OUR PEOPLE

"Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much."
Helen Keller

Meet the Founders

Carolyn Parry RCDP - Founder Director and Lead Coach

A languages graduate (London University), Carolyn has a passion for helping people identify and work towards achieving their potential with good reason. Her own very painful career crisis, following a successful, but ultimately unfulfilling business career working in property, software and publishing led to her identifying her true North and retraining as a career development specialist. She spent fourteen years at Aberystwyth University, becoming Deputy Director with responsibility for the university’s employer liaison strategy, and latterly Institute Director of Student Development and Employability. developing a career development programme.

She took Voluntary Severance in 2015 to set up Career Alchemy, a multi-award winning career coaching and training company, working with early-stage and established professionals to help them create purpose-led careers using her research proven INSPiRED Career and Life Coaching framework and toolkit. Working with two other AGCAS national trainers, she developed the HE career coaching module for the AGCAS/Warwick CEIGHE (Careers Education, Information and Guidance in HE) qualification, and in 2017, received the Career Development Institute's prestigious UK Careers Adviser/Career Coach of the Year Award, She has also received two further business awards from King Charles when he was the Prince of Wales.

A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, of the Higher Education Academy, and the International Enterprise Educators’ Programme, Carolyn is a TEDx Speaker, hosts the Change Your Story podcast, and is the immediate Past President and Chair of the Board of the Career Development Institute, the professional body for the sector. Often quoted in the media, she was made a Fellow of the Institute (FCDI) in June 2024 and continues to represent the CDI in Wales as their Welsh Associate.

Finally, until recently she was a Trustee/Director on the Boards of Ceredigion Citizens Advice, part of the UK wide network of Citizens Advice charities, and is on the Board of Antur Cymru, a £4M social enterprise which helps Welsh business start and grow.

For more, please see Carolyn's profile on www.linkedIn.com

Rhys Parry - Founder Director

An electronic engineer by training, Rhys has more than 30 years' software development and project management experience in the software industry for companies such as Helwett Packard and Easams. In this context he recruited and managed teams in excess of 100 people.

A change of career led him to spending over a decade as a teaching fellow in a UK top 15 computer science department in a British University.

He now divides his time between the IT, Finance and QA elements of Career Alchemy, supporting Welsh rugby and writing non-fiction books. For more please see Rhys's profile on www.linkedin.com

MEET OUR ASSOCIATES & Consultants

Sarah Finnegan Dehn – Executive and Career Coach

Following a varied and successful career of more than thirty years in the career guidance sector, Sarah now works as a freelance executive and career coach, mentor and consultant, directly supporting the development of both individuals and business. A skilled and and professionally qualified careers adviser and executive coach, she holds the Diploma in Careers Guidance and ILM Certificate in Executive Coaching and mentoring. She was Chief Executive of Careers Wales North West, becoming Director for Careers Wales North when the national unified organisation was formed. She led on strategic development and digital transformation. Her interests within the careers field including the future of work and how the labour market is changing. She believes that the role of the older worker is crucial going forward. A past president of the UK Institute of Career Guidance (ICG) and former director of the Career Development Institute (CDI) the professional body for career guidance in the UK, she is passionate about career development and supporting individuals to fulfil their dreams.

A fluent Welsh speaker, she is a director and trustee of Prime Cymru, the charity in Wales founded by HRH the Prince of Wales that supports mature individuals to find employment, self- employment, training and volunteering where she serves as a member of the Finance and Audit Committee. She is also currently one of two independent members on the Board of the Community Health Council for Wales (BCHCW).

Gary Argent – Early Careers Employability Specialist

Gary has worked in the early talent industry since May 2000. After eight years delivering graduate recruitment and development programmes at a large international IT company he spent three years at the Institute of Student Employers (formerly the Association of Graduate Recruiters) where he facilitated collaboration between employers, universities and suppliers.

