The warrior on the path of heart is like a flute that lets the wind blow through it, making its own music

"I have always been interested in politics and the development sector and so, establishing DEVELOPMENT WORKS was a natural progression for me," says South African born Lindy Briginshaw. "I believe in working with purpose, a strong sense of integrity and incorporating intuition, creativity and spirit at work - and, creating this consultancy provided me with this opportunity.” Lindy has invaluable experience in project management, facilitation, capacity-building, human rights and good governance, gaining much of this experience whilst in the employ of the European Union funded Parliamentary Support Programme, chaired by the previous Speaker of Parliament, Dr Frene Ginwala. This five year contribution involved working in South Africa's Parliament and nine Provincial Legislatures in building capacity of parliamentarians and officials, strengthening these legislative institutions, facilitating public participation, conducting research and fostering good governance and transformation within the legislative sector. Prior to this appointment, Lindy worked as a committee officer for the Greater Durban Metropolitan Negotiating Forum, a capacity-building project set up to train and prepare councillors for the first local government elections post-1994. She also worked for the Durban City Council in the Town Clerk and Executive Director's office and the Committee Section, as well as in the business sector. Lindy has an undergraduate degree in Development Administration and International Politics, obtained from the University of South Africa, and is currently completing her Master's degree in Philosophy, focusing on Community and Development at the University of Stellenbosch. Her successful consulting venture leaves her with limited time to focus on her other passions such as photojournalism, travel to unusual destinations and yoga. "I like to see the role and contribution of DEVELOPMENT WORKS as one of addressing the deep injustices in society," says Lindy. "Our responsibility as development practitioners at DEVELOPMENT WORKS is to assist South Africa in its transformation for the better."

Lindy Briginshaw has extensive research, publishing and project management experience and obtained a BA degree in Development Administration and International Politics from the University of South Africa in 1999.

She gained invaluable experience in project management, facilitation, human rights and good governance whilst in the employ of the South African Speaker of Parliament, Dr Frene Ginwala. This was during an ambitious legislative capacity-building programme funded by the European Commission (European Union Parliamentary Support Programme - EUPSP).

She has been responsible for the co-ordination and publication of a number of research studies, books and other print media within the development sector. She has strong analytical and organisational skills, and is committed to quality project delivery within time and budget constraints whilst ensuring inclusive stakeholder participation.

Specifically, Lindy brings expertise in the following areas:

Government, non-government and community organisations: 

• Extensive experience of working within the public sector and with civil society and the dynamics, constraints and opportunities experienced herein. 

Writing and publications:

• Lindy has produced an extensive list of publications. These publications were produced to provide information and build capacity within the public sector, particularly that of Government, NGO’s and CBO’s. She has strong networks within the publishing sector and is skilled in facilitating and negotiating relationships, processes and outcomes in the publishing arena – either through existing commercial publishers or supporting organisations with self-publishing expertise.  

Marketing and Communication:

• Lindy has strong marketing, events co-ordination and public relations experience, having worked on communication and public participation initiatives in both profit and non-profit sectors. She is skilled in packaging information in such a way that it raises the profile of the client and meets the needs of the target market / readership. 

Project management: 

• Lindy also has extensive project management experience, from concept and design, through data gathering, writing, reporting and final implementation, to deadline and within budget. Consistent monitoring and evaluation underpin the approach to ensure sustainable projects are implemented. 

Fundraising:  

• Grant making, donors and funding with detailed understanding of donor requirements, frameworks, sectoral focus, project specifications and exclusions. Furthermore she has extensive tender development and evaluation experience and a keen understanding of how and why donors allocate funding. She has established networks and links within the donor community, especially foreign donors. One of her strengths is facilitating the development of fundraising strategies for the nonprofit sector and providing ongoing mentoring, training and support to improve efforts and skills in resource mobilisation.

Research:  

• Research management and supervision, including timelines, questionnaire design and data analysis. Methodologies include quantitative, qualitative and participatory action-based research.