Denise McGuckinManaging Director at Hartlepool Borough Council and Civil & Community Resilience Policy Lead at Solace < Speakers < Previous Next > Denise McGuckin Managing Director at Hartlepool Borough Council and Civil & Community Resilience Policy Lead at Solace Denise has over 27 years’ experience in Local Government, all with Hartlepool Borough Council. She has had various roles include Environmental Services Manager, Neighbourhood Manager, Community Safety Partnership lead, Assistant Director for Environment and Neighbourhoods, Director for Regeneration and Neighbourhoods. Prior to this she worked in the private sector in hospitality.

Professor Catherine StaiteEmeritus Professor of Public Management < Speakers < Previous Next > Professor Catherine Staite Emeritus Professor of Public Management University of Birmingham Professor Catherine Staite LLB, MBA, FRSA is an Emeritus Professor of Public Management at the University of Birmingham. She is involved in research and consultancy, specialising in leadership and governance. She currently works with Darlingburn Ltd, providing specialist consultancy in governance, especially where councils are at high risk of failure. She is a former Director of the Institute of Local Government Studies (INLOGOV) and a former Director of the Office for Public Management. Between 2001 and 2005 she worked for… Show More

Barry Quirk CBESpecial Advisor < Speakers < Previous Next > Barry Quirk CBE Special Advisor LGA, and to PwC’s public sector practice Barry is an advisor to local government on governance, management and strategy. In October 2022, he completed a 45 year service record in London’s local government. This was mostly as a chief executive: first at Lewisham (1993-2017), and then at RB Kensington and Chelsea (2017-2022). He has worked in every form of governance and has deep experience of both service and democratic innovation. He has a PhD in the political and social geography of public policy. His 2013… Show More

Dr Catherine HoweChