About Us
Red Fish Black Dog exists to partner with clients for the long haul – helping build organisations and collaborations that are not just successful, but also sustainable and humane.
What’s In a Name?
The name Red Fish Black Dog reflects the heart of our work.
Red Fish evokes the image of fish moving in a coordinated shoal within a complex ecosystem – symbolising how we help teams and organisations work together effectively within their environments.
Black Dog, a well-known metaphor for the shadow of mental health challenges (and yes, also our Portuguese Water Dog, Olive), stands for our commitment to wellbeing and the human side of work. Together, these symbols capture our belief that thriving organisations and systems are built on inspiring strategies, healthy cultures, and effective systems.
John Herring Founder
Red Fish Black Dog was founded by John Herring, a senior leader and Organisational Design & Development practitioner with over 25 years of experience spanning the NHS, public services, charities, and the private sector.
What distinguishes John’s work is the combination of psychological depth, organisational design experience and real system leadership practice. His career began in therapy and mental health leadership, before moving into major city-region reform through Greater Manchester’s devolution journey.
There, he worked across health, local government, the Combined Authority, employers and wider public services to support place-based working, neighbourhood models, public service reform and cross-sector collaboration.
John has helped senior leaders connect strategy, culture, governance and delivery across complex systems — building the trust, relationships and practical ways of working needed when no single organisation can solve the issue alone.
He was honoured as “Leader of the Year 2024” by the Greater Manchester Mayor and Good Employment Charter for his system-wide leadership. He also serves as a charity Chair and trustee, reflecting his commitment to values-led leadership, social impact and helping people, organisations and places thrive.
“An accomplished collaborator who knows how to work with complex partnerships.”
Clive Memmott OBE