Director, Alliance For Useful Evidence
London, United Kingdom
I designed, developed, and led the Alliance for Useful Evidence network from its creation in 2012. The Alliance is an open network championing the smarter use of evidence in policy and practice providing a focal point for the evidence agenda, fostering collaboration, knowledge sharing and debate, raising the quality of both the supply of research and the demand for it.I grew the body from two part-time staff to a team of twelve, increased membership to 5,000 individual policymakers, researchers, and charity leaders, and won external funding from a diverse portfolio, including £8.5m of grants and consultancy from government, public bodies, and foundations. Over eight years, one key priority was to convene different groups and individuals across disciplines and policy areas, such as 2016 Evidence Works global forum of policymakers from 40 different countries. This produced thought leadership with practical insights and tips on evidence use and production, with over 20 thought-leadership reports, guides, toolkits, position statements, and book chapters. We also provided support and advice to other organisations, such as helping to launch 9 UK What Works Centres, including the incubation of the Department for Education’s £10m What Works Children’s Social Care. Another goal was to grow the skills and knowledge of evidence-consumers and commissioners, and I set up and developed content for Evidence Masterclasses for UK Civil Service Policy Profession, that has now been rolled out to 30 UK government departments, public bodies, the House of Commons/Lords, and international organisations. I built strategic partnerships and won support from wide range of bodies including the European Commission, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, NSPCC, NICE, Carnegie UK Trust, Wellcome Trust, Department for Education, Nuffield Foundation, and others.
