I always admired Mo Mowlam. Like most people, I only ever saw her on the news or current affairs programmes but she always struck me as gutsy, clever and fun.

Julie Walters' portrayal of her on the Channel 4 drama 'Mo' last week confirmed all the positive thoughts I'd had about this remarkable lady. And if ever there was a story of great good coming out of real challenge, this was it.

In a nutshell, Mo Mowlam moved the peace process in Northern Ireland forwards with charisma, amazing political acumen and charming lack of inhibition. The brain tumour, which ultimately killed her, would have caused a significant personality shift, in particular her lack of inhibition. How ironic that this might have been the vital ingredient with the 'x' factor that helped to end the troubles.

I'll use the story of Mo Mowlem with my clients. We can never know what good will come out of any challenging situation. Clearly Mo was unwittingly exactly where she needed to be to effect breathtaking change.