Jess Crombie is thought leader and innovator in the field of ethical storytelling, with over twenty-five years' experience creating some of the most innovative and award-winning content in the humanitarian sector, in roles including Global Content Director for Save the Children. Currently working as a researcher and scholar at the University of the Arts London (UAL), and a consultant for leading humanitarian and development organisations, Jess' research focus investigates the potential for power shifts by seeking out the opinions and ideas of those with lived experience of humanitarian scenarios and co-creating story gathering actions and outcomes. Jess has published a publications, most notably the ground-breaking research reports ‘The People in the Pictures’ (2017), ‘Who Owns The Story’ (2022) and 'Rethink, Reframe, Redefine' (2024), each of which was read and embedded widely across the humanitarian sector, and which redefined the relationship between the humanitarian story producer and the idea of story 'subject'. Jess founded and now co-chairs the Bond-sponsored 'Ethical Storytelling working group', with a membership of 500+ professionals from across 150 INGOs. The group aims to bring about sector-wide change towards more ethical practices in the creation and use of humanitarian and development stories.
A key outcome of Jess' work in partnership with those with lived experience of humanitarian scenarios has been the Contributor Centred Storytelling (CCS) methodology, a storytelling process which enables INGOs to share narrative power in a way that is practical and impactful. Developed in 2023, it has to date been utilised by 13 leading INGOs and UN bodies to guide how they produce and tell the stories of their work, with developing and further testing currently funded by both the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), both of whom wish to embed it into their day to day working ad share it across their global networks.
Between 2025-26, Jess is also undertaking research funded by the AKO Storytelling Institute to investigate how storytelling for the purposes of environmental and social change happens, and how the tools and mechanisms for success storytelling for the purposes of change can be embedded into teaching and research in HE institutions.