Gary went on to run the careers service at City, University of London for four years, focusing on Widening Participation, early engagement with students, curriculum-led careers guidance and developing employer partnerships. More recently he spent six months supporting the Careers and Enterprise Company’s Passport for Life project. This experience has given Gary an unusual opportunity to view the industry from different standpoints as he has worked as a recruiter, for the industry’s professional body, and for a university. For more details please see his LinkedIn profile.

Steve Keith – LGBTQ+ Inclusion and Work Place Mental Health Specialist

Steve started his career on the Teach First Leadership Development teaching geography in London for two years before joining the charity in their student recruitment team for a further two years. In 2010, after being made redundant from a short-lived role working for another educational charity, by happenstance Steve joined the global professional services firm EY, where he built their apprenticeship employer brand from scratch.

During the time he spent working there, his team was recognised nationally as delivering the best apprenticeship programme in the UK and for their innovative approaches to engaging young people with careers in professional services, including launching the UK’s first influencer-led student recruitment campaign and first internship for parents, the EY Parentaship.

In 2018, he decided to take some time out professionally after developing high-functioning anxiety, which eventually led to him burning out. Once he had recovered and regained clarity on what he wanted from his career he made the brave decision to launch his own consultancy focussing on LGBTQ+ inclusion and mental health and well-being in the workplace.

During the first pandemic lockdown, he created The Queer Student Awards, the UK’s first awards event to recognise and celebrate young LGBTQ+ people and the individuals and safe spaces that help them to thrive in their education and careers. He has recently announced a new LGBTQ+ awareness day he has created, National Queer Students Day, taking place on 5th February. Find out more at thequeerstudentawards.co.uk.

Chris Webb - HE Careers Specialist and Writer

A passionate advocate of the importance of high-quality careers education, information, advice and guidance for everyone in society, Chris currently balances his full-time role as an Employability Adviser at Sheffield Hallam University with a range of professional development activities for the Career Development Institute (CDI), in addition to his freelance careers writing on topics ranging from careers leadership, Gatsby Benchmarks, to digital employability skills and professional identity. Chris has experience supporting clients with their career planning and development in a range of contexts, including secondary school, further education, adult provision and now higher education, as well as collaborating with other careers professionals and educators to complete the Teach First Careers and Employability Leadership Programme, the Quality in Careers Standard and case studies for National Careers Week.

Chris has written articles and blogs for a number of careers-related publications, including Trotman and FE News, and is a regular contributor to the CDI's quarterly Career Matters magazine, in addition to producing and proofreading content for careers resources created by organisations like Success at School.

Olymbia Petrou - Diversity and HR Specialist

With a background in business, diversity and HR, Olymbia has worked for public sector organisations, SMEs, charities, as well as owned and run her own businesses.

A fully-qualified business and executive coach, Olymbia particularly enjoys working with diverse groups on the unique challenges they face. Her humanistic coaching approach can help with any challenges or self-limiting beliefs that may be getting in the way, and by eliciting and nurturing individual skills and strengths, can help unlock and focus individuals on achieving their full potential and goals.

Olymbia also delivers diversity, business and HR consultancy to support organisations, individuals and businesses with practical and supportive solutions through her company Electra Business Services Ltd.

Seb Waligorski – Digital Media and Technology Specialist

Seb is experienced and creative expert in digital media and technology who successfully combines his twin passions of business and computer science to create brands that stand out. A Business/Management and Computer Science Graduate, he has sound industry experience gained not least working agency side as Digital Manager for Ionize where he was responsible for web-based and marketing, social media and branding project management supporting a range of businesses in different sectors.

He now works as a successful laptop entrepreneur in the gig economy, running a team of IT and graphic design professionals to help start-up businesses including his own https://hiexplorers.com/ travel business develop into grown-up businesses. He leads on all aspects of IT and digital marketing at Career Alchemy, no matter which part of the world he may find himself in. For more, please see Seb’s profile on www.linkedIn.com

Interested in working with us?

If you are passionate about career coaching and are looking for a new freelance opportunity as a Career Alchemist helping people to create solid gold working lives, then why not contact us today to find out more.

Interested in working with us as a client?

We run a range of different programmes and services,
all designed to help you or your clients and students create inspiring and purposeful working lives.