Virginia is working towards a PhD under the supervision of Professor Chris Huxham.
The focus of her research is the nature of the influence that those responsible for inter-agency collaborations exercise in relation to each other, and the way it is enacted within the context of the collaboration. The influencing behaviours, approaches, processes and tactics used by those responsible for the collaboration are of particular interest. The research is rooted in the social constructionist paradigm and the approach is consistent with the tradition initiated by Weber and developed by phenomenological sociologists such as Berger and Luckman (1966.)
Prior to establishing herself as an independent consultant Virginia worked for five years with Frontline Consultants, Scotlands largest independent consultancy with a large portfolio of both public and private sector clients throughout the UK. Her previous career was in the education sector where she was Director of Business Development for a Scottish college. In this post she was responsible for leading an organisation wide programme of change. Virginia also gained considerable commercial experience from a three-year appointment as Managing Director of a subsidiary company. Her career encompasses experience in both the public and private sectors. Current consulting projects include work with Stena Line, Quality Improvement Scotland, DTIs Horizon Scanning Centre and Scottish Enterprise. Virginia is an associate of Giraffe Consulting in Scotland and Tribal TGC Ltd in England. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultancy and a Member of the Institute of Directors.
