Gemma Bassett

Gem is a highly influential leader and consultant with nearly three decades of invaluable experience in the industry. As the founder and head of an independent consultancy, she is sought after for her ability to bring strategic clarity, operational excellence, and measurable impact to complex corporate initiatives.

Gem’s expertise is multi-faceted: she guides clients through the design and implementation of Strategic Meetings Management Programs (SMMPs), teaches and runs workshops on the subject, and defines sustainability strategy for M&E portfolios. She is also a specialist in enhancing supplier/client relationships by designing and facilitating high-impact Client Advisory Boards to shape future strategy.

With a unique career that spans both the strategic/service and experiential delivery sides, Gem offers a distinctive perspective. She excels at balancing high-level strategy with tangible stakeholder experience, ensuring that every decision results in more harmonious and impactful programs, including specialist experiential programs and incentive travel initiatives designed for staff retention and growth.

Prior to founding her consultancy, Gem spent 14 pivotal years at EY as a key member of the award-winning Global Travel, Meetings, and Events Team. Her accomplishments there include spearheading the SMMP for EMEIA, designing and implementing a Global M&E Policy, and successfully streamlining the supply chain while significantly enhancing compliance. Known for her ability to bring order to chaos, while optimising the stakeholder experience, Gem also managed two significant sponsorship activations: The ” The EY European Tour Ryder Cup 2014 Partnership” and “Rugby World Cup 2015”, where she was responsible for both strategic partnership management and flawless logistics.

A three-year Fast Forward 15 mentor, Gem is a strong leader with empathy and a genuine passion for the success of others and the industry as a whole. She excels at building high-performing teams and fostering seamless collaboration.

Based in Cambridgeshire, Gem balances her dynamic consulting career with life alongside her husband and two young children. Her personal passions, which include travel, dining, and entertaining, mirror her professional drive for creating unforgettable experiences. She brings this same sense of joy and camaraderie to the workplace, ensuring any team she integrates with is not only focused on hard work but also finds moments for fun and celebration.