Penny is a Certified Professional Facilitator (Master). She has decades of experience helping people find their own facilitation style and unlock their creativity along the way. She’s known for helping people move from “I can’t draw” to drawing with confidence in a single day!

Penny originally trained as an engineer (PhD, Cambridge), where drawing was the default way of understanding complex problems. Putting something visual on paper clarifies your thinking and helps create shared understanding with others. That habit never left her.

She has used graphics with leaders and teams across tech, pharma, finance, universities, government and charities, and now brings them into leadership teaching on Durham MA modules. Even in complex, high-pressure environments, simple graphics cut through, connect people and create engagement, especially where words alone don’t. They’re a lot more fun too.

Many facilitators worry about drawing in public. This workshop is designed as a safe, supportive space where laughter and exploration are part of the process. Penny models that herself, using simple, expressive graphics that prioritise clarity and speed over perfection. She calls them “perfectly imperfect” — they stand out as human in a world of AI images and computer-generated straight lines.

Penny is also a bestselling author and signs a copy of Making Workshops Work for each participant. You’ll leave with practical graphic tools, your own visual style, plus the confidence to use them straight away in your work.