunity leads to successful work, we want to recognise that properly.
Associates are an extension of changemaker. You are close to the market, close to clients and close to the problems organisations are trying to solve. If your time, relationship and judgement help create value, then it is right that we treat that in a clear, fair and professional way.
This is about building a stronger network where everyone can benefit.
We want to support you when you are looking for work. We also want to support you when you need trusted people around you, or when you spot a problem that changemaker can help solve.
The more connected we are, the more opportunity we can create together.
As we move through the second half of the year, we will continue to stay visible, connected and involved in the conversations shaping change, transformation and delivery.
Please keep an eye on our website, where we will be maintaining a live events page. This will show where we are going to be, what we are involved in, how you can attend, and where ticket links or discount codes are available.
The website itself is also continuing to evolve. We are adding more content, clearer service information, case studies, insights and ways to understand what changemaker does and how we can help.
5 March
Future Mobility Board
At Brompton Cycles
At changemaker, we help organisations make change happen.
That means helping clients think clearly, plan properly, deliver well and bring people with them.
In simple terms, our work sits across three connected areas.
Change design
More than a plan. A clear blueprint for lasting change.
We help organisations understand the problem, shape the thinking and create a clear route forward before asking people to deliver it.
Change delivery
Turning vision into action, and action into outcomes.
We help move change forward through the right structure, pace, people and delivery support, so good ideas become real progress.
Human change
Change only works when people come with you.
We help people understand, adopt and sustain new ways of working, so change lands properly and lasts.
Ultimately, that is what we mean by helping you make change happen.
It is not just about designing the change.
It is not just about delivering the work.
It is not just about communicating with people.
It is about bringing those things together in a practical, human and commercially useful way, so organisations can move forward with more clarity, confidence and momentum.
So, what next? We hope you have found this first newsletter aimed squarely at our associate family interesting, enjoyable and insightful.
But what we really hope is that it inspires you to engage with us even more, help us spread our wings, tell our joint story and grow our business together so we can all continue with the journeys we dream of making.
We live in a crazy, sometimes scary, world where everything around us seems to be changing in unpredictable ways. But what we are convinced of, is to thrive, not just survive, in this world we need to value the human being even more. Build relationships, collaborate and support each other on our personal journeys and through that support our clients in the journeys they are embarking on as well.
We look forward to continuing to build these relationships and celebrate those journeys with you in 2026.
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