Meg Abdy was a co-founder of Cornerstone in 2005. She has over twenty years commercial sector experience, working in business analysis and strategic planning roles for both retailers (Asda and Laura Ashley) and consultancy companies (McKinsey and The Henley Centre).

From 1994 to 1998, Meg was Associate Director at think-tank The Henley Centre, where she headed up the retail team, directing large-scale strategic projects for blue-chip clients including Next, BP Europe, Marks & Spencer and the Design Council. In 1998, she became an independent consultant, advising, writing and presenting on market trends. She is particularly interested in retailing’s economic, social and cultural impact on localities.

Meg's skills lie in place-based research and the application of future trends. Her contribution to Cornerstone includes best-practice studies, expert panels and local market analysis.

As well as working with commercial and public sector clients, Meg works extensively with the voluntary sector, where she has set up a series of consortium research and forecasting projects. She also provides consultancy, with a focus on strategic planning, social innovation and intelligent funding. 

Meg has a BA (Econ) from the University of Manchester and an MBA from London Business School.