Praise

For the Museums and Resilient Leadership Programme 2013-2014 & 2015 - 2018

I am the Programme's Co-Director
“The content, both from external speakers and from sessions led by Nick, Stephen and Andrew, has been very varied but always relevant and often inspiring.”

“My time at MRL has been a transformational experience…”

“If it hadn’t been for MRL, I would have given up my current role several months ago.   As it is, I feel far more confident and can see possibilities and worthwhile challenges where previously I got overwhelmed by the problems …”

“The single most valuable thing the MRL programme has enabled me to do is change my narrative from increasingly bleak to brimming with opportunity, the future is uncertain and I feel ready for it.”

“Overall I have found the Museums and Resilient Leadership Programme of huge personal benefit and even comfort….”

“The course has provided a network of contacts across the region whose personal experiences, so honestly talked about, have been extremely helpful and whose support I have already had cause to call upon, and no doubt will continue to call upon after the course has ended.”

“MRL has help me to become more resilience in many ways, it helped to build my personal confidence, extend my networks, fully understand my business including the budget, visitor stats and space analysis and focus on my values…”

 “MRL has helped me to realise the type of leader I aspire to be, and just as importantly, and the type of leader I don’t want to be…..”

For Consultancy Services

Brought insight to the organisation.… and pushed the vision of the organisation beyond its immediate concerns and short-term horizons, asking some hard questions about purpose and direction, a longer-term vision and the appetite for change.

Iain Boyd, Chairman Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (for a 4 month organisational review and strategic planning project)

Stephen Feber was appointed by the RAF Museum to undertake a strategic review of the organisation to inform its first ever Strategic Plan.  The appointment was made in September 2013 to review the Museum’s organisational, financial and exhibitions structure.  The Strategic Plan based on his recommendations was approved by Trustees in March 2014.  

Working with a dedicated internal member of staff to facilitate and crunch data, Stephen used information analysis, interviews and benchmarking to inform a series of workshops with staff and trustees.  Stephen was particularly strong in using innovative ways to present existing data in new, simple and compelling ways to help Museum staff to see clearly the main issues for the Museum.  

He was extremely effective at directing lines of research and enquiry and helping the Museum staff and trustees to reach their own conclusions about the way forward.  He overcame considerable internal resistance to present his conclusions which resulted in the Museum’s first ever integrated 5 year Strategic and Financial Plan based on a restructuring framework for resilience.  

You pay Stephen to challenge your assumptions, your organisation and your staff.  There is a level of discomfort with this challenge that not everyone is comfortable with.  However, it was the creative tension of this challenge that allowed the Museum to find its path to a new interpretive structure; a robust strategic plan; a realistic development programme and a revitalised corporate structure, all based on Stephen’s recommendations.  With these in place, within 12 months the Museum raised £10m towards a £20m redevelopment programme.  

Rebecca Dalley, Centenary Programme Manager, RAF Museum

".... your work absolutely helped with further improvements (in the financial systems) ..... we were keen to look at how the retail and café spaces would work which you were helpful with and the team found the visits and the discussion with Black Country Museum colleagues really useful – both on the finance and the retail side....'

Maggie Appleton, Chief Executive, Luton Cultural Services Trust

"Stephen has made an exceptional contribution to the development of the Imperial War Museums....."

Diane Lees, Director General, Imperial War Museums

Stephen Feber has been helping us re-examine the mission and purpose of the Imperial War Museum.  In a series of creative development workshops, a team of Directors and senior managers has been examining the organisation across all its dimensions: exhibitions, education, finance, marketing, collections and new media.  We have found working with Stephen challenging and energising.  He brings an exceptionally wide range of expertise and techniques to the workshops which we’ve found invaluable.

"thought-provoking, thoroughly creative and very enjoyable....."

Graham Boxer, Director Imperial War Museums, North

Stephen ran a series of planning workshops to help us re-examine the exhibition spaces within our iconic Daniel Libeskind building.  With Stephen's highly skilled facilitation skills and experience, the workshops proved to be thought-provoking, thoroughly creative and very enjoyable for all involved.  His reports have shaped the direction of travel for re-positioning IWM North in a positive and constructive way.

