Every business and organisation has a history of some kind, and Kirkham-Smith is no different. From our humble beginnings in the late 1990s, we have grown to the boutique consultancy we are today. The inclusion of Mental Health First Aid training is an indication of the future for us.

Kirkham-Smith began as S A SMITH Consulting which worked with a small number of clients designing and validating assessment instruments until mid 2000s when Andy pursued a career with the public sector. After he left the public service, and returned to the not-for-profit sector, some of his former clients approached him to do some casual facilitation and instructional design work. S A SMITH Consulting was re-branded to PEST Facilitation. PEST comprised of four descriptors: Professional Enthusiastic Social Technically competent. PEST Facilitation continued to work with clients in facilitation of national and state exercises as well as some learning and development resources.

So who is Kirkham?

We are asked this question quite a lot - and are happy to share the answer with those who ask, particularly those who are thinking of starting a business of their own. Kirkham is Andy's maternal grandparent's surname. You need to understand that Andy's parents were small business operators who worked under the name Kirmith, an amalgam of Kirkham and Smith. When Andy was faced with the decision to start a consultancy he had two choices:

• a name that is funky and edgy, possibly quirky such as PEST Facilitation, or
• a name that would appear on a brass plate, a little more conservative and professional in nature, such as Kirkham-Smith.

Regardless of the name, Kirkham-Smith brings together a collective corporate history of over 50 years experience in the public and private sectors. The current team who proudly work under the Kirkham-Smith brand are just as professional, enthusiastic, social and technically competent as the previous entities.