Elliot Simmonds, Director

Elliot is a Director and the Lead Consultant at Elenya, specialising in research, evaluation, audience insight and strategy.

He has spent his career helping organisations understand the people they serve and use that understanding to make better decisions. His work spans museums and heritage, arts and culture, sport, charities, public services and the built environment, with particular experience in audience development, visitor experience, accessibility and inclusion.

Elliot has worked across a wide range of research methods, from large-scale surveys and quantitative analysis to depth interviews, focus groups, accompanied visits, observation and user testing. He particularly enjoys research that gets close to people’s real experiences, understanding not just what people say, but what they actually do, what matters to them and what might be getting in their way.

At Elenya his work has included research and evaluation for organisations including the All England Lawn Tennis Club and Wimbledon Museum, the Royal Armouries and the BFI, alongside museums, heritage organisations, charities, membership bodies and public-sector organisations across the UK. He has led projects exploring everything from visitor experience and audience development to accessibility, inclusion, behaviour change and organisational strategy.

In his wider career he has worked for a wide range of major organisations, including the Bank of England, European Commission, the FA, the English Cricket Board, Amnesty International, English Heritage, National Museums Scotland, Natural History Museum, Royal Shakespeare Company, Museum of London, Horniman Museum and Gardens, Art Fund, Association of Independent Museums, RAF Museum, UNBOXED and Culture Liverpool, Eurovision 2023, and numerous city and county councils.

Alongside his hands-on research experience, Elliot has held senior leadership and commercial roles within the research industry. That means he approaches research with an understanding of the decisions organisations ultimately have to make, whether that is deciding where to invest, improving an experience, reaching new audiences or demonstrating the difference their work makes.

The work he enjoys most is focussed on interesting questions, worthwhile organisations and research that leads somewhere. His approach is straightforward: ask useful questions, listen properly, be honest about what the evidence says and make the findings useful enough for people to act on.

“Elliot provided both quality of insight and efficiency during a tight project timeline which has enabled us to move forward with our planning for key future exhibition plans with confidence. We are extremely happy with both the quality, level of insight and attention to detail that working with Elliot has afforded us.”

Royal Armouries