More than 20 years of senior leadership experience sits behind Nicci Marzec Associates — built first-hand, mostly in Chief Executive, Executive Director and Monitoring Officer roles. I founded the company in 2013 to make that experience available more widely, on a flexible interim and advisory basis: as a sounding board, a source of governance expertise, or, in time, as a leader in their own right.
I've led organisations from the inside, not consulted on them from the outside, through change, growth and difficult transitions across the public, voluntary and emergency services sectors.
At the heart of everything I do is a simple, unwavering belief: that people and communities deserve services which help them live well, be safe and reach their potential. Throughout my career I've been committed to reducing vulnerability, tackling the underlying causes of disadvantage, and building stronger, more resilient communities — because for me, lasting change in an organisation only really counts if it translates into a lasting difference for the people and places that organisation exists to serve.
My career began in local government in the late 1990s, and since then I've led services, directorates and whole organisations through some of the most demanding change public and voluntary sector bodies face: local government reorganisation, emergency services governance transfer, large-scale restructuring, and the turnaround of organisations under financial or reputational pressure.
I've held Chief Executive and Executive Director roles, and served as Head of Paid Service and Monitoring Officer with accountability for a budget of over £200 million, and led regional operations across more than 55 service contracts. I currently combine executive leadership with trustee and non-executive roles, including chairing a board of trustees and sitting on safeguarding and remuneration panels.
What connects these roles is a consistent approach: listen first, understand what has made an organisation successful before you change anything, bring people with you, and never mistake activity for outcomes. I've led a shared services transformation worth over £25 million, built and grown operational support services from scratch to support well over 4,000 people a year, and supported organisations through local government reorganisation — always with a firm focus on people, governance and the practical realities of delivery.
I believe good governance and compassionate leadership aren't in tension — they reinforce each other. I work on the principle of “no surprises”: Boards and senior leaders get honest, timely information, whether or not it's comfortable to hear. I'm as comfortable in a boardroom discussing risk and assurance as I am on the frontline, understanding what a service actually feels like to use.
I'm a CIPD Level 5 qualified HR professional and an APMG-accredited Change Management Practitioner. These sit alongside — and are tested by — direct experience of leading real organisations through real change.
I've always been driven by a simple belief: organisations perform best, and change lasts longest, when the people inside them are treated as the reason for the work, not an obstacle to it. That's the standard I hold myself to in every organisation I lead, and it's what I now want to offer more widely, whether that's through an advisory conversation, governance support, or a fuller leadership role.
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