Who we are

Our team is made up of senior, experienced facilitators. We are all passionate about creating better, more enriching experiences in workshops, meetings and training.

Where we began

Jonathan Bannister founded Make Happy in 2010, with the aim of freeing up the ideas and creativity within every organisation and making them unafraid of change.

Jonathan started his business life at global advertising agency Leo Burnett in London before moving to Hong Kong in 1994, where he helped found the strategic planning department. It was in Hong Kong that Jonathan discovered that you could be paid to run workshops. He hasn’t looked back since and is still stunned that people want to pay him to do something that is such fun!

Our people

Experienced, specialised and enthusiastic facilitators ready to make your meeting, workshop or event a success.

Jonathan Bannister

Founder

Jonathan is the Founder of Make Happy. He leads the design, development and delivery of all our workshops and training.

Sophie Paton

Partner

Sophie is a Partner at Make Happy. An experienced facilitator, she has a particular specialism in training and workshops with SMEs.

David Lunken

Partner

David is our partner in the US. Jonathan and David teach the foundation CPS course at CPSI each year. They design and run virtual team building workshops.

Rob

Design Partner

Rob runs October Associates, which specialises in corporate identity and branding. October works with us to bring our strategies to life across digital, print and experiential.

Rich

UX Partner

Rich is a UX developer who helps us with all things digital.

Fiona

Office Manager and Accounts

Fiona has worked with Jonathan for more than 20 years. An extensively experienced accounts director, she is in charge of accounting & finance and is also known as Mum of the office. She hopes that one day Jonathan will keep it tidy.

Simon

Facilitator and Trainer

Simon specialises in learning and development in professional service firms, through his dual qualification as a solicitor and a learning and development professional.

Fiona

People and change partner

People consultant as well as accredited coach and facilitator, Fiona has more than 18 years' experience of running public relations businesses both in the UK and internationally. She helps clients with employee engagement, change management, training and development, leadership coaching and facilitation.

Tom

Graphic Designer

Tom is an experienced graphic designer hailing from Poland. He provides us with graphic and digital support for all of our clients. His particular strengths are WordPress, brochure design and applying brand guidelines across marketing materials.

Tilly

Chief Dog

Tilly is a long-standing Make Happy staff member. Her responsibilities include keeping staff motivation and wellness high. She hopes that one day she’ll get the carpet all to herself.