I’m Caren Ashton-Penketh, an arts and cultural operations professional with 20 years experience across theatres, arts centres, music venues, festivals and other busy public spaces.

I created Joined Up to offer organisations experienced, practical support without the commitment of another permanent senior post. When teams are stretched, systems are not quite working, or an important project keeps slipping down the list, I can step in, understand what is happening and help move things forward.

My background includes venue and event management, operational planning, health and safety, licensing, audience experience, team leadership, training and incident readiness. I’ve dealt with the realities behind the plans: staffing gaps, difficult incidents, competing priorities, organisational change and the occasional day when everything seems to happen at once.

I’m particularly interested in how people, plans and systems work together. My approach is calm, collaborative and grounded in what is genuinely practical for the organisation and the people doing the work.

When you work with Joined Up, you work directly with me. I bring experience, an outside perspective and an extra pair of hands—helping you find clearer systems, support your team and turn good intentions into useful action.