Mediator Profile - Carolyn Graham

"The mediator was brilliant!" Client

Profile Summary

Since qualifying in 2002 Carolyn has successfully mediated a wide range of disputes, including multi party and team disputes, across the public, private and charitable sectors with a value range of £1,000 to £6 million.

With a background in the arts & entertainment sector, Carolyn applies skills learnt at the sharp end of doing business and combines commercial instincts with an intuitive approach and natural people skills. Clients value Carolyn's ability to build rapport, her calming influence when tensions are running high and her ability to keep proceedings constructive and focused on achieving settlement.

Carolyn is a Member of the CMC, a contributor to the CMC Independent Consultation Group and the CMC Outreach Committee, a member of Islington Chamber of Commerce and regularly gives talks on the benefits of mediation.

Full Profile

Carolyn is a CEDR accredited and registered mediator who, since qualifying in 2002, has conducted over 90 mediations across the public, private, charitable and community sectors with a value range of £1,000 to £6 million. She sits on the mediation panels of several of the UK's leading mediation providers and has mediated alongside some of the most accomplished mediators practising today. She has experience of multi-party, team disputes, telephone mediation and time limited mediation.

With a background in the Arts & Entertainment Industry, including running her own business and, for 13 years, as Director at London's Southbank Centre, Carolyn combines her skills in negotiation and conflict resolution with an invaluable experience and understanding of the day to day reality of the business and working environment.

She regularly chairs and facilitates meetings including board meetings, Away Days, 'think tank' days and AGMs where clients in particular value her analytical clarity and objectivity. She is adept at helping organisations clarify objectives and reach consensus and at running meetings that deliver tangible outcomes. She is used to handling complex group dynamics and to helping individuals and groups communicate clearly and effectively, including in emotionally challenging situations.

Carolyn has mediated many disputes in the community including self-referrals, referrals from housing associations, local councils and local police.

Training

Carolyn designs and delivers training courses in mediation and conflict management, working with a diverse range of organisations including local and central Government, Banking, Insurance, NHS, Higher Education, Arts & Entertainment and Charities.

Personal Style and Feedback

Carolyn is a calm and clear thinker who can quickly help parties get to the heart of an issue. Clients value her friendly, straightforward style, highlighting her ability to build rapport, her calming influence when tensions are running high and her ability to keep proceedings constructive and focussed on achieving settlement. Comments include :

"has good instincts about what matters and what is going on between teams and parties" Client

"a very straightforward approach which never obscured the way ahead an left both parties able to decide on an acceptable resolution" Solicitor

"built rapport very well" Solicitor

"(the mediation)?was very well run and the mediator did a great deal to put us at our ease throughout the process. She achieved the right balance of control and flexibility to make us feel that we were working within a structure and yet still had enough control ourselves to take it in the direction we were comfortable to go. She also had a very calming influence on everyone there" Client

"She is very friendly but quite firm and is good at keeping everything right on track" Client

Professional Background

Carolyn worked for over 25 years in the Arts & Entertainment industry, working in both the commercial and not for profit sectors, with the management of people, of contracts, of relationships and of finance central to all of her roles. Areas of particular experience include budgeting and financial management (turnover £6million); organisational development and change management; union/employee negotiations; internal/external stakeholder liaison and all aspects of staff management (including appraisal, training, disciplinary, recruitment, mentoring) and team building.

Dispute Resolution Experience

Banking/Corporate Finance/Business to business

• Dispute between a US based company and a UK based executive recruitment agency regarding disputed levels of commission monies due on an 'introduced' candidate.
• Dispute between two company directors and the outgoing Chairman regarding equity shares due on sale of company

Charities

• Team mediation between 19 staff from one department of a major UK charitable organisation
• Mediation between two colleagues working for national charity, one returning from long term sick leave and where there had previously been allegations of bullying and issues of poor performance

Community

• Mediations involving noise, harassment, anti-social behaviour, pets, boundary disputes, children, parking and disputes where cultural and generational differences contribute to the conflict.

