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Darius ToomerHead of Agilisys Transform < Speakers < Previous Next > Darius Toomer Head of Agilisys Transform Agilisys Darius is the Head of Agilisys Transform, responsible for the Agilisys GenAI products business. As part of the Agilisys leadership team for the past 2 years, Darius has been working with public sector clients, building and deploying GenAI tools to support front-line teams. Transform’s core focus is supporting key workers, particularly in SEND & Social Care, with their time-consuming and complex activities - such as drafting of EHCPs & Safeguarding Meetings. Darius is also the Head of Portfolio Transformation at… Show More

Break 15:00–15:30 Refreshments and Exhibition Exhibition Previous More information to follow. Next

< Back Previous Org, Exhibitor, Breakout, Sponsor TechnologyOne https://www.technology1.co.uk Stand 2 TechnologyOne is a global Software as a Service (SaaS) provider delivering enterprise solutions that simplify and transform operations. With offices across six countries, our deeply integrated SaaS platform supports over 1,300 organisations worldwide. Our solution provides deep functionality for the markets we serve, including local government and higher education in the UK. We leverage our unique domain experience and our unwavering commitment to the industries we serve by taking complete responsibility to deliver outcomes with our best-in-class SaaS ERP. With SaaS Plus, TechnologyOne takes full responsibility for the complete outcome of the solution experience, not just the software. Next

Previous Next Paul Amann Principal Officer for Employment and Skills, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Paul Amann is Principal Officer for Employment and Skills at Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, where he leads complex programmes supporting inclusive growth, workforce development, skills reform and labour market participation across one of England’s most ambitious devolved city regions. With more than 30 years’ experience spanning local government, combined authorities, regeneration, education, employment and skills, and the voluntary sector, Paul specialises in translating strategic priorities into large-scale programmes that deliver measurable economic and social impact. Throughout his career he has helped secure more than £15 million in external investment, supported over 15,000 learners to achieve qualifications and enabled more than 5,000 residents to access employment opportunities. A recognised systems leader, Paul is known for bringing together policymakers, employers, education providers, community organisations and elected leaders around a shared purpose. His work focuses on challenging inequalities, creating inclusive pathways into good work and ensuring that economic growth works for everyone. Equality, inclusion and social justice are central themes throughout his leadership approach and professional practice. Alongside his professional career, Paul has a long history of civic and voluntary leadership, including founding Kop Outs, Liverpool FC’s LGBT+ supporters group, and helping drive the cultural change that eliminated homophobic chanting at Anfield through influence, partnership and collective ownership rather than formal authority. This experience continues to shape his belief that leadership is fundamentally about courage, influence and bringing people together to create lasting change. Paul is passionate about innovation in public service, inclusive growth, workforce transformation, AI and digital change, and the role of place-based leadership in tackling complex social and economic challenges. He is currently focused on shaping the future of employment, skills and economic inclusion across the Liverpool City Region and contributing to national conversations about how systems can be redesigned to deliver better outcomes for communities. 13:00–13:10 Rewiring the State Amplify Cohort 5: Organisational Change and Equity: Beyond Rhetoric Showcase View Session Paul Amann , Principal Officer for Employment and Skills, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority Bev Thomas , Adviser, Procurement and Commissioning, Local Government Association

Previous Next Dr David Parr OBE Former Chief Executive, Halton Borough Council Dr David Parr OBE is one of local government's most experienced chief executives, with over 30 years of senior leadership experience, including 18 years as Chief Executive of Halton Borough Council. An OBE recipient and Honorary Doctorate holder, David has led major local government transformation, devolution, health and care integration, organisational improvement and regeneration programmes. He played a key role in Cheshire local government reorganisation, helped establish the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority model, and led the £2 billion Mersey Gateway Bridge project from concept to delivery. Since 2022, he has undertaken interim chief executive roles (including CEO at Barrow BC during the Cumbria LGR process), peer reviews, mentoring, strategic advisory commissions and non-executive board positions across local government, housing and regeneration. 11:30–12:30 Main Stage Breakout: Ensuring success whilst Surviving LGR: Lived Experiences of Delivering Major Transformation Breakout View Session Speakers: Jessica Mullinger , Executive Director of Sector Support, Solace in Business (Co-chair) Simon Allsop , Delivery Director, CIPFA (Co-chair) Dr David Parr OBE , Former Chief Executive, Halton Borough Council Paul Robinson , Strategic Director for LGR, Nottinghamshire County Council

Julia BrennanManaging Consultant < Speakers < Previous Next > Julia Brennan Managing Consultant Cadence Innova Julia is a Managing Consultant and Local Government Lead at Cadence Innova, with extensive experience in private sector licensing from application to transitioning to new service. She has led and developed projects across Local and Central Government, Communities, Licensing and Housing, and also brings over 10 years of experience in bilingual negotiation, project management, sales, product localisation and staff management. Julia collaborates with government, the public sector and industry to bring about positive transformational change with the purpose to inspire… Show More

Paulette McAllisterProgramme Director Strategic Housing Delivery Programme < Speakers < Previous Next > Paulette McAllister Programme Director Strategic Housing Delivery Programme Brentwood Borough Council Paulette has over 30 years’ experience in the Built Environment. As an accredited advisor to Public and Private Sectors she has a strong track record in place-making and urban design, including regeneration strategies for new settlements and urban extensions across the Southeast. Her longstanding role supporting local government in the UK also involves acting as an external consultee and advisor in the delivery of high-quality homes and Placemaking. She currently also acts as Programme Director for the Strategic Housing Development… Show More

