Sophie Evans Email & Phone Number

London, United Kingdom

I lead a division of around 300 staff and oversee functions including customer services (face to face, telephone and online), Council’s web presence, corporate complaints management, Council Tax collection, NNDR collection, Housing Benefit administration, ASC assessment and payments, client financial affairs, debt recovery, enforcement, concessionary travel, local support payment scheme, facilities management, corporate health and safety, and conferencing and events.Just a few months after I arrived at K&C I was tasked with delivery of Covid-support services for residents of the borough. In under 2 weeks I established a Covid Hub which proactively supported c.7k shielding residents (as well as non-shielding vulnerable residents) with food, medication, shopping and loneliness support throughout the pandemic. Staffed by 120 redeployed staff from across the organisation, the Hub went on to be shortlisted for best new contact centre in Europe in the ECCCSA Awards 2021. The Hub was also deployed to outreach in support of the NHS vaccine hesitancy programme and local contact tracing.I have developed and published a Customer Access Strategy for the organisation, drawing all service directors into the process to establish shared ownership and commitment. I am now leading the ensuing programme of change to deliver a significantly improved customer experience; I recently led the coproduction of corporate service standards with residents - the first local authority to do so. I co-chair London’s Robust Safety Net Mission, part of the Mayor of London's Covid Recovery plan. The Mission works across the voluntary, community and public sector, in partnership with the GLA and London Councils, to strengthen and coordinate the support available for Londoners experiencing financial hardship in the wake of the pandemic.

London

Corporate lead for strategy and business planning, transformation, change management, continuous improvement (lean), communications, customer services, registrars, policy, partnerships, performance, equalities.Delivered a substantial Customer Contact Strategy which involved implementing a new transactional website and automating over 350 processes achieving a channel shift of 70%.Implemented a new corporate communications plan and function, with a stronger focus on digital channels to improve resident experience.

London, United Kingdom

Corporate lead for strategy and business planning, transformation, change management, continuous improvement (lean), IT business systems, communications, policy, partnerships and equalities.Introduced and led biannual corporate strategic planning process engaging Members, senior managers and business leads to agree strategic plans for the entire organisation.Designed, implemented and oversaw delivery of corporate transformation portfolio (>£13m) and PMO for delivery assurance.Developed and delivered IT Strategy and Implementation plan. Restructured and redesigned IT to increase systems availability from 68% to 99%; reduced costs by 30% over 3 years; introduced Master Data Management. Designed and implemented a successful programme of lean service improvement projects across the organisation.Director of CHAS 2013 Ltd (www.chas.co.uk), a trading arm established by the Council . Increased profit by 300% over four years.

CHAS is a limited company, formerly wholly owned by LB Merton, that provides health and safety accreditation services nationally. It was formed to facilitate a more aggressive commercial approach to income generation to ease the council’s financial constraints. As a Board member I led the establishment of appropriate policies and governance arrangements, development and delivery of an aspirational business plan, recruitment of commercially focused skillsets (including a dedicated marketing function), product development, rebranding and the design and delivery of a number of improvement projects. As a result, and despite a deterioration in market conditions, turnover rose from £3m to £10m over the period I was involved, and profit increased by 300%.

Vauxhall

Strategic responsibility for adult social care (including areas relevant to the integration of care and public health) in relation to service planning, business improvement, information technology systems, information governance and performance management.

Brixton

Working in the Office of the Chief Executive, I was responsible for defining and orchestrating business improvement, strategy implementation, service and financial planning and transformation. Designed and implemented a new operating model for corporate transformation, incorporating establishing a corporate Programme Management Office and implementing a transformation and efficiency portfolio to deliver £12m savings.Successfully directed a number of high profile initiatives, including a pan-European partnership programme and associated bid to secure 6m € for the development of complementary currencies to influence behaviour change.Conceptualised and directed the highly successful introduction of lean business improvement techniques organisation-wide. This was a significant strand in Lambeth's approach to developing a culture of ongoing improvement. Corporate lead for performance management and improvement, with responsibility for the council's (and partnership's) performance management framework. Led on the conceptualisation and design of maturity models in performance improvement.Led the development and implementation of a new operating model for the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) and related thematic partnerships.Introduced generic roles and matrix working to maximize use of diminishing resources and maintain a high quality output.

