Team
Boutique warmth with consulting-grade clarity
Expertise, flexibility and the strength of a curated team model
We build tailored teams that combine deep commercial discipline expertise with practical project management, focused on delivering clarity, momentum and measurable results.
Our team
A trusted team that brings expertise, energy and empathy to every project, delivered with the warmth and accessibility you expect from an independent consultancy.
Shona Whitehead
Managing Director
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A strategic hospitality advisor specialising in commercial performance and transformational change. Known for delivering major programmes that bring clarity, pace and structure across commercial, operational and technology teams.
With over thirty years in the sector, Shona leads large scale commercial and technology transformation for global brands. She also advises on hospitality tech stacks and systems optimisation, combining pragmatic problem solving with a people centred, structured approach.
Deep expertise across commercial, distribution, revenue and hospitality tech
Extensive experience leading transformational change programmes
PRINCE2 trained practitioner with strong project leadership credentials
Julian Hollingsworth
Senior Consultant
Technology and Commercial Projects
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A project management and systems specialist with international experience across hotel operations, technology transformation and commercial programmes. Known for calm delivery and collaborative stakeholder engagement.
Julian has over twenty years of hospitality experience. He delivers technology and commercial projects with clarity, structured planning and strong vendor coordination. His approach is collaborative and solutions focused, ensuring teams adopt new systems with confidence and that complex transitions progress smoothly and efficiently.
Cross border experience leading technology and commercial transformation
Strong facilitation skills across complex workshops and multi stakeholder groups
Specialist in systems deployment, transitions and commercial reviews
Catriona Greensmith
Senior Consultant
Technology and Commercial Projects and Business Analysis
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A revenue and pricing specialist with strong expertise in business analysis and project delivery across multi brand environments. Known for analytical clarity and commercial focus.
Catriona brings over twenty years of experience across major brands. She supports clients with pricing, analysis and project management, ensuring commercial and systems changes are well structured and aligned. Her method is analytical, collaborative and focused on delivering clear, data informed recommendations.
Specialist in total revenue strategy and profit optimisation
Strong analytical capability supporting commercially led project decisions
PRINCE2 trained practitioner with proven project management experience
Kerry Dodimead
Associate
Revenue Management and Pricing
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A revenue and pricing specialist with multi sector experience across management company and franchise environments. Known for a practical, collaborative and results focused approach.
Kerry has extensive operational and consulting experience. She provides interim commercial support, revenue strategy development and hands on coaching. Her style is practical, people oriented and focused on delivering immediate commercial impact while strengthening long term capability within teams.
Track record of revenue uplift in multi brand estates
Specialist in interim commercial support with tangible results
Strong commercial acumen across pricing, forecasting and distribution
Emma Gaymer
Associate
Strategic Sales and Marketing
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A strategic sales and marketing specialist with extensive experience across hospitality and events. Known for structured thinking, commercial clarity and highly supportive side by side coaching.
Emma brings more than twenty years of sales and marketing experience. She supports clients with marketing strategy and activity, budgeting, commercial processes, and team coaching. Her style is structured, supportive and hands on, helping teams build clarity, confidence and consistent commercial success.
Strong expertise in marketing strategy, budgeting and lead generation
Proven capability in sales process optimisation and commercial planning
Supportive coach working alongside teams to enhance productivity and efficiency
Bastien Briole
Associate
Revenue Management and Business Analysis
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A revenue management expert with strong analytical capability and European hotel experience. Known for a methodical approach and an ability to simplify complex data.
Bastien delivers analytical, commercially focused support across revenue management and business analysis. He develops tools, manages distribution projects and provides analytical insight. His method is structured, clear and focused on improving commercial performance.
Specialist in creation and optimisation of revenue management tools
Skilled in collective intelligence that aligns objectives with methodology
Experienced in commercial analysis and project delivery
Carolyn Jelfs
Associate
Opera Specialist
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An Opera and Opera Cloud expert with deep experience supporting hotels with PMS optimisation, configuration, training and user confidence. Known for precision, clarity and practical documentation.
Carolyn has more than twenty years’ hospitality experience across Forte, Youngs Brewery, QMH and Principal Hotels. She specialises in Opera PMS, Opera Cloud and SEM, supporting clients with configuration auditing, best practice design, user acceptance testing and detailed system documentation. She is valued for her calm, methodical training style and
Expert in Opera PMS, Opera Cloud and SEM configuration and optimisation
Strong capability in process design and configuration auditing
Skilled trainer and coach supporting super users and wider teams
Sheena Birch
Senior Consultant
Commercial Strategy and Transformation
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A commercial specialist with extensive experience across UK and international hotel brands. Known for rigorous analysis, strategic clarity and a supportive coaching style.
