Steve Dowling Email & Phone Number

Welwyn Garden City, England, United Kingdom

Responsible for political risks and opportunities that affect Tesco’s ability and cost to trade (aka our licence to operate):• Maintaining an expertise in a number of policy areas, particularly focussed on business rates, employment and planning.• Influencing the business to adopt public policy and campaigning positions that give brand/competitive advantage.• Delivering an engagement and influencing strategy on key public policy issues that best protect and promote the business.• Proactively identify opportunities to showcase the business positively, including integrated campaigns.• Producing exec-level briefings and speeches, plus internal presentations and policy submissions. • Representing Tesco at meetings with parliamentarians, government officials and other relevant stakeholders, both as a proactive brand Ambassador and robust defender.Recent landmarks have included:• Leading a successful campaign to reform transitional arrangements around the 2023 business rates revaluation. • Coordinating an integrated political comms campaign on the apprenticeship levy, including extended national press coverage. • Leading a future workforce project to inform the people strategy based on new macroeconomic analysis. • Advising the business on occupational health strategy and related advocacy across government. • Appointments to the CIPD Policy Forum and Prince’s Trust Advisory Panel.

London, United Kingdom

• Worked in partnership with the Government Relations Director to present, agree, implement and evaluate annual public affairs strategies.• Represented ACS on key government feedback forums throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and several ongoing UK and devolved administration policy forums. • Established and maintained successful relationships with UK and devolved government departments, public bodies and targeted parliamentarians. • Developed senior ‘expert policy groups’ on employment and property issues to better connect membership expertise with ACS’ policy development and government officials. • Led cross-department projects to launch headline member resources with associated comms plans, including the Supporting Vulnerable Customers Guide and Wellbeing Guide.• Embedded ACS as a respected external stakeholder to policy making for the rural economy. • Coordinated a broad stakeholder and parliamentary coalition to commit the government to delivering legislation which secures long-term access to cash. • Completed annual media skills training, regularly informing presentations, panels and podcast appearances.• Successfully mentored colleagues in the Public Affairs Assistant position, contributing towards progression internally and elsewhere in public affairs.

London, United Kingdom

• Managed a cross-team project to establish an industry-wide survey of hard-to-reach convenience store staff – now completed by over 7,000 annually. • Led over 25 MP visits to member convenience stores in their constituency.

London, United Kingdom

• Worked closely with the Government Relations Director to coordinate a Conservative MP rebel group and Keep Sunday Special stakeholder coalition to defeat government proposals to devolve Sunday trading hours. • Expanded the reach and effectiveness of parliamentary groups in Westminster and the Senedd.

Professional Public Relations Diploma

Bachelor Of Science (Bsc), International Relations With Politics, First Class

Activities and Societies: Politics and International Affairs Society (PIASoc) Events & Social Secretary 2013-2014; Futsal Society League.