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Previous Next Emma Palmer Chief Execuive, Powys County Council, Wales Emma Palmer is the Chief Executive of Powys County Council, providing strategic leadership across one of the largest and most complex rural authorities in Wales. Emma joined the council in 1999 and has built her career from the ground up. She spent over 20 years in Social Services, developing a deep understanding of frontline delivery, safeguarding and system leadership, before moving into senior corporate roles across Education, Housing, Transport, Strategy, Performance and Transformation. Her career progression reflects both depth and breadth. Emma has held a range of senior leadership posts including Head of Strategic Policy and Performance, Head of Transformation and Communications, and Head of Strategy, Performance and Transformation Programmes, before progressing to Corporate Director and, ultimately, Chief Executive. Emma is recognised for her focus on outcomes, governance and improvement, particularly in challenging regulatory and financial environments. She has led major transformation programmes, strengthened performance discipline, and worked closely with elected members, regulators and national partners to drive improvement and restore organisational confidence. Alongside her public service career, Emma is a working mum and a business partner in successful rural enterprises, including CCM Agri & Livery and CCM Valais Blacknose. Balancing senior leadership with family life and business responsibilities has shaped her approach to leadership; pragmatic, values‑led and grounded in real‑world decision‑making. Emma is a strong advocate of coaching and mentoring, is particularly interested in helping aspiring leaders navigate the transition from functional expertise to system leadership, manage complexity, and lead with clarity under pressure. Emma brings a practical perspective to mentoring. She believes leadership is learned through experience, reflection and honest conversation, not theory alone. Her focus is on helping future leaders lead well, act with integrity, and deliver tangible improvement for the communities they serve. 10:00–11:00 Main Plenary Beyond Barriers: Authentic Women’s Leadership in Local Government Panel Session View Session Women across local government are challenging long standing norms, reshaping organisational cultures, and redefining what leadership looks like. This panel brings together three senior female leaders to explore both the systemic barriers that still shape career progression and the powerful role authenticity plays in overcoming them. Through candid reflections on navigating political challenge, leading through complexity, and building confidence in spaces not designed with them in mind, panellists will share practical strategies and personal insights. The session will examine how allyship, inclusive cultures, and values driven leadership can create genuinely equitable pathways - and what it will take to ensure more women can lead boldly and authentically across the sector.

Previous Next 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 Plenary 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 Vijay Rangarjan, Chief Executive, The Electoral Commission

Previous Next Vijay Rangarjan Chief Executive, The Electoral Commission Vijay Rangarajan is Chief Executive of The Electoral Commission since March 2024. Vijay was previously a Director General at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), working on climate, energy and the environment, global health and Covid, and a wide range of countries. He served as the British Ambassador to Brazil and worked in the Ministry of Justice and Cabinet Office on electoral issues, leading the programme to establish individual electoral registration, and wider issues relating to political and constitutional reform of the UK. The Electoral Commission is the independent body which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK. It is focused on ensuring strong participation in a resilient electoral system, and safeguarding and protecting elections from threats such as mis- and dis-information and candidate abuse and intimidation. It advocates for modernisation of elections to better help campaigners, administrators and voters navigate the system. The Commission also provides trusted information to voters, including through its democratic education offer and public awareness campaigns. 11:45–12:45 Main Plenary 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 Vijay Rangarjan, Chief Executive, The Electoral Commission

Previous Next Sue Featherstone Solace Associate & Director, Developing Success Sue is director of a coaching consultancy, providing executive coaching, coach and leadership training, alongside team coaching and facilitation to board and leadership teams. Her earlier career in manufacturing management, corporate HR and Learning and latterly as HR & OD Director, gives her a clear understanding of the challenges of leadership. Sue’s early career involved operational, HR and learning and development roles in the private sector. Whilst bringing up three boys she set up her own consultancy business in 2005, working with leaders and teams across the public, private and not for profit sectors. Her work for Solace has involved supporting the development of a coaching culture within a local authority and team coaching to support Executive and wider Leadership Teams as they navigate the challenges of LGR. Sue coaches at Board level in a variety of public and private sector organisations and has supported a number of Local Authority Directors and Senior Leaders in this space. Sue achieved Post Graduate Certificates in Executive and Business Coaching, alongside Post Graduate Diplomas in Personnel Management and Coaching Psychology. She has gone on to lecture in coaching and team coaching at Leeds Beckett University and University College Dublin. She holds a Senior Practitioner Accreditation with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council and continues to actively contribute to the coaching profession, recently becoming an assessor for the EMCC. She has regular supervision believing this is essential for coaches continued professional and personal development. Chartered Fellow of C.I.P.D. Professional member of EMCC, holding a Senior Practitioner Coaching Accreditation. Sue’s main interest is working with individuals and teams at a deeper level to enable transformational change. 09:50–10:00 Innovation Zone Showcasing Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council: The Trojan Horse of Leadership Development Showcase View Session Speakers: Claire Trickett, Workforce and Organisational Development Consultant, Blackburn with Darwen Council Sue Featherstone, Solace Associate & Director, Developing Success

