Tom Farrand

Collaboration Specialist

Tom is part-scientist, part-creative, part-entrepreneur, part-coach, part-strategist, part-experience designer, on a mission to unlock the huge amount of untapped human energy that exists in and across organisations. 

An explorer at heart with a biochemistry masters, Tom stumbled into Research & Development at P&G, followed by a 15 year career working in brand and business innovation before changing tack.

For the last 10 years, he’s been designing collaborative social innovation projects through a creative generosity network called Good for Nothing, a cross-sector collaboration unit called Swarm and most recently Human Energy Co. He specialises in supporting teams tackling interdisciplinary innovation – an approach he calls ‘Big Teaming’.

Tom’s super power: Creative exploration

Q. When are you most fulfilled?

A. When I see people I’m working with slow down, stop, reflect and reconnect with themselves as part of the natural world. Creating the space for them to imagine new, exciting and different possibilities.

Q. What does Volans say to you?

A. A thoughtful, purposeful yet disruptive force for positive exponential change – the recall of the Triple Bottom Line and reframing of sustainable business to mean responsibility, resilience and regeneration is both timely and brilliant.

Q. How did you wake up to the change agenda?

A. I watched An Inconvenient Truth on a flight to NYC for a meeting, and every single part of my body didn’t want to be on that plane. I was shocked and scared for my young families future and realised I was part of the problem not the solution. 

Q. Where is your centre of gravity: past, present or future?

A. These days I’m trying to live more in the present, in the moment where I let go of the past and am not waiting for the future. That of course is much easier said than done.