"Our main interpretation film 'The Story of Jersey' has been an outstanding success; beautiful, evocative and moving.  It more than fulfilled the Brief, telling the story of our beautiful Island. We've used it in Jersey and world-wide.  Stephen and the team did a fantastic job" 

"He balances creativity and practicality in a really thought provoking way and the JH team has responded well to him. ..."

Jon Carter, Director, Jersey Heritage.

Over the past three years SFL has completed a number of exhibition and media projects for Jersey Heritage; The Story of Jersey is the highlight.  The Brief from Director Jon Carter was to "Tell 250,000 years of our history in 20 minutes".  Filmed at 16 locations in Jersey it features Jersey islanders as ‘citizen witnesses' who speak directly to camera about the power of place, special objects and events. The final scene shows all the Islanders enjoying a wrap party on the beach. New aerial footage in the piece shows the beautiful coastline of the Island and the two iconic castles Mont Orgueil and Elizabeth Castle. The film also visits a farm, Neolithic and neanderthal sites, the town of St Helier, and Jersey Archive. 

Stephen made an outstanding contribution to the huge success of the Heartlands project working with us between 2006 and 2012, as Interim Director, Creative Director and Exhibition Designer.  He helped us get the funding and provided vital wisdom, expertise and guidance throughout. We owe him a lot.....

Scott James, Major Projects Manager, Cornwall Development Company, formerly Heartlands Programme Director for Cornwall Council

"His involvement has been of crucial importance, a mixture of hard nosed practicality and intellectual insight...."

Sam Mullins, Director, London Transport Museum

Stephen Feber has acted as Curator of the Future for us in developing a futures based exhibition entitled 'Sense and the City'.  For a history museum, talking meaningfully about the future demands a new approach and access to external sources of content and knowledge.  Stephen has brought to our project his wide ranging knowledge and interest in urban futures and synthesised this with his experience of narrative building for museum audiences.

"I'm doing a Board paper on our future advocacy and reread(ing) your stimulating report...."

Kate Pugh, Chief Executive, The Heritage Alliance

Stephen Feber worked with the Heritage Alliance in 2011 to assist us with our strategic planning for the next 3 years. We found Stephen's breadth and depth of knowledge of the wider cultural sector of great value in positioning our interests.

This work culminated in a brainstorming and strategy workshop which Stephen ran at Kensington Palace in July 2011 for the Board and senior staff at the Heritage Alliance.

Stephen conducted the workshop skilfully.  We found his friendly but probing approach challenging and very helpful. In fact Stephen's workshop techniques made it an unusually creative day. At the same time, his sensitive handling strengthened the Board’s cohesiveness.  

Feedback from the day was excellent and the workshop helped us take forward our strategic thinking.

Several of the insights from the day have been incorporated into our strategic plan for 2012-2015 and his full report continues to provide a valuable reference point. 

"The NMSI York ‘Concrete Factory Workshop’ run by Stephen Feber was invaluable and extremely effective...."

Keith Priest AA Dip RIBA FRSA, Director, Fletcher Priest Architects, London + Köln

In a short period the team were able to bond and produce synergistically against a background of a tough innovative brief.   We believe the project and everyone involved continue to benefit.  Difficult issues were resolved quickly allowing the project to live up to its name!

"...Provocative, enjoyable, worthwhile, well organised, interesting possibilities, positive, networks built, diverse, thought provoking....."

Rick Faulkner, Director, Chrysalis Arts

Stephen Feber worked with Chrysalis Arts, Arts Council England and the YNY&ERLEP (York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership) in 2011 and 2012 on the planning and development of a regional conference on cultural tourism held at Fountains Abbey in March 2012.  

Stephen shaped the analysis of the sector and its trends, presented the findings, looked at innovation in tourism and was lead facilitator for the workshop sessions.  

We found Stephen's breadth and depth of knowledge in the cultural sector, tourism and innovation in the digital realm an interesting and very useful contribution to the day.

Stephen conducted his sections of the Conference very skilfully to a mixed audience of tourism and arts professionals.

The participants found his well researched and informed friendly but probing approach challenging and very helpful.....