< Back Previous Business Partner Zurich Municipal https://www.zurich.co.uk/municipal For more than 30 years, Zurich Municipal has worked alongside local authorities across the UK, helping them manage risk, build resilience and continue delivering vital services for their communities. Through specialist insurance, risk management expertise and practical support, we help public sector organisations navigate an increasingly complex operating environment. Since 1993, we've partnered with local authorities across the UK, as well as schools, housing associations, charities and community organisations, developing a deep understanding of the challenges facing public services and the communities they support. From financial pressures and changing regulations to emerging risks such as cyber threats, climate change and safeguarding, we support organisations in identifying, understanding and mitigating risk before issues arise. We do more than provide insurance. Through risk management expertise and practical support, we help customers understand and manage risk, strengthen resilience and protect what matters most. Our customers also benefit from a range of support services designed to help their people and organisations respond confidently when challenges occur. When a claim is made, we promise to make the claims experience personal, clear, effortless and collaborative. We take the time to understand our customers' priorities and challenges, providing tailored support and guidance that reflects their needs. At Zurich Municipal, we're committed to helping public service organisations protect what matters most, strengthen resilience, continue delivering vital services for their communities and navigate a lifetime of change. Next

Previous Next Marcus Richards Partner, Strategy and Transactions, EY Marcus leads EY's Local Government Strategy and Transactions practice. With over 18 years' experience advising the sector, he has supported some of the UK's most complex and ambitious capital programmes and partnerships. He specialises in place regeneration, investment strategy, and the capital structures that unlock infrastructure delivery and long-term growth. 15:30–16:30 South West Breakout: Future Places: Turning Devolution Ambition Into Delivery Breakout View Session Speakers: Marcus Richards , Partner, Strategy and Transactions, EY Philip Dobson , Partner, Strategy and Transactions, EY

Breakout 11:30–12:30 Breakout: What Should We Stop Doing - Sustainable Leadership in Unrelenting Times North East Madeline Smith, Chief Technology Officer, North Yorkshire Council Read More Previous Senior local government leaders are very good at starting things. We launch programmes, initiatives, restructures and reforms at pace. What we are much less practised at is stopping. After years of sustained pressure, from austerity, reorganisation, demand growth and ongoing transformation, many leaders are exhausted, even if they don’t say it out loud. Too often, the behaviours that burn leaders out are the very ones that are implicitly rewarded: constant availability, personal heroics, absorbing risk, shielding others at all costs, and carrying more than any one role reasonably should. This session is rooted in lived experience of leading through large scale organisational change and system complexity. It focuses on a simple but uncomfortable leadership question: what do we need to stop doing in order to remain effective, human and worthy of trust? This is not a session about resilience frameworks, productivity tools or doing more with less. It is about the conscious leadership decisions that shape organisational culture every day what we model, what we tolerate, and what we quietly reinforce. The session combines short provocations with structured reflection and facilitated peer discussion. Participants are invited to examine their own leadership behaviours, the signals they send to their organisations, and the unintended consequences of “always on” leadership. Rather than offering another model or checklist, the session creates space for honesty, shared learning and practical reflection. Participants will leave with one clear, personal commitment to stop doing something that no longer serves them, their teams or their organisation. Next

Previous Next Sir John Curtice Professor of Politics, Strathclyde University, Scotland Professor Sir John Curtice is Professor of Politics at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland, and Senior Research Fellow, National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and the ESRC’s ‘The UK in a Changing Europe’ initiative. He has written extensively about voting behaviour in elections and referendums in the UK, as well as on British political and social attitudes more generally. He was co-director of the British Election Study between 1983 and 1997. He has been a co-editor of NatCen’s annual British Social Attitudes reports since 1994 and is a regular contributor to British and international media coverage of politics in the UK, including as a member of the BBC’s election night team. He was President of the British Polling Council between 2008 and 2024. Curtice is Chief Commentator at two websites, whatscotlandthinks.org and whatukthinks.org/eu, that provide a comprehensive collection of materials on public attitudes towards (i) how Scotland should be governed, and (ii) the UK’s relationship with the EU. He is a Fellow of the British Academy, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Academy of the Social Sciences and the Political Studies Association. He is also an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and the Market Research Society. 11:45–12:45 Main Stage Local Choices, National Consequences: What May’s Elections Tell Us About Britain’s Democratic Future Keynote View Session Speakers: Sir John Curtice , British political scientist and professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde Sam Hartley , Director of Policy, Research and Voter Engagement, The Electoral Commission

All Speakers Helen Bailey Chief Executive, London Borough of Sutton Helen Bailey is the Chief Executive of the London Borough of Sutton. She has previously served as Chief Executive of the London Borough of Islington and on an interim basis at North Somerset. She was director of Public Services at HM Treasury overseeing spending on health, housing, education, local government and devolved administration and public service reform between 2008 and 2011. Helen also has experience leading the Mayor's office for Policing and Crime. She has been a management consultant working on public service leadership and organisation issues in a career that started with the Greater London Councils. Friday 17 October 20225 11:10–12:00 Leading Through A Crisis Main Stage, New Dock Hall Go to session