​​​Strategy Hub

The Strategy Hub supports the development of University wide strategy and leads on the delivery of the change portfolio of projects and programmes in support of our Shaping Our Future: Driving Distinctiveness Strategy.

Our aim is to provide optimal coordination and alignment of change with strategy, and to ensure that change is successfully delivered. Our ambition is to continually enhance our approach, and to add real value to the work of colleagues across the organisation, and to the University. 

What we do

​The Strategy Hub ensures coherence, connectivity, and collaboration across the University to inform and strengthen strategic decision-making and support the delivery of our strategy. 

A small team of specialists, we provide professional expertise for strategy development and implementation, strategic project delivery, facilitation, external policy analysis, and business improvement.

Concretely, we support academic and professional services teams by offering:

• Advice, facilitation, and alignment of activities and plans to the University’s Shaping Our Future: Driving Distinctiveness Strategy
• Project management and support on strategic change projects for the University (contact B.Hurley@napier.ac.uk to discuss)
• Contextual information, analysis, and advice to support academic and professional services teams with strategic decision-making. This includes regular updates on the external policy landscape (contact T.Feige@napier.ac.uk to subscribe)
• Input, review and impartial (critical friend) advice on strategy, business improvement, project management and policy matters 
• Business change and improvement support to all staff through facilitation, training, coaching, and mentoring (contact S.Yorkstone@napier.ac.uk for more information)

We also often work in new or emerging areas for the University, and so if you are not sure where to go to, please do reach out to us. We may be able to point you in the right direction.

strategyhubstaff@napier.ac.uk

Who we ​are

Anita Ogilvie – Executive Manager (Strategy)

After graduating with a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Edinburgh, my working career has included both ​commercial project management and the management of various corporate functions in the public sector, such as strategic planning, business change and improvement and performance management. After starting as a graduate trainee with Unilever, I had the opportunity to work in a variety of roles, ultimately leading global innovation projects across Europe and North America. I then moved into the public sector, spending six years in Lothian and Borders Police and a further year in Police Scotland. Interspersed throughout my career, I have also spent time volunteering, such as delivering HIV/AIDS prevention training in Ghana and managing a successful youth development project to build a school in Namibia.

In September of 2014 I joined Edinburgh Napier University to coordinate the delivery of Strategy2020: Building Success, which has been a tremendous learning experience as well as massively enjoyable. My main areas of responsibility are ensuring the ongoing validity, evaluation and development of the Organisational Strategy and annual Corporate Plan and supporting colleagues in the development and delivery of underpinning strategies and plans, including the Strategic Change Portfolio, with a key aspect of all of this being staff engagement. ​

Contact me:

Via email: a.ogilvie@napier.ac.uk

By telephone: 6430

Brent Hurley – Portfolio Manager (Strategic Change)

After graduating with a degree in Chemistry from Heriot-Watt University I gained valuable experience in the private, public & voluntary sectors, initially delivering pharmaceutical projects with Johnson Matthey then as Project Manager for a variety of flooding related projects, including the Scottish Online Flood Maps Project, with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). I gained a great deal of satisfaction from these roles but the temptation of playing a role in the delivery of the ambitious Strategy 2020: Building Success led me to join Edinburgh Napier in 2015. My experience from working in such a diverse range of sectors is that good planning is essential wherever you are, but even more important is the people aspect of delivering change, particularly around effective communication and engagement, and in that respect I believe the University values are incredibly important.

My main areas of responsibility are around ensuring alignment of change with strategy, Corporate Plan development and reporting, strategic project and programme monitoring and delivery, and supporting colleagues to plan and deliver change effectively. I also play a key role in business improvement, and this is an area I've been passionate about since working on a number of process improvement and 5S initiatives with Johnson Matthey. I would be delighted to hear from colleagues who have ideas for improvement, or are looking for support with the planning and delivery of projects.

Contact me:

Via email: B.Hurley@napier.ac.uk

By telephone: 3368

Carol Hay – Project Manager

After graduating with a degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Glasgow I completed an MSc in Enterprise and Business Growth of UoG Business School. I started my career in pharmaceutical sales, then in pharmaceutical biosafety testing as a project manager. I moved into the public sector working for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency delivering projects such as the National Flood Risk Assessment 2018 and the Flood Risk Management Strategies for Scotland (2016 and 2021) before moving to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service working as a project manager in their ICT delivery team.

I joined Edinburgh Napier University in August 2022 with a focus on delivering strategic projects for the University. I was attracted to Edinburgh Napier University by the diverse range of projects I would be involved in, where I could apply my experience from former roles.

Contact me:

Via email: c.hay@napier.ac.uk

Thomas Feige – Policy Adviser

Thomas is the Policy Adviser at Edinburgh Napier University. He joined the University in 2016, looking after market intelligence for international student recruitment and undertaking the project management and due diligence of transnational education projects. He also worked to develop international partnerships, including with several European higher education institutions.

Thomas previously worked in the public sector for Scotland’s economic development agencies, Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International. With an interest in policymaking and international affairs, he holds an undergraduate degree from the University of St Andrews and a Master’s degree from the University of Glasgow.​

Contact me: 

Via email: t.feige@napier.ac.uk

By telephone: 2579​

Stephen Yorkstone – Business Improvement Consultant

My undergraduate degree was in Philosophy, in The University of St Andrews. Following this I worked in The University of St Andrews managing peer supporters, as a manager of pastoral care in student accomodation, and teaching communication skills for their Medical School. My primary role in the University of St Andrews was to design and implement an approach to optimising administrative effiectiveness, adapting and adopting learning from Lean thinking to the higher education sector. This activity has been credited with being the cornerstone of the university's recent success, and was the foundation of a successful spin out business improvement consultancy service.

Part of Edinburgh Napier University since 2009, I've continued to develop ways to use techniques from improvement practice in university, working across academic and professional services.

I chair the worldwide community of practice Lean in Higher Education for improvement in Universities, and the Scottish Chapter of the International Association of Facilitators. I write as much as I can about what I do, check out my publications here​.

Contact me:

Via email: s.yorkstone@napier.ac.uk​

By telephone: 5006

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