Helping cultural, heritage and landscape organisations navigate change with confidence

Strategic clarity, practical planning and creative thinking rooted in real places and real constraints.

Authentic. Sustainable. Creative.

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How we can help

We’re often brought in when:

  • a place is at a moment of change or uncertainty

  • leadership or governance has shifted

  • funding has been secured - or is at risk

  • ambition needs to be matched with clarity

  • important decisions can’t be put off any longer

Sometimes this moment is obvious. Sometimes it’s just a feeling that things can’t stay as they are.

See how we help organisations like yours.

How we work

Our work is shaped by three core values - Authenticity, Sustainability and Creativity - which guide how we think, how we collaborate, and how decisions are made throughout every project.

Authentic

Grounded in sense of place and the real conditions those places operate within - organisationally, financially and culturally. We work closely with people on the ground, creating space for honest conversation while maintaining clear direction and momentum.

Sustainable

Focused on resourcefulness and decisions that endure. Our work looks beyond short-term fixes to support long-term stewardship, confident governance and plans that can be used, owned and adapted over time.

Creative

Opening up new ways forward when existing approaches no longer fit. Creativity is used deliberately - to unlock possibility, resolve tension and help organisations move through complexity with confidence.

Explore how we can help

Working with Eagle & Oak

A man with short hair, light beard, wearing a plaid shirt, smiling in front of a background of trees.

Eagle & Oak is led by Jon Breton (O’Donoghue), with over 25 years’ experience working in and alongside cultural, heritage and landscape organisations - from on-site delivery to senior leadership and board-level roles.

This includes responsibility for strategy, commercial development, visitor experience, governance and long-term planning, as well as hands-on work with teams navigating change on the ground.

Clients value a combination of calm, rigour and creativity - and a way of working that brings clarity without losing humanity.

More about Eagle & Oak

  • A grassy track curves through open countryside on a winter morning, with frost on the ground and trees lining the horizon under a clear blue sky.

    The Auckland Project – Binchester Earth

    Experience design and commercial modelling to test the viability of a complex heritage destination before major capital investment was committed.

  • Three people walk toward a historic building along a leaf-strewn path, seen from behind, carrying folders and bags as they approach the entrance.

    Building robust audience insight for a capital project

    Collaborative audience research that strengthened a funding case, informed design decisions and left lasting capability within the organisation.

  • Two people sit facing each other in conversation inside a historic building, listening attentively and gesturing as they talk, with bookshelves in the background.

    Embedding a confident commercial culture

    Director-level mentoring to build commercial confidence, clarity and sustained profitability without undermining organisational values or morale.

View case studies

What clients often say after working together

  • “Being a Finance Director, I’ve been repeatedly impressed by the quality of the financial thinking Jon brings to proposals. He sees the big picture, tests ideas properly and develops well-thought-through business plans that can actually be delivered.”

    Lyndsey Short
    Fellow Member, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants

  • “Jon made thoughtful use of numbers to inform significant decisions and explore different scenarios. His approach helped us test options properly and move forward with confidence.”

    Jessica
    Finance Director

  • “Jon has transformed our understanding of how to think about the value in our visitor offer. He helps organisations grasp what makes their places special, and how social, cultural and commercial value can work together.”

    John Castling
    Archaeologist, Binchester Earth

  • “Jon’s ability to understand sense of place, matched by his creativity, makes him a compelling and trusted presence within a project team.”

    Robyn Brown
    Senior Cultural Leader, National Trust

  • “Jon quickly understood both the opportunities and the challenges of a highly complex site, and worked resourcefully through them to find practical ways forward.”

    Ramon Van de Velde
    CEO, The Wave Project
    Former CEO, St Aubyn Estates

If you’re facing change - or sense that you soon will be - we’d be glad to talk

An initial conversation is often the simplest way to understand what’s needed, and whether working together would be helpful.

Start a conversation
A sculpture of a woman in a Victorian-style dress made from patchwork fabric, with a large bow on her head, standing outdoors on snow-covered ground with a building and trees in the background.
People riding in a horse-drawn carriage passing through a brick archway.
A stone fortress wall with an arched gateway, battlements, and turrets. Behind the wall, tall trees are visible, and the sun is setting or rising behind the structure, casting long shadows on the grass in front.
A bird's eye view of a landscaped garden maze with dense greenery, a thatched hut at the center, and pathways surrounded by trees, including a blossoming tree with white flowers.
A performer dressed as a whimsical fairy or elf with a feathered hat and flowing tutu, balancing on a tightrope in a dark forest, illuminated by a spotlight.

Authentic

Sustainable

Creative