All Speakers Joanna Key Director General for Regeneration, Housing and Planning, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) Joanna Key is Director General, Regeneration, Housing and Planning at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Joanna was previously Director of Growth and Infrastructure at HM Treasury and Director for Domestic Affairs at the Cabinet Office. Prior to the Cabinet Office, she spent three years working as a director at the Department for Exiting the European Union, leading the work on the legal and constitutional implications of the UK’s departure from the EU. Joanna joined the UK Civil Service in the mid-1990s and, over her career, has worked on a wide range of issues including economic growth, Brexit, planning and housing, climate change and energy policy. Married to a diplomat, she has lived, worked and travelled extensively in the Balkans and China, returning to the UK in 2015 after three years working in Beijing on urban policy and growth. She has a master’s degree in economics. Thursday 16 October 2025 14:15–14:55 1.5 Million Homes: Ambition, Action, and Accountability Pearl Suite, Royal Armouries Go to session

All Speakers Asim Ali VP of UK Sales, Granicus For almost 25 years, Asim has worked closely with Public Sector organisations, helping them use digital tools, technology, and consultancy to gain better outcomes for their customers, whilst creating significant internal efficiencies and cost-savings. Over the last decade, UK public sector bodies, have been under tremendous pressure to continue to provide services to their communities whilst having to make huge cuts to their budgets. Over 450 public sector agencies have turned to Granicus to help them to reach and engage with their audiences and provide improved ways of managing customer interactions. From outbound communication tools to public consultations, to online service provision, to CRM, to workflow automation and more, we have a platform that helps public sector organisations to transform how they deliver services and information for their communities. We also have the consultancy knowledge and expertise to help our customers to design and build human-centred services, campaigns and engagement strategies. We are driven by knowing that our solutions make a real difference, not only to our customers, but to the lives of the citizens that they serve. Thursday 16 October 2025 15:45-16:25 The Silent Stakeholder: Why Residents Deserve a Seat at the LGR Table Barton Suite, Royal Armouries Go to session

All Speakers Mike Land City Manager of Coppell, Texas, and President-Elect of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Michael Land is the City Manager of Coppell, Texas, a role he has held since 2017 following five years as Deputy City Manager. With over three decades of public service experience, Mike is also the President-Elect of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). His career includes serving as Town Manager for Prosper, City Manager and Community Development Director for Gainesville, Texas, and Planning & Zoning Director in Tavares, Florida. He also worked in private-sector land planning in Sarasota and Orlando, where he chaired Sarasota County’s Affordable Housing Task Force. Mike is a Credentialed Manager through ICMA, a Certified Public Manager, and holds a Bachelor of Environmental Design and Master of Science in Land Development from Texas A&M University. He is a graduate of the Senior Executive Institute at the University of Virginia and holds a Project Management Certificate from Duke University. A dedicated mentor and leader, Mike has served as President of the Texas City Management Association, on the ICMA Board of Directors, and on advisory boards for Texas State University, UTA’s MPA program, and Texas Women’s Leadership Institute. Recognized among “21 Leaders for the 21st Century” by the Collin County Business Press, Mike is committed to advancing professional local government and fostering community success. He and his wife Lisa live in Coppell and enjoy spending time with their three daughters and four grandchildren. Thursday 16 October 2025 12:15–13:15 International Perspective Main Stage, New Dock Hall Go to session

Graeme McDonaldManaging Director < Speakers < Previous Next > Graeme McDonald Managing Director Solace and Solace In Business Graeme McDonald is Managing Director of Solace and Solace In Business and is responsible for the overall strategic direction and management of the organisation. Prior to joining Solace Graeme has spent over fifteen years working in local government. He has worked for London Borough, Metropolitan and District councils; his final role was as the Director of Policy and Performance at the London Borough of Ealing. He also has experience in roles within social care, housing and environmental services, as well… Show More