Sheena brings extensive commercial experience across global hotel brands. She leads revenue reviews, digital and distribution analysis, due diligence and transformation projects. Her structured, analytical approach ensures alignment across stakeholders and supports clear commercial priorities. She is also a PRINCE2 trained practitioner.
Specialist in commercial and revenue optimisation
Experienced in acquisition due diligence and transition programmes
PRINCE2 trained practitioner
Jim Cockell
Senior Consultant
Commercial Strategy and Revenue Management
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A commercial specialist with extensive experience across hospitality and travel. Known for clear analysis, commercial acuity and a supportive coaching style.
Jim’s career, over many years, includes senior roles with Principal Hayley, IHG, De Vere and National Express. He delivers pricing and planning support, feasibility analysis and commercial evaluation. His approach blends structured analysis with practical coaching, helping teams build confidence in revenue management principles and commercial decision making.
Strong expertise in pricing, forecasting and commercial analysis
Experienced coach and trainer across revenue and commercial disciplines
Skilled in integrating hospitality technology for commercial advantage
Hilary Archibald
Associate
Rooms Division and Operations
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A rooms division specialist with over thirty years’ experience across hotels and hospitality brands. Known for her calm, methodical style and hands on training approach.
Hilary has more than thirty years of operational experience. She supports clients with front office and housekeeping development, standards, PMS training and pre opening work. Her calm, structured approach helps teams build confidence, consistency and operational effectiveness.
Expert in operational standards and team development
Strong PMS training capability across single and multi property estates
Skilled in process optimisation and operational performance improvement
Our Friends and Collaborators
With Cogent Blue, we work alongside trusted partners who share our values and add depth, perspective and specialist capability, strengthening outcomes for our clients.
Kirkland Training
Principal: Amy Kirkland
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A hospitality-focused training and development company delivering bespoke staff training across hotels, venues and tourism businesses. Known for engaging, tailored programmes that raise service standards and team capability.
Founded by Amy Kirkland, the business delivers tailored coaching and training grounded in real operational needs. Programmes are designed to strengthen consistency, confidence and service quality across teams in hospitality, travel and tourism.
Specialist in hospitality, travel and tourism staff training and development
Offers bespoke coaching, workshops and in-house training
Established track record under founder Amy Kirkland
RevenueRich, Outsourced Revenue Management
Principal: Richard Grosvenor
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A specialist hospitality business partner dedicated to unlocking top line growth via flexible revenue management and distribution support.
Founded to provide dependable outsourced revenue management where in house resource is limited or stretched, RevenueRich delivers day to day pricing and distribution management on behalf of hotel teams. The focus is on data-driven decision making, consistent routines and measurable revenue uplift.
Flexible outsourced revenue management and distribution support
Specialist team delivering consistent, measurable results
Scalable from short to long term cover and part time to full-service delivery
Melanie Cash Training & Consultancy
Principal: Melanie Cash
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A hospitality training and consultancy business specialising in sales team training, sales leadership development and service excellence. Known for a hands-on, practical approach that builds confidence, productivity and guest-centric culture.
The business delivers practical, engaging programmes that build capability in sales, customer engagement and leadership. Training is grounded in real service scenarios to help teams develop confidence, improve conversion and enhance guest experience.
Specialist in sales team training and development
Provides tailored workshops, coaching and mentoring
Experience with both large operators and smaller businesses
Experience with both large operators and smaller businesses
Lotus Experts, Salesforce Consultancy
Principal: Tracy Bingham
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A consultancy delivering specialised Salesforce implementation, project management and managed-service support for the hospitality sector. Known for combining tech-system expertise with deep hospitality operations experience.
Lotus Experts helps hospitality businesses implement and optimise Salesforce with solutions shaped around real operational workflows. Their approach ensures systems are well adopted, data is structured effectively and processes are aligned to commercial objectives.
Specialist in Salesforce implementation and support
Hospitality-experienced team delivering practical solutions
Offers project management, configuration and managed support
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“We have worked with Cogent Blue now on a number of separate projects, over the last few years, all of which have been delivered on brief, on time and to a consistently high standard. In what is a highly competitive market, Cogent Blue have always been the stand-out option, with their tailored, professional, ‘hands-on’ approach providing the perfect fit for our business needs.”
— Stuart Yeates, Head Of Revenue, Distribution And Pricing; Jurys Inn & Leonardo Hotels UK And Ireland
