Helping organisations deliver better social outcomes

Strategic advice. Research & Insight. Comms & Engagement. 

People having a picnic and socializing in a large park with trees and buildings in the background.
People sitting at a long outdoor picnic table, eating and drinking together at a social gathering or party.

Why Ambrook

Founded by Susan Emmett, a strategic leader with over 25 years experience across public and private sectors, Ambrook helps organisations to identify, maximise, measure and communicate the social value of projects and programmes.

Our approach is:

  • Place based and locally focused. Centred around what makes a real difference to communities and stakeholders

  • Evidence driven. Supported by rigorous data analysis to guide confident decision-making and engagement

  • Actionable and collaborative. Based on real world lived experience of leading and embedding transformation programmes

We offer flexible support from short-term projects to ongoing fractional partnerships, delivering evidence driven strategies, thought leadership and strategic communications to support marketing campaigns and transformation programmes.

How we can help

Strategic advice

We help you to identify and embed social value across operations, programmes and projects. Including:

  • Developing social value and sustainability strategies

  • Linking social value and sustainability across various programmes and campaigns

  • Training, mentoring and capacity building

  • Tender and bidding support

Implementaion & Transformation

Research & Insight

We help you to better understand local context and build an evidence base to support business decisions. Including:

  • Data analysis drawing from an array of market, socio-economic and environmental data.

  • Qualitative analysis of local policies, planning environment and hyper-local media.

  • Identifying potential partnerships for social value delivery particularly with third sector

Understanding local needs and stakeholders

Thought leadership & advocacy

Comms & Engagement

We help you to build and strengthen relationships by building clear and consistent narratives around your objectives. Including:

  • Content strategy and flagship reports to elevate your messaging around social value & sustainability

  • Stakeholder mapping and engagement strategies

  • Workshops and roundtables with actionable results

Susan Emmett, a woman with dark hair wearing a navy blue and white patterned blouse, smiling softly, standing against a light-colored background.

About Susan

I firmly believe in the power of the built environment sector to shape lives for the better. That is why I founded Ambrook.

By bringing together over 25 years of broad experience across real estate, the public sector and the media, with a specialist focus on Social Value, I can help organisations deliver better social outcomes across their projects, programmes and operations.

With several year’s exposure at the interface of public and private sector, I have an in-depth understanding of markets and policy affecting housing, development and planning.

Most recently, I was Director of Social Value at Stantec, a global leader in built environment services with 4,000 employees in the UK. As a strategic leader, I collaborated cross-functionally to shape their multi-sector social value strategy, bringing together multiple-programmes, identifying KPIs, and embedding change across operations.

My earlier career includes roles as Head of Market Engagement at Homes England, the Government’s housing and regeneration agency and Director of Residential Property Research at FTSE 100 real estate business, Savills.

Prior to this, I spent 15 years at The Times as a Business and Finance News Reporter and then as Deputy Property Editor, where I developed my passion for all areas of societal change to make a positive, long-term difference to communities and cities.

Now, as an independent consultant I can combine my unique and wide-ranging experience to help organisations think outside silos, articulate their social ambitions, and embed Social Value and sustainability into decision-making and business practices.

Let’s Work Together