Civilservicereformuk.com was launched in April 2024. The website is a hub for my research investigating when, why and how civil service reform works. I aim to develop actionable insights that will help politicians and officials to succeed in civil service reform.I will focus on three key questions which I believe are most likely to produce actionable insights for would be reformers:1. How do context and antecedents help or hinder reform?2. Which moments in a reform process are most important to the success or failure of the reform effort?3. What do reformers and reform teams do in these key moments? What is it about the way they do it that helps the reform succeed?The evolving content on the website will explore the last 65 years of reform efforts: drawing on secondary research, my own previous research and, grey materials relating to particular reforms.

CES connects policy, practice and research, helping to ensure the implementation of effective services, to improve the lives of people across the island of Ireland. I support their Goal Programme, set up in 2015 to work with governments in Ireland and Northern Ireland, to assist them to implement a number of new programmes, systems change and capacity building initiatives. This work is supported by both governments and the final phase of investment from the Atlantic Philanthropies in Ireland.

2023-24. Department for Education. Supporting the Cross Government Policy Making Profession team to develop a peer led policy making capability review process.2023. Public Health Reform Expert Advisory Group, Department of Health, Ireland. Advising the core team and facilitating the key face to face session of the Advisory Group – identifying key learnings from the pandemic2022. Sheffield City Council. Working with the CEx, Cabinet and Executive Committee to review the culture, strategy, delivery and leadership arrangements.2020. City of Birmingham. Supporting the new CEx to engage widely and co-develop City priorities and identify the key challenges needing corporate action.2020. West Sussex County Council. Working collaboratively with members and officers to help them develop a clear picture of what good governance looks like and how they need to work better together.2017. Homes and Communities Agency: Stocktake of the health of corporate performance management and corporate leadership.2017. Department for Education, UK: Working with the leadership team of Academies Regional Delivery Group to increase their effectiveness and impact.2016-17. Department of Health, Dublin, Ireland: Running a 16 week cross system collaboration to target actions on core problems in the mental health system for young people. 2015-17. Prime Ministers Department, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan: Scoped, designed and delivered a 6 month programme to develop the capacity of the top 20 civil servants.2014-16. Haringey Council, London: (1) Evaluated the effectiveness of their PMDU style corporate delivery unit (2) Assessing how to provide system leadership.2015-16. Health Foundation, London: stocktake of fitness for purpose of the policy team.2015-16. London Borough of Barking and Dagenham: (1) Helped the top team to develop their Ambition 2020 strategy in a way that engages and energises their staff. (2) Programme to develop capability of the CEO's Delivery Unit.

- Led influential research on: civil service reform - past and present; performance and delivery;capability; leading change in departments; and, leading cross civil service change.- Current research into the alchemy of successful civil service reform has created a framework for understanding the complex alchemy of successful cross government reform. Author of 'Civil Service Reform in the Real World' and 'Leading Change in the Civil Service'. - Created and led a 'guiding coalition' of 18 reformist permanent secretaries and director generals in an intensive 6 month process that enabled them to establish an agenda and create momentum for the most critical cross civil service reforms. - UK lead in a five country research/action learning programme looking at how best to address key issues for Governments of the Future, supported by SITRA, the Finnish innovation agency. - Provided advice to the Cabinet Secretary, Head of the Civil Service and Minister for the Cabinet Office on their 2012 Civil Service Reform Plan. - Advised Ministers and officials from India, Australia, Spain, New Zealand, Finland, Sweden, Malaysia, Canada, Ghana, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Kurdistan and the UAE on reform, delivery, capability and performance. - Developed and led the IfG's partnership with the Big Lottery Fund that connects Whitehall policy makers with innovative projects funded by Big in order to explore the disconnects between policy and practice on wicked issues like: early years, NEETs, adults with multiple complex needs.

Deputy Chair of Governing Body (until 2016)Chair of Finance Committee (until 2016)Chair of Remuneration Committee (until 2016)Joint Chair: review of governance effectiveness 2013

Responsible for a central directorate with 6 key functions: capability building: management of the MoJ priority programmes and projects portfolio; strategic planning and corporate performance monitoring; corporate governance; sponsorship and review of Arms Length Bodies; operating model review and implementation design authority.Achievements:- Transforming Justice Programme: we created a guiding coalition of leaders across MoJ to develop new ideas to transform justice. These leaders and their ideas ensured we had a positive vision for the future of the department, alongside better developed propositions for delivering unprecedented savings required in the emergency budget and 2010 spending review. - Building capability for local collaboration: we developed and ran two innovative cross system collaborations in Swansea and Hull to test different methodologies for developing local ownership and leadership to reduce reoffending. - Strategic Review: We initiated preparations for the transition to a new government using an exemplary strategic review starting 6 months before the election in December to engage and confront the senior team with the harsh reality of a potential budget gap of £2.1bn. This process exposed and addressed the deficit in corporate leadership. - Operating Model Review: we used the spending review pressures as a springboard for articulating a new operating model for MoJ. We developed plans to reduce costs by £470m in a way that engaged the business with key design principles and challenge questions.

As deputy and then Head of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit I advised the Prime Minister on prospects for delivery of his top priorities and worked with departmental ministers and permanent Secretaries to help them turnaround performance. • Led the delivery of four of the Prime Minister’s top priorities on: improving rail punctuality; increasing the affordability of housing; reducing unfounded asylum applications; increasing the integrity of the asylum system; and reducing traffic congestion. - Introduced innovative techniques to try to accelerate problem solving and create more productive engagement across complex delivery systems. • Created and led the major UK reform success - the Capability Review Program. The innovative model used high powered peer review teams with a mix of private sector board level leaders and director generals from other departments to explore and challenge the capability to deliver of the 17 biggest departments. Actions to improve were established, and relentlessly followed up. • Rebuilt the capacity of Prime Minister's Delivery Unit following the departure of the high profile founder - Michael Barber. The team rapidly developed to provide the collective leadership needed to manage a difficult transition. The unit's place at the Prime Minister’s weekly briefings was sustained, and the quality of assessments, monitoring and problem solving interventions was improved .

I brought openness, challenge and integrity to a difficult series of discussions at management board about the direction of the Commission. I did not duck the need to keep raising basic questions such as: what are we trying to achieve, and what will success look like for our clients and stakeholders. This was a very difficult period for the Commission.

Responsible for commissioning and directing the Commission’s portfolio of research and products on public sector management, improvement and the strategic role of local government.

Managing 60 staff and a budget of £15m to deliver the following responsibilities: leading the council wide business planning process; crime prevention; health; external funding, economic development and regeneration; voluntary sector; corporate policy; communications, external relations and lobbying.

1. Supporting the expansion of Westminster’s cutting edge approach to competitive tendering and market making in social care, waste, human resources, leisure, revenue collection, and audit.2. Drawing out and embedding best practice in letting and managing contracts, and developing effective relationships with the private and voluntary sector.3. Driving the customer care strategy and modernising the Council’s ‘one stop services’ approach.