We work with freelancers and in partnership with other organisations on a regular basis, and we hope to grow our core team as our organisation grows.
Maddi Cassell
They/Them
Director & Lived Experience consultant and trainer
With over two decades of experience in the third sector, Maddi has designed and delivered impactful programmes, strategy design, and training aimed at including lived experience voices at the centre of organisational decision-making processes. Their approach blends lived experience, transformative EDI practices, and co-production offering a nuanced and innovative approach that enriches policy and practice and centres on culture change and organisational transformation.
Maddi has an MSc (Hons) in Political Communications (University of Glasgow), informing a deep understanding of campaigning and influencing both policy makers and the general public, and is a fellow of the Institute for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Maddi is a 4 Seasons coach, and has extensive training including CPD certified courses in leadership models, Collaborative Leadership & Project Management, and is a Clore Leadership Fellow & Experienced Leaders programme graduate. They are also a certified Mental Health First Aider
Through engagement with major UK and national charities, as well as governments and public sector clients, Maddi has partnered with boards and leaders with bold ambitions and who are looking for a radical way to reimagine the workplace in an inclusive way that embeds lived experience into workplace practice. Core to their approach is co-designing and co-producing in partnership with lived expertise to not only embrace EDI but also to deeply integrate lived experience leadership into organisational strategies, programmes, and service delivery.
Maddi is autistic, ADHD, disabled and queer and brings this lived expertise to help organisations, individuals and communities to value lived expertise and embed lived experience leadership in their work. This deep personal understanding of marginalised people and communities fuels their passion for harnessing lived expertise to drive societal, systemic and organisational change. At the heart of all their work are principles of co-production, cooperation and collaborative working, ensuring that marginalised voices and organisations can work together to lead change.
Maddi’s work extends to enhancing organisational accessibility and inclusion, from recruitment processes to volunteer engagement and communication strategies. By centring lived expertise through inclusive and collaborative processes, organisations can ensure that services are aligned to and prioritise the needs of the people they serve and build a more equitable future.
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Previous work has included:
- Setting up and supporting networks for lived experience-led peer learning and support and staff and volunteer Diversity Networks
- Establishing and supporting Lived Experience panels working with a variety of organisations including Disabled People’s organisations, charities & Scottish Government
- Supporting boards and leadership teams to develop and co-design strategies for EDI and lived experience engagement and leadership, embedding Lived Experience and EDI in organisational strategy and delivery plans
- Advising organisations on accessibility and inclusion for recruitment, volunteering, communications, training and event delivery
- Designing and delivering campaigns and volunteer leadership training for lived experience campaigners
- Designing and delivering training for organisations and senior leaders to better engage with and support lived-experience campaigners, staff, and volunteers
- Designing and delivering workshops for professionals and volunteers in co-production, inclusive facilitation, and impact evaluation
- Consultancy for a wide range of third sector organisations in inclusive recruitment and retention, increasing board and leadership diversity, and developing inclusive policies and practices for staff
- Staff roles including Scotland EDI Manager at Samaritans, East Of England Communities & Equalities Coordinator at Time to Change/Mind, and Lived Experience Leadership Programme Manager at Inclusion Scotland
Lis Harris
She/her
Director
Lis joined Lex Scotland as co-Director in 2024. She brings a wealth of experience in producing incredible community events, including “Tux Fest”, a series of Community festivals in the North Midlands. She is a professional musician, playing throughout the UK and Europe focusing on Celtic harp and flute, although she is a talented multi-instrumentalist, even making incredible instruments out of household junk!
She has delivered hundreds of community music workshops and events through Buzzy Beatz, as well as teaching music and dance to ages 9 months to 90 years. Lis also brings decades of experience supporting communities to campaign on local and national issues from protecting the local environment to wider policy issues for example renewable energy policies in England and Wales, with experience in media relations as well as community organising and influencing. Her skills and experience in community and grants fundraising, as well as being PTLL qualified in Adult Education, means she will be working not only to help build Lex Scotland as a sustainable organisation, but also delivering and developing our training sessions.