Sockmonkey Consulting provides high quality research and consultancy services to organisations in the public, not-for-profit and social enterprise sectors. It is based near Bristol in the United Kingdom.

My name is Simon Perks and I am the founder, director and – for the moment, at least – sole employee. I work with organisations to help them to make better decisions, to improve their performance and to achieve better value for money.

I am also a skilled coach and am currently studying for the Institute of Leadership and Management’s postgraduate-level Certificate in Executive Coaching and Leadership Mentoring.

I worked for ten years as a consultant in the public sector practice of a large, international consultancy firm. I decided to set up my own business because I wanted to do more to help and support organisations that are working to address the problems that we face as a society.

I also wanted to create a friendly, vibrant and ethical organisation that allows me to do what I want to do, to work how I want to work and to help others to do the same. That, incidentally, is why I called the company ‘Sockmonkey Consulting’, rather than something more sensible (and more boring).

I bring to my work a high level of insight and clarity of thought, together with a friendly and personal approach and the flexibility and responsiveness that come from running a small business. I am a skilled communicator and have excellent presentation and report writing skills.

As well as being an experienced consultant, I have degrees in political science and theoretical physics. I am also a chartered public finance accountant. I speak English, French, German and Russian fluently and can get by in Dutch, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.

When I am not working, I enjoy a range of outdoor pursuits, such as hiking, running, sailing and kayaking. I am also a keen writer, photographer, gardener, baker and tea drinker. I live just outside Bristol with my wife, Natalie, and Molly, my Labrador dog.