Director

Graham Browning

Portrait of a man with short brown hair, wearing a navy sweater, leaning against a gray wall with his hands in his pockets, smiling slightly.
“I love seeing organisations equip their people to do things the right way. I love it even more when people make it happen for themselves.”

There’s a line in a song I love that goes, “There’s magic in the wake of a fiasco.” I have always been drawn to fiascos: the lawyer years were advising on them; the HR years were resolving them; and Arrisan is about preventing them. We are a positive among the negatives. Mistakes are inevitable, but fixing and learning from them are optional. We’re here so that choice is easily made and well executed.

Someone managing a crisis once told me that they had been offered every assistance, other than help. That struck a chord. Maybe her colleagues genuinely wanted to help, but any good intentions didn’t translate into useful action. Arrisan bridges that gap.

‘Arrisan’ comes from an old English word meaning to go up. This goes to the heart of what I’ve always tried to do — to help those in tricky situations find a path to the higher ground, where the way forward is clear. And to avoid the nasty surprises that await those who head off without compass, guide or equipment!

On a personal note, if you’re a force for good in the world, then I hope you connect with us. I’ll make sure we only send you stuff that will help you succeed and avoid a fiasco or two. If we ever meet, then good topics of conversation will be music, books, and journeys worth taking — even if the best view comes at the end of a hard climb.

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Experience

  • Employment Law + Employee Relations | Led on employment litigation, compliance, policy, investigations, complaints, whistleblowing, harassment, bullying and other misconduct, managed exits, up-or-out, crises and formal processes. Whistleblew.

  • Performance + Wellbeing | Led on engagement, feedback and performance review processes and wellbeing initiatives, policies and cases.

  • Culture + Change | Designed and led redundancies, reorganisations, transformational change, collective consultation and Freshfields’ cultural reset. Led team at risk of redundancy for five years.

  • Belonging + Inclusion | Leadership at a behaviour consultancy, set up Freshfields’ Parents Network and for seven years was on faculty for a Stephen Lawrence Foundation social mobility initiative.

  • Learning + Development | Designed and delivered professional, HR and leadership training across many sectors and countries. Business coach.

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Qualifications

University of Cambridge | MA Law

University of London | MSc Organisational Behaviour

Solicitor | 20+ years PQE

Meyler Campbell | Accredited Executive Coach

Strengthscope® | Master

Mediator | Workplace Specialist

Mental Health First Aider | since 2017

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Roles

Arrisan | Founder

Byrne Dean | Director (Resolution)

Freshfields | Global Head of Employee Relations + People Performance

Freshfields | HR Business Partner, in-house Employment Lawyer and policy/compliance roles

Freshfields | Employment Associate then Knowledge Lawyer

Clifford Chance | Trainee Solicitor

University of Cambridge | Supervisor in Law

  • “Graham was very knowledgeable of the legal aspects of his work but never let this get in the way of advising on what was right for the sport in order to protect all persons involved. He said this with informed passion which I found to be most refreshing. I can wholeheartedly recommend him as a most trustworthy and knowledgeable person who will do a very good job.”

    Sir Philip Craven | former president of the International Paralympic Committee

  • “I worked closely with Graham as a client over an extended period at a pivotal time, and I was immensely impressed by his skills, style and approach. He is scrupulously fair, kind and thoughtful but does not hesitate to call out issues. His engaging yet rigorous approach is an asset to those dealing with real challenges and instils the calm, clarity and confidence needed to do the right thing. He was equally impressive in meetings with senior stakeholders and in a one to one coaching setting. I really appreciated working with him and would be delighted to do so again.”

    Jennie Price CBE | Chair of the ITIA and former CEO Sport England 

  • “I worked in Graham's team for 11 years at Freshfields. There is a reason why we stayed so long, and it was down to him. Inspiring, perceptive, pragmatic and kind, he is the most inclusive leader, valuing everyone's contribution regardless of level. He always seeks to do the right thing, even when that takes real courage and personal cost, and in terms of judgement he was the go‑to person for both his team and leaders. If you get the chance to work with Graham, count yourself lucky.”

    Lois Perkins | Former Employee Relations Senior Manager | Freshfields

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