Public Sector Consultancy

Overcoming Challenges

I have been the head of two national regulators (dealing with charities and the National Lottery), and chaired a regeneration programme for Liverpool and Merseyside involving total investment of £2bn. I also have long experience of policy and delivery in areas including housing, local government, urban regeneration and environmental protection; and of working with senior ministers, including two years on the Cabinet secretariat. My first concern has always been with achieving results for people. I view policies, processes and systems as means to that end, not as an end in themselves. That is also the approach I take in my consultancy work, which in the public sector has included advising Government on financial and working relationships with charities, reviewing the finances and constitution of a major benevolent fund, project work on how procurement can be used to promote racial equality and working with Departments on policy and delivery issues including the reform of heritage protection and the implementation of new legislation on gambling.

Areas of special interest include leadership and management of change; governance review, including Board/executive relationships; developing people, including mentoring senior staff and board members; senior recruitment and selection; partnership working between the public and voluntary & community sectors; communications and relations with stakeholders including the media; and business planning and risk management.