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Vicky WillettDirector for Policy and Transformation < Speakers < Previous Next > Vicky Willett Director for Policy and Transformation St Helens Borough Council Vicky is Director for Policy and Transformation at St Helens Council with responsibility for ICT and Digital, organisational transformation, people management and performance improvement. Vicky is a people-focused leader, passionate about leveraging data and technology to achieve better outcomes for people and places.

Day One Day Two Previous Next Friday 17 October 20225 Main Stage, New Dock Hall 12:00–12:50 Keynote Katie Piper Speaker/s Katie Piper OBE, Writer, Activist and Broadcaster Few stories capture the power of human strength and kindness quite like Katie Piper’s. After surviving a life-changing attack, Katie chose not only to rebuild her own life but to use her platform to help others do the same — founding a charity, writing best-selling books, and championing inclusion through her broadcasting and advocacy work. In this candid and hopeful session, Katie reflects on what it means to lead with empathy and purpose when faced with profound change. She’ll explore how people and communities can come together to restore confidence, belonging, and opportunity — themes that sit at the heart of local government work. Katie’s story challenges us to look differently at vulnerability and courage, and to recognise the quiet power of everyday leadership — whether supporting a neighbour, shaping public services, or nurturing a culture of care within our teams. This is a rare opportunity to hear from someone who embodies optimism in action — reminding us that healing and progress, both personal and collective, begin with compassion and belief in the potential of others.

Adrian CooperCEO < Speakers < Previous Next > Adrian Cooper CEO Oxford Economics Adrian Cooper is responsible for coordinating and managing Oxford Economics' global economic analysis, forecasting and consultancy activities, and overseeing its global team of over 550 professionals including more than 350 economists and analysts. He has led Oxford Economics' work on a wide array of projects, ranging from policy advice to government departments in Europe, the US, Africa, and Asia to detailed analysis of the economic impact of particular industries and investment proposals. Adrian spent the first seven years of his… Show More

Florence ObinnaHead of Insight & Engagement < Speakers < Previous Next > Florence Obinna Head of Insight & Engagement London Borough of Hackney Florence brings more than 17 years in local government roles and leads a multi-disciplinary team responsible for delivering high-quality opinion research, public consultation and stakeholder engagement at Hackney Council. Florence was LGComms Future Leaders Graduate in the class of 2019-2020 and has co-authored the Keep London Safe Campaign COVID-19 Insight Toolkit. Florence is passionate about increasing the participation of diverse communities in democracy ensuring that they are able to influence what happens in their local areas.

Gavin JonesChief Executive < Speakers < Previous Next > Gavin Jones Chief Executive Essex County Council & Solace Chair Gavin has been a local authority CEO for over 12 years, initially at Swindon and latterly at Essex County Council. The first half of Gavin’s career was in a variety of private organisations and market sectors. In 2004 he left SITA International (Airline telecommunications company) serving as Vice President Marketing and Customer Services, to join Swindon Borough Council, his home town. Gavin was listed as one of the top 50 New Radicals in the Sunday Observer’s national campaign for Britain’s… Show More

< All sponsors Commonplace Stand 18 www.commonplace.is Commonplace, now powered by Zencity, is a global leader in community insights and engagement. We work with 400+ local authorities across UK, Canada and US to build an ‘always-on’ understanding of community sentiment and experience. Our platform has proven that maximising audience reach, collaborating through multiple channels to create a clear understanding of community needs and closing the loop to take action are critical trust builders for place-makers.

< All sponsors Netcall Stand 13 www.netcall.com Netcall's AI-powered platform helps local councils work smarter, faster and improve efficiency across all of their operations. Our comprehensive solution accelerates IT, boosts productivity, enhances customer service and transforms workflows. Trusted by 1 in 3 local authorities including Newcastle and Lancashire County Councils, we build connected communities while reducing costs.