Previous Next Samantha Allen Chief Executive of the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board Sammantha (Sam) was appointed as chief executive of the North East and North Cumbria ICB in January 2022 ahead of the ICB becoming a statutory organisation in July 2022. Sam is an experienced NHS Chief Executive, prior to the ICB she led an NHS Foundation Trust for five years. Sam is a Chartered Manager and Companion of the Chartered Management Institute and holds an MBA from Aston University. In June 2026 Sam was awarded a CBE for services to the NHS. Sam is a member of The Kings Fund General Advisory Council and a former fellow of St. George's House, Windsor Castle. Sam is also interim regional director for NHS England North East and Yorkshire. 14:00–15:00 Main Stage The Future of Health and Care: Reform, Partnership and Place Sub Plenary View Session Speakers: Alison Barker, Chief Executive of North Lincolnshire Council and Solace Deputy Policy Lead for Health and Social Care Ben Dyson, Director for Adult Social Care Strategy, Funding & Integrated Care at DHSC Sam Allen CBE, Chief Executive of the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board

Previous Next Ben Dyson Director, Adult Social Care Strategy, Funding & Integrated Care, Department of Health and Social Care Ben is the DHSC director for adult social care (ASC) strategy, funding and integrated care. His current portfolio includes coordinating the government’s medium-term ASC reforms, sponsoring the independent commission on adult social care, and supporting closer integration of health and social care services. Ben has worked in a wide range of policy and strategy roles in DHSC, NHS England and NHS Improvement. His previous roles have included being programme director for the NHS People Plan, director of strategy for NHS Improvement (where he was closely involved in the early development of integrated care systems), and DHSC director of primary care in the early 2010s. 14:00–15:00 Main Stage The Future of Health and Care: Reform, Partnership and Place Sub Plenary View Session Speakers: Alison Barker, Chief Executive of North Lincolnshire Council and Solace Deputy Policy Lead for Health and Social Care Ben Dyson, Director for Adult Social Care Strategy, Funding & Integrated Care at DHSC Sam Allen CBE, Chief Executive of the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board

Previous Next Victoria Derbyshire Journalist and Topical News Reporter, BBC Victoria Derbyshire is a well established journalist and BBC topical news presenter. First working for a local radio, Victoria Derbyshire was a keen journalist and clearly was passionate about media and communications. Derbyshire then joined BBC Radio Live in 1998 as a co-presenter for the breakfast show, which also featured Julian Worricker. In 1998 and 2002, the programme won Gold Sony Awards . Shortly after this, Worricker left the breakfast show and Derbyshire was partnered with Nicky Campbell. After a spell of maternity leave, Derbyshire then took over the news programme in 2004. An extremely trusted and collected person, Derbyshire's relationship with viewers was something that nobody had ever seen before. Some very personal and dark experiences were shared with Derbyshire on air. One memorable example of this was when an alcoholic GP called Rachel, described her decent into alcoholism as she opened a can of beer live on air. Derbyshire has also worked on multiple television news and political programmes including Newsnight, This Week, Watchdog and regularly on the BBC News channel. Additionally to this, Derbyshire hosted a sports chat show on Channel 4 on Saturday mornings called SportsTalk. Since joining 5 Live, Derbyshire has been sent to cover some of the biggest global news stories there has been. This includes 9/11, The Paris Concorde Crash, General Elections, World Cups and also Olympic Games. Derbyshire's programme was the first to broadcast a show live from Zimbabwe, in 2009 following President Mugabe's lifting of restrictions on international journalists. Derbyshire's programme made radio history when it became the first to broadcast live from an abortion clinic in 2012, and later that year broadcast from an animal testing laboratory. In October 2011 Derbyshire made her debut on Have I Got News For You . In autumn 2013, under the new editorship of Ian Katz, Derbyshire began occasionally presenting Newsnight while continuing to present her daily 5 Live programme. Her final Radio 5 Live show was broadcast on 5 September 2014. Her current affairs programme began airing on 7 April 2015 on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel. Most recently, she appeared on the 2020 series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! . 10:30 Main Plenary Conference Commences Compere View Session Conference Compere: Victoria Derbyshire, Journalist and Topical News Reporter, BBC