Responsible for the management and development of the LSP, including management of grant funds (WNF, NRF), delivery and negotiation of the LAA, and coordinating the CAA self assessment.Took the partnership from amber/red rated to LGC’s LSP of the Year 2009.Implementation of significant partnership initiatives such as Diamond and neighbourhood working.Developed and implemented a Performance Management Framework for the partnership including a strategy and processes for risk management.Developed and managed delivery of a highly successful communications strategy incorporating a new website, partner-wide extranet, re-branding and high profile events such as the Ministerial Legislative Review consultation event for GOL.Established and led a successful, high achieving, energetic and committed team.

Member of the senior management team, leading on business development, marketing and communications planning, and the management of corporate resources.Personally responsible for thought leadership in, and business stream oversight of, performance, knowledge and information management solutions, including the development of new business and products.Successfully managed key accounts, achieving the highest rate of repeat work with clients, and the second highest source of income for the business unit.Designed and implemented a performance and knowledge management system for the newly formed, national Consulting Division within Tribal.Assembled and led project teams to deliver a range of significant change and interim management assignments – all within budget and timescale and to clients’ specifications.

Managed the Local Knowledge intelligence system, responsible for identifying and implementing new products and services (datasets, events, analyses); overseeing customer care, training and support for subscribers; and expanding the client base.Responsible for marketing, developing, implementing and managing local intelligence systems for a range of public authorities (including LSPs, regional partnerships and national agencies) and associated consultancy assignments to build capacity and develop joint working.Developed and shared best practice in knowledge and performance management for partnerships nationally, acting as an advisor to the ODPMs Knowledge Management National Programme – for which I wrote the performance management toolkit – and speaking at the national LARIA conference.Managed and delivered a range of consultancy assignments for national, regional and local government agencies (and partnerships) and worked on syndicated research programmes relating to the knowledge economy and implementation of government policy.Used GIS to provide a spatial perspective to data and information, and conducted research and analysis for a range of national and international projects, particularly around the Knowledge Economy and effecting, measuring and monitoring social, economic and environmental change.

Conceptualised, developed and implemented the Neighbourhood Information Management System (NIMS) for the ‘Your Newham’ LSP – the country’s first partner-wide Local Intelligence System, recognised by the DCLG as an example of best practice (www.newham.info)Responsible for management, development and allocation of Newham’s £40m NRF programme – the only authority to achieve 100% in the first year of the programme.Developed Newham’s Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy, including work with service delivery agencies and the community to establish local and strategic priorities for Newham.Developed Community Picture CDs for Newham, introducing data at Community Forum level to ensure the partnership’s funding programmes and strategies were evidence-led.

Roles included:Neighbourhood Information Centre CoordinatorContributed to the design and delivery of Gospel Oak’s Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder, working closely with the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit (NRU).Developed a Neighbourhood Information Centre for Gospel Oak – incorporating inter-agency data collection, collation, management and dissemination.Regeneration CoordinatorDeveloped and worked with a steering group of local people to design and implement a Community Website for Gospel Oak, ‘Highly Commended’ in Britannia Communications in Housing Awards 2001 and recognised in NM best practice reviews.Contributed to the successful bid to attain the NRU’s Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder status for Gospel Oak.

London Leadership Programme, Systemic Leadership

A dedicated programme for future Leaders in London organised by the LGA and the Leadership Centre.

Role Of The Director And The Board

Finance For Non Financial Directors

First Class Bsc (Hons) Social Science, Politics, Social Policy

International Certificate In Rm, Risk Management, Distinction

Activities and Societies: CIRM

Hnc In Computing, Distinction

Education record