All Speakers Simon Allsop B.Com, CPFA Managing Consultant, CIPFA Simon Allsop is a CIPFA qualified accountant and a Senior Consultant with CIPFA. He was previously the joint Director of Finance (Section 151 Officer) for both Derbyshire Police and Fire. He has 30 years of experience working with and in a range of public-sector bodies mainly local government, fire and police. He has extensive experience of audit and advisory work as a former senior manager in KPMG’s public sector audit and advisory team working with the NAO and Audit Commission, including supporting the development of medium term financial strategies, budget and financial management review methodologies and corporate services value for money benchmarking tools. Other past advisory roles have included secondments to Birmingham City Council to provide support on the Council’s Estates Development programme and the Home Office to help review proposals for Police mergers. Simon leads on CIPFA's financial resilience work and the delivery of our work for DLUHC in supporting financially challenged local authorities and recent reviews of workforce capacity and capability working with the LGA. He is currently supporting a number of authorities to assess their financial resilience and recovery plans and has also undertaken a number of reviews of high debt authorities and local authority companies. Thursday 16 October 2025 15:45–16:25 Local Government Reorganisation: Practical Advice and Support Aire Suite, Royal Armouries Go to session

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

< All sponsors CCLA Stand 11 www.ccla.co.uk CCLA is one of the leading investment managers for local authorities in the UK as well as the largest fund manager for charities in the UK for the past consecutive five years based on the number of charities invested with us (Charity Finance surveys). CCLA was named the Investment Week’s Sustainable Investment Fund Management Group of the Year for 2023 (AUM under £50bn) and Money Marketing’s Best ESG Provider for 2024. CCLA is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

< All sponsors MHR Stand 7 mhrglobal.com MHR is a specialist provider of HR, payroll and finance software. Through its People and Finance platform, MHR enables sustainable high performance – for organisations and for the people working within them – by making work flow. MHR powers better real-time decision-making across the core business functions of finance, HR, payroll and learning, helping organisations to be more effective and efficient. Proudly independent and family-owned since its founding in 1984, MHR’s 850 employees, based in Nottingham, serve over 1,400 customers across the UK and Ireland.

Stand TBC < Back Snowflake www.snowflake.com Councils are complex, data-rich organisations. However, this data is often fragmented across departments, trapped in legacy systems, and difficult to access for timely decision-making. Snowflake, a cloud-based data platform, offers a modern solution to this fundamental challenge, empowering your council to become truly data-driven. Snowflake is a data platform built on the cloud that centralises all of your council's data—from social care records and housing applications to waste management schedules and financial systems—into a single, secure environment. Unlike traditional, costly data platforms, Snowflake’s unique architecture separates computing power from storage. This means you only pay for the resources you use, making it highly efficient and scalable, a critical consideration for managing tight public sector budgets. The key benefits for councils are transformative: Break Down Silos: Snowflake allows you to connect data from different departments to create a holistic view of your citizens and services. This enables proactive, preventative interventions and more effective resource allocation. Secure Collaboration: You can securely share data with trusted partners, such as the NHS, police, or neighbouring councils, without complex data transfers. This enables seamless, real-time collaboration on shared priorities like public health or crime prevention. Empower Decision-Making: By providing a single source of truth, Snowflake enables your teams to use data analytics and AI to understand trends, predict demand for services, and measure the impact of your initiatives, leading to more intelligent and effective policy-making.

Stand TBC < Back Fujitsu global.fujitsu/en-global

Sara ToddChief Executive < Speakers < Previous Next > Sara Todd Chief Executive Trafford Council Sara is the Chief Executive of Trafford Council, a role she took up in 2019. She is a Mancunian and a planner by trade having studied at the University of Manchester. She is also the NHS Greater Manchester (GM) Place Lead for Trafford as part of GM’s Integrated Care System arrangements, as well as being Lead Chief Executive for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) portfolio for Education, Work and Skills. Sara has over 30 years of local government… Show More

Josh DunnDirector Sustainability < Speakers < Previous Next > Josh Dunn Director Sustainability EY Josh leads our Sustainable Places practice, working closely with local government to balance financial, economic, social and environmental sustainability, building more resilient communities and improved resident outcomes. He has worked in local government for more than a decade, focusing on built and natural environment and improving place-based services, and has worked with over 35 Council’s in that time. He specialises is net zero, climate change and how the transition to a green economy will impact the future of local gov… Show More