Education

• Post grievance mediation between a University and a senior lecturer regarding allegations of unfair treatment under the disability discrimination act
• Mediation between two staff members in a primary school where complex personal relationships and issues originating outside of the workplace (including multiple criminal investigations and prosecutions and involving several other family members) had resulted in total relationship breakdown and mutual allegations of harassment within the workplace
• Team mediation between 12 University lecturers where relationships and trust had broken down
• Mediation between four colleagues working in a refugee student support unit within a University
• Mediation between a University Departmental Director and his deputy to help re-establish working relationship following unsuccessful grievance taken out by the latter against the former

Housing Landlord/Tenants

• Dispute between UK landlord and former tenant, now resident in the US, regarding non payment of rent
• Dispute between housing association and tenant regarding levels of compensation due following flood damage to property
• Dispute between landlord and tenant regarding a disputed rental over-payment

Media, Sports and Entertainment

• Breach of contract co-production dispute between Scandinavian TV company and UK film production company
• Copyright dispute between songwriter/record producer and a former band member claiming co-authorship of song (subsequently recorded by top selling artist) and entitlement to ensuing publishing and recording royalties
• Alleged breach of contract between actor and theatre company where the actor thought he'd been verbally offered an engagement but the theatre company not
• Dispute regarding non-payment of royalties between author and famous TV personality and publishing company
• Dispute between PR consultancy and a film distribution company regarding non-payment of monies for services rendered

Public Sector

• Breach of contract dispute between public sector funding body and regeneration consultancy
• Mediation between government department and former employee claiming compensation for alleged disclosure of confidential information
• Team mediation involving 10 GP's, recently amalgamated from 3 separate practices into one group practice
• Mediation between two colleagues in NHS trust hospital where relationship breakdown was seriously impacting on productivity of department and consequently, on financial stability and credibility or organisation

Dispute Types - Case Summaries

Commercial Contract

• Dispute between decorating company and a homeowner claiming negligent damage to property
• Dispute between sports equipment manufacturer and PR consultancy regarding breach of contract/non delivery of services due
• 3 way dispute between a building construction company, a garage and a construction worker regarding non-payment and poor workmanship
• Mediation between legal firm and former client regarding non-payment for services rendered
• Breach of contract dispute between owner of video business and former chairman and finance director regarding latter's entitlement to renumeration package/share of proceeds on sale of business
• Breach of contract dispute between hotelier and company responsible for refurbishment programme
• Dispute between PR consultancy and a film distribution company regarding non-payment of monies for services rendered
• Dispute between two property management companies regarding non-payment of rent, repairs and maintenance

Employment and Workplace

• Pre-tribunal race discrimination claim by employee of international IT company
• Mediation between 2 remote team members of an International company: a senior manager based in Holland and a UK based direct line report over allegations of bullying and in order to help the line report reintegrate back into the workplace after stress related sickness absence
• Post ET claim by senior partner of international company for damages for wrongful dismissal
• Mediation between two staff members bringing mutual grievances against each other for breach of confidentiality, harassment and abuse of authority
• Mediation between non-executive CEO and her secretary to help reintegrate the secretary back to her original department after relationship breakdown and subsequent 6 month secondment to another department
• Mediation between joint CEO's of a theatre company where the relationship had broken down amidst highly emotional and mutual allegations of bullying and intimidation
• Mediation between manager and line report in NHS trust hospital regarding issues of performance management and allegations of failure to follow due management process

Partnership/Shareholder

• Dispute between two partners and friends regarding division of assets on dissolution of partnership
• Dispute between two former partners regarding alleged breach of fiduciary duty and breach of intellectual copyright
• Dispute between two partners following the joint purchase, refurbishment and sale of a property partnership dispute type

Wills/Probate/Family Trusts

• Mediation involving 9 family members regarding the mutual inheritance of a property abroad where some family members wished to retain the property as a family holiday home, some to run the property as a commercial concern, and some to sell
• Mediation between mother and daughter regarding disputed division of financial assets following the death of the husband/father.

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