Jane BarrettFounding Partner < Speakers < Previous Next > Jane Barrett Founding Partner Cadence Innova Jane is the Founding Partner at Cadence Innova, and a highly accomplished and dynamic change leader and innovator, who led a multi award winning management consultancy from Inspiring Leadership, to most empowering female management consultancy, to service delivery excellence for Gender Pay Gap. With a wealth of experience in delivering rapid turn-around, clear thinking, advice and leadership, Jane engages with senior stakeholders in complex governance environments to prevent problems escalating. Jane’s experience ranges from central and local government to security… Show More

All Speakers Jonathan Clifton Director of Strategy and Communications, Sheffield City Council Thursday 16 October 2025 15:45-16:25 Test, Learn and Grow: How Do We Build a Movement? Hotot Suite, Royal Armouries Go to session

Day One Day Two Previous Next Thursday 16 October 2025 Hotot Suite, Royal Armouries 15:45-16:25 Roundtable Test, Learn and Grow: How Do We Build a Movement? Chair Evelyn John, Managing Director, Inner Circle Consulting Speaker/s Lisa Smith, Director of Strategy, Performance and Partnerships, Liverpool City Council Andrew Ferrier, Chief Executive, Test Valley Borough Council Jonathan Clifton, Director of Strategy and Communications, Sheffield City Council The sessions offers an opportunity to hear about the flagship Test, Learn and Grow programme. You’ll hear practical insights directly from participants in this pioneering approach to public service reform alongside leads from Cabinet Office, explore how a ‘test and learn’ mindset can support system-wide improvement, and how we can build a wider ‘movement’ the bridges between places and central government and closes the gap between policy intent and delivery.

Day One Day Two Previous Next Thursday 16 October 2025 Pearl Suite, Royal Armouries 15:45–16:25 Workshop Public Collaborations: What are they for? Who does all the work? How long do they last? And who really benefits? Speaker/s Ed Whiting OBE, Chief Executive, Leeds City Council Kersten England CBE, Chair, The Young Foundation; Director of Engagement, Bradford 2025 Dr Peter O’Brien, Executive Director, Yorkshire Universities Sarah Norman, Chief Executive, Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, and Chair of the Yorkshire and Humber Councils’ Chief Executives’ Group Yorkshire Universities (YU) with its strategic partners, Yorkshire and Humber Councils (YHC), and the HYPERLINK Yorkshire and Humber Policy Engagement and Research Network (Y-PERN), will share their experiences of collaboration between Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and local and mayoral combined authorities (MCAs) to drill down on what and how these relations really add value for people, places, business, and to what end. Public authority leaders are currently faced with a myriad of complex problems and finite resources. Long-term institutional structures are being reconfigured, and unprecedented global and geopolitical forces are shaping and remaking government policy agendas. Navigating these norms requires a renewed commitment to work in tandem with people, communities and places to overcome specific challenges and to realise the benefits of new and emergent opportunities. Four years after the launch of the pioneering Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between YU and YHC, there is a renewed commitment to work in partnership, and to help champion a collective voice for Yorkshire. Local government is no stranger to navigating acute financial pressures, and the region’s universities now face similar resource constraints. However, it would be a false economy to retreat into sector isolationism at a time when civic partnerships are needed more than ever, despite collaboration being labour intensive and demanding. The first phase of collaboration between YU and YHC (2021 – 2025) has yielded substantial results: £10 million of national funding awarded by UK Research & Innovation has seen Y-PERN and the Yorkshire and Humber Policy Innovation Partnership (YPIP) deepening research partnerships across HEIs, MCAs, local authorities, communities, and the NHS, to activate collective knowledge and understanding. Nationally, the MoU is seen as an exemplar of good practice and it is playing a pivotal role in helping to utilise a further £20 million of investment from the National Institute for Health Research to tackle widening health inequalities in local places, as well as providing underpinning infrastructure support for the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission . However, behind the scenes, significant effort is required to bring such programmes and networks to fruition and for them to be successful and sustainable. And what about the ideas and initiatives that get away? Or the collaborations that do not take root, result in wasted time and effort, or should prosper but somehow do not? Join us to discuss: Real-life case studies of what has/has not worked and why. Insightful discussion on the benefits and resources needed for impactful collaboration. Place-based examples across a broad and diverse geographical region, with local places at differing stages of devolution, but working on common priorities. Delviered by

< All sponsors SpaceHive Stand 24 www.spacehive.com Spacehive is the fundraising platform for locally-led projects. We help to crowdfund local ideas and have raised over £35 million across the UK and Ireland. We partner with local authorities to amplify funding, community engagement and social impact by integrating grantmaking with crowdfunding.