Previous Next Susanne Millar Chief Executive, Glasgow City Council, Scotland Susanne Millar became Chief Executive of Glasgow City Council since May 2024, after more than 30 years working for the city. She was previously Chief Officer of Glasgow’s Health and Social Care Partnership, having spent her earlier career working in social work and social care services in the city – starting in residential care for older people, then working with vulnerable children and families. After holding strategy and planning roles, she became the Head of Children’s Services and Head of Homelessness and Asylum Services. In 2012, Susanne became Assistant Director of Social Work Services in Glasgow, then Chief Officer for Planning, Strategy & Commissioning for the newly-formed Glasgow City HSCP. From 2019, Susanne led a team of more than 12,000 people as Chief Officer. 10:00–11:00 Main Plenary Beyond Barriers: Authentic Women’s Leadership in Local Government Panel Session View Session Women across local government are challenging long standing norms, reshaping organisational cultures, and redefining what leadership looks like. This panel brings together three senior female leaders to explore both the systemic barriers that still shape career progression and the powerful role authenticity plays in overcoming them. Through candid reflections on navigating political challenge, leading through complexity, and building confidence in spaces not designed with them in mind, panellists will share practical strategies and personal insights. The session will examine how allyship, inclusive cultures, and values driven leadership can create genuinely equitable pathways - and what it will take to ensure more women can lead boldly and authentically across the sector.

Previous Next Alison Barker Chief Executive, North Lincolnshire Council & Deputy Policy Lead for Health & Social Care Alison Barker is a seasoned leader in health, social care and local government, recognised for her expertise in safeguarding, wellbeing and inclusive service transformation. She has worked across Health and Local Government since 1990, with a professional background in social work. Alison champions resident-centred approaches, evidence-based decision-making and collaborative partnerships. Her diverse experience spans strategic leadership, multi-agency working and sector-led improvement, including pioneering strengths-based models and delivering major transformation programmes. Alison’s commitment to integrated community support and quality assurance makes her a trusted adviser and peer in driving positive change across the sector. 14:00–15:00 Main Stage The Future of Health and Care: Reform, Partnership and Place Sub Plenary View Session Speakers: Alison Barker, Chief Executive of North Lincolnshire Council and Solace Deputy Policy Lead for Health and Social Care Ben Dyson, Director for Adult Social Care Strategy, Funding & Integrated Care at DHSC Sam Allen CBE, Chief Executive of the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board

Previous Next Madaline Hoskin Chief Technology Officer, North Yorkshire Council Madeline, CTO at North Yorkshire Council and Local Government Advisor to the Government Digital Service, is a senior local government technology leader with extensive experience leading large scale organisational change and system transformation. She has worked at the centre of local government reorganisation, delivering complex programmes while building high performing, people focused digital and technology services. Her leadership is grounded in real operational experience, navigating sustained pressure, demand growth, and transformation at scale. She is known for her pragmatic, plain spoken approach, and her focus on how leadership behaviours shape organisational culture, particularly in environments where “always on” working has become the norm. 11:30–12:30 North East Breakout: What Should We Stop Doing - Sustainable Leadership in Unrelenting Times Breakout View Session Speaker: Madeline Hoskins, CTO, North Yorkshire Council and Local Government Advisor to the Government Digital Service

Presidential Address 10:40–10:55 President's Opening Speech Main Stage Robin Tuddenham, Solace President and Chief Executive of Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council Read More Previous More information to follow. Next

Support Session 10:10–10:20 Support Session 2: Coming Soon Solace LGR Support Previous Next