ALINE GIORDANO MSc(Dist), MPhil, MA, PGDip(Dist), BA, EAGT., Member of the Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance.

Aline is a Gestalt coach, organisational consultant and trainer. Her background is in large systems such as the music industry, the National Health Service (NHS) and Higher Education. Aline is interested in how individuals and organisations are impacted by culture and how culture enables creativity – or stifles it. Why is this important? Because creativity is one of the most in-demand organisational soft skills. Creativity leverages the systemic challenges around wellbeing and exclusionary culture in the workplace, and society at large. It takes creativity to fully show up, manage and lead, as well as navigating the implicit workings of all forms of power. It takes creativity to create culture that can challenge and change culture. As a ROG (Relational Organisational Gestalt) practitioner, Aline works with a broad range of clients exploring new ways to tap into their creativity. She combines Gestalt and Creative Writing as a method.

What I love about the ROG approach is that it is experimental and experiential; I can support my clients to fully experience what is going on for them on the inside, in the moment, in relation to others and the given situation. The co-emergent and customised process of ROG lends itself very well to the non-verbal, intuitive and creative.

JOHN HOVELL, MSc. European Accredited Gestalt Therapist EAGT., PMP, CKM, ODCP, Managing Director & Co-Founder, STRATactical International

John is a practitioner, speaker, and author in OD/KM strategies and their application to current organizational challenges. He identifies as loving awareness and is particularly passionate in an emerging field called Conversational Leadership. Conversational Leadership is a blend of Organization Development, Diversity & Inclusion, Knowledge Management and Project Management.

John led a team to win a Chairman's Award at BAE Systems in 2014. Previously, John was part of a team to win the prestigious NOVA award, Lockheed Martin's top recognition award. Additionally, he has been instrumental in the creation and execution of transformation change efforts in dozens of countries.

John volunteers as the corporate lead for the award-winning annual STEMmerday event where thousands of participants engage in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math related learning activities. John serves on several advisory boards including the International Association for the Advancement of Gestalt Therapy, International Knowledge Management Institute, Training Industry Quarterly, and Synergy Development and Training.

John has led 5 different teams that have won awards from Chief Learning Officer magazine. In 2015, he was named the 8th most influential person in Knowledge Management. He published a chapter in a book titled "Making It Real: Sustaining Knowledge Management" and became a fellow with the Royal Society for Arts (RSA). In 2009, he was honoured by Training Magazine as one of the "Top Young Trainers" after being honoured in 2008 as one of the top "Young Trainers to Watch".

What if Relational Organisational Gestalt (ROG) is a core approach for all Organisation Development (OD) practitioners? What if there's an inclusive and practicing community for ROG practitioners? What if there's an opportunity to partner, learn, expand, and further the field of ROG? I'm passionate to explore these questions and collectively progress the possibilities for applying Gestalt in organisations.

JAMES WOODESON, Gestalt Practitioner in Organisations (GPO), EAGT., Professional Certified Coach (PCC) ICF. and founder of the UK and Swiss based Organisational Coaching.

James is an organisational coach, working with 1:1 clients, teams and organisational systems predominantly with global clients HQ'd in Switzerland, Germany, UK and USA. He is director of Woodeson Executive Coaching Ltd, Woodeson Executive Coaching AG and a board member and director of Gestalt Publishing Ltd.

At 16, James' first job was in a chicken factory. This was followed by a pig farm. After leaving the Norfolk countryside, he graduated with a degree in Banking and Finance and joined the Global Markets business of HSBC. He developed into a leader and board director of subsidiaries over 15 years, working in five different countries in the process.

The journey included; managing risk, sales, relationship management, team leadership and complex sets of stakeholders. He also squeezed in a 02:59 marathon! Most enjoyable of all however, was starting a family and raising two daughters, who are a great source of fun, challenge and creativity.

James has recently relocated from Zürich, with his wife and daughters and now lives in Norfolk, England. He loves reading, cooking, wine and also enjoys running, swimming and hiking.

As Ruth Ozeki once wrote, 'Our lives and stories are intertwined with the lives and stories of others.' I want to get (even more) involved with Relational Change and ROG because we share a belief that creating positive change in the world requires building strong, meaningful connections with our situation, others and ourselves. My experience of being a part of ROG has been about placing relationships and human connection at the heart of our work, recognizing that individual, organisational and societal change are interdependent. By working together, we can amplify our voices, share our experiences, and create a collective vision for a better future for our intertwined lives and stories.