Sharon Varney

Dr Sharon Varney is a leadership and change consultant, author and educator. She works internationally helping her clients to successfully manage their leadership and change challenges within a complex world that is in constant motion.

Sharon operates at a strategic level to create more effective organisations, yet she engages at a very human level, supporting people in managing personal change and transition.

Sharon began her career working in complex organisations with an international reach – manufacturing, utilities, travel, banking, oil and gas. She was Group Head of Learning and Communications for a global engineering and construction company in the energy sector. Previously she was Vice President for International Learning & Development at a US bank.

Now Sharon works across sectors developing leadership and organisational capability for a complex world that is in constant motion.

Leadership – 20+ years

Organisational Development – 15 years

Thought leadership

Sharon’s award-winning doctoral research, which has a very practical edge, explored the complex dynamics of organisational change leadership. She continues to enjoy a close working relationship with triple-accredited Henley Business School.

Her work with The Henley Forum has developed new insights to advance the leading edge of change practice. This includes energising squeezed middle managers; new change readiness tools for teams; and the Collaboration Maze game, which is serious fun! Sharon leads Henley’s popular MA leadership module ‘Leadership in Complexity and Change’ and has gained a reputation for translating complex ideas so they can be used in practice.

Sharon also has a long-standing working relationships with IES (Institute for Employment Studies) and Roffey Park Institute. She regular speaker on Organisation Development and Organisation Design matters for CIPD.

Wherever she works, Sharon is relentlessly pushing the leading edge of practice.

Sharon’s new book, ‘Leadership in Complexity and Change’ addresses complexity straightforwardly without dumbing it down.

It draws on her award-winning doctoral research and the application of key ideas by a wide range of managers and professionals in diverse sectors from retail to healthcare, finance, charities and government bodies.

The book is unashamedly hopeful, ultimately practical, with a robust academic pedigree.