Competitive Solutions are specialists in fundraising and tender writing for charities and the voluntary sector.
Meet the Team
Over the last 17 years, the Competitive Solutions team has successfully secured over £84million in funding from a host of sources for our charitable clients. Our exceptional staff team members have backgrounds in the voluntary, private and statutory sectors creating a team with an impressive raft of skills and experience which all of our clients benefit from.
Michael o’sullivan
Managing Partner
Michael worked with both the third and statutory sectors with fundraising responsibilities for over 30 years. Having completed an MBA (University of Herts) he entered the voluntary sector at the age of 27 and was appointed to manage the‘Cold Weather Initiative’ (supported by the Department of the Environment and Department of Housing). Whilst employed by St. Mungo’s Housing Association, Michaelworked closely with Dame Louise Casey (who now heads up the Office of Social Welfare) at the Social Exclusion Unit and in the late 1990s headed up the Government’s Homeless Strategy, before being seconded into the Home Office to work with the current Director General, Michael Spurr. Here Michael helped develop Prison Service Order 2300; a document that continues to set the agenda for the Prison Service in supporting prisoners to resettle back into their community and to ensure that organisations work closely together to support ex-offenders. Funding for this initiative came from the European Union with a grant of £82m, which Michael secured.
In early 2000, Michael was seconded to take on the role of Acting Chief Executive of National Mind during a difficult time for the charity. He was able to secure income to maintain the financial health of the charity before moving back to the Social Exclusion Unit (SEU). In 2004, he left the SEU to establish Competitive Solutions.
Under Michael’s leadership and thanks to his enthusiasm, the organisation has grown into a highly successful fundraising organisation, gaining a loyal and prestigious group of charitable clients for whom he continually secures funding. In the last year alone, Michael has directly secured over £7.8m for Competitive Solutions clients and continues to create robust and sustainable income streams for the charities he supports.
tanya o’sullivan
Managing Partner
Tanya has been a director at Competitive Solutions since 2014.
Upon completing a Master of Arts Degree in Psychoanalysis, Tanya entered the world of publishing working at The Blake Organisation until 2002 where she was responsible managing the relationships underpinning a variety of central and local government publications and policies.
At the age of 26, Tanya was headhunted by the publisher St James’s House Media where she became Head of Client Relations in a role that saw her tendering as well as collaborating with multinational clients spanning the globe as well as government departments, charities, high net worth individuals and philanthropists. She brings with her a wealth of business development experience and a track record of successful fundraising from a host of sources.
Tanya remains passionate about the development and promotion of effective business development and philanthropic practices coupled with grassroots community empowerment and activism – all of which underpin her technical fundraising work and successes for Competitive Solutions and the clients she is proud to represent.
Sam Bull
SENIOR Fundraising CONSULTANT
After completing a degree in Computer Science, Sam established and ran a small IT company for 3 years. He then decided to follow his passion for sport and began a new career in Disability Sport. Initially working as a Disability Sport Coordinator for a local authority, he then joined the Wheelchair Football Association as the National Development Manager. During his 12 years with the organisation, it became a registered charity and under his stewardship it secured in excess of £1.2 million pounds of investment becoming one of the largest disability sports associations in England.
Sam brings a wealth of project development and delivery experience, as well as a successful track record of securing funding from organisations including the Football Foundation, Sport England, Comic Relief and St James Place Foundation. Sam also uses his background in computing and IT to provide new and innovative solutions to help our clients develop their capacity and income streams.
TINA FINCH
HEAD of Administration & Research
After retiring as a professional Ice Skater and competing for Great Britain where she was 7 times British Champion and competed at Senior World Championships, Tina spent 25 years as an International Figure Skating Coach, working at grass roots level up to junior world championships and setting up programmes with London based schools to embed coaching into their delivery. She was also responsible for heading up programmes designed to include and engage adults and young people with Special Needs in ice skating and in the years leading up to the London 2012 Olympics, was assigned to work directly with the Olympic Committee on inclusion management.
Following the London Olympics, Tina moved to the statutory sector where she worked in Social Services for a large London Borough, in a position overseeing the Looked after Children’s Team and a Contact Centre.
Tina joined Competitive Solutions as the Head of Administration in 2015 and excels in finding innovative solutions to challenges presented by the current funding climate and researching funding opportunities for our valued clients.
In her spare time Tina enjoys spending time with her daughter and her horses, dogs and cats.
JULIE SPENCER
Fundraising CONSULTANT
Julie’s background is in Management and Human Resources. Having held roles as a Business Manager for organisations including SEN schools and residential care homes, she developed essential experience in managing statutory sector organisations and addressing their funding needs and services.
She later stepped into the third sector to successfully support a local charity address complex, strategic challenges and oversee a restructure. Aligning her enjoyment of this work and her professional background, she then went on to manage a children’s bereavement charity. Julie fully understands the scope of challenges and rewards that charity leaders and fundraisers face, whilst admiring the enthusiasm and passion of the people that work and volunteer in the sector. Her successful approach to fundraising (and bid writing) is both innovative and pragmatic. She believes firmly in the importance of nurturing successful relationships - not only with her valued clients - but with commissioners and funders to secure long term, mutual success for all stakeholders.
Julie lives in Cornwall and is proud of her West Country heritage. In her spare time, she enjoys sport, spending time with her family and dogs and is always up for a challenge!
Kerri-Louise Quinn
Fundraising CONSULTANT
After completing her LLB Law and Government degree and Masters in Human Rights and Criminal Justice, Kerri-Louise taught and practised law until 2014. Having completed ten years in the legal profession, Kerri-Louise decided it was time to change, and has since pursued a career specialising in fundraising and tender writing. She has secured substantial and high-profile funding and contracts for clients in the community and voluntary, public, and private sectors.
Kerri-Louise has an excellent track record in writing successful funding applications and their supporting business cases to government departments and grant making organisations on behalf of charities, businesses, and local authorities. Her eye for detail and her tenacity make a her valued member of the Competitive Solutions team.
Kerri-Louise enjoys team working, and has led, managed, and successfully delivered multi-million pound funding applications for rural and urban regeneration projects in Ireland and the United Kingdom. She for example led the delivery of and drafted the successful Peace IV (European) funding application securing €7.8 million for a cross-community creative hub in Bushmills to transform a derelict Grade B1 listed building into a unique, state of the art community space.
In her spare time Kerri enjoys hiking, yoga, arts and crafts, and spending time with her family.
Joanna McCammon
Fundraising CONSULTANT
After completing a History and Politics Joint Hons Degree, Joanna worked as political researcher for a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Following her passion for improving outcomes and opportunities for children and young people, she completed her Postgraduate Certificate in Education and went on to teach within the Northern Ireland school system and then within the community sector. It was here that she developed an EOTAS alternative model of education and work-based Learning Programme for young people with additional needs. Joanna has extensive experience within the social economy, developing commercial activities to reinvest profits to achieve wider social, environmental or community objectives.
Joanna’s passion for community wealth building is underpinned by securing funding for third sector organisations that are beneficiary led, where services are co-designed and co-produced by service users to ensure charity activities are innovative, relevant and delivering essential outcomes for those needing critical support.