Val was born in Manchester to an Irish mum and a Glaswegian dad. She grew up in a time of grammar schools, free tuition and maintenance grants. This meant that at 17 when her parents died she supported in going to University. Val studied English Literature and Language at Manchester University and went on to teaching in schools and universities in the UK, Denmark and Boston, US. She moved into working with disadvantaged young people, first in Boston, and then in London. She was invited to run a prestigious action research project to improve services for young people in trouble. The project was very successful and Val progressed the skills she had gained running the project by studying Organisation Development at the Sheffield Business School. Val managed to cross into the private sector, establishing a niche organisation development in the City of London, specialising in managing change and personal development.