Ella Saltmarshe

My work sits at the intersection of culture and systems change. In 2018, I published ‘Using Story to Change Systems’ in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. I’m increasingly focused on how to shift deeply held cultural narratives that prevent progressive change, recently teaming up with the Environmental Funders Network & The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation to launch ReFrame to support environmental CSOs & funders to change frames.

SYSTEMS: Trained as an anthropologist at the University of Edinburgh, I started my career working in international development in places like Afghanistan, Pakistan, India & Kosovo. Here I realised the limitations of atomised responses to complex issues and returned to the UK to pioneer the field of systems change. I co-founded systems network The Point People, worked with the University of Oxford to develop The Systems Compass, co-wrote Keywords: Building a Language for Systems Change & co-designed the Systems Changers programme with the Lankelly Chase Foundation.

CULTURE: Alongside this work I simultaneously realised the importance of culture in systems change, co-founding the Comms Lab to pioneer purpose driven innovation in advertising, co-authoring Reclaiming Agency: How to Save Advertising (and create a better world), co-designing the Reclaiming Agency leadership programme supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, in addition to a range of strategy & cause-related programmes. I also harness the power of creativity in very practical ways, co-founding initiatives like SHEvotes, Headtrip, Time to Vote & RepresentAge.