Amanda Okill

I am delighted be part of the byrne·dean team working as a Principal Consultant alongside colleagues whose mission is to create a kinder, fairer and more productive workplace. These values are closely aligned with my own and they underpin the approach I take in my role.

I am passionate about justice. I am also fascinated by human behaviour. These are the reasons I trained as a Lawyer specialising in employment. For 17 years I worked with individual and business clients, often in situations involving a high level of conflict which risked livelihoods, stability and reputation. As an Employment Lawyer my work with clients focused on damage limitation. At the start of my career, I found the litigation process exciting. I will never forget that high of winning one of my first cases and our celebratory drink in a pub near the Tribunal in East London. The client thanked me but went on to speak of his sense of betrayal, after a loyal employee had accused him, falsely, of discrimination. He did not feel triumph in the successful outcome, only a sense of exhaustion and sadness. This pattern continued throughout my career; I soon realized that there are no real winners in employment litigation. It comes at a huge cost.

As a Facilitator, I draw on my professional and personal experience as well as my training as a mediator to work in a different way, engaging before any dispute has arisen. The process of facilitation is interactive, practical and impactful. I challenge delegates to reflect on their workplace behaviours and to implement small but lasting changes which are key to minimizing conflict.

I work with clients from around the world, which I find enormously rewarding. I have a diverse background having grown up in South Africa, lived and studied law in France and the UK.

I am also a mental health first aider and a trustee at First Step Trust, a charity which provides work experience and training to people who have been excluded from the workplace often on a long-term basis because of their mental health and other disadvantages.

I look forward to working with you and your organisation to bring about positive and lasting change.

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