Vanita Connery

Background

About Vanita Connery

I’m a Communication and Stakeholder Engagement Manager with a decade of experience leading large-scale, technology-driven transformations. My career began in the world of creativity - writing advertorials for VOGUE and editing magazines - because I’ve always had a passion for design, beauty, and ideas. I later transitioned into project work, where I thrive on variety, problem-solving, and process improvement (plus, the pay was better!) Over time, I discovered a knack for simplifying complex, technical information and making it engaging. Audiences are busy, so my mantra is:"Don’t make me think." I have a love/hate relationship with change and technology which makes me uniquely empathetic to both innovators and laggards. What I enjoy most is: • ensuring products and services are truly fit-for-purpose, • delivering clear, actionable insights and training to stakeholders (I believe in doing things once - and doing them well). My intuition makes me a strong stakeholder engagement manager - think of me as the "host of a dinner party," always considering how others are feeling. I’m surprised that not everyone prioritises seeing things from others’ perspectives as much as I do. While I'm focused on timely delivery, the real value I bring is in ensuring that: • stakeholders share a common vision for the project's "why" and "how,” • co-creation is prioritised over just producing outputs, • the “ask” of supply partners feels like a collaboration, not a command, • user feedback is actively sought, acknowledged, and integrated, • project communications are aligned with a higher purpose, • forums are structured to allow broad input but focused decision-making, and • the project team and stakeholders can continuously align, with clear and sustained communication/engagement across the lifecycle. I am currently studying Change Management, making jewellery, working with female social entrepreneurs to reduce cognitive load/increase impact through strategy articulation and process improvement, and raising my two beautiful (remaining) children, one of whom has just got his P-plates (first time!) and one of whom is learning to communicate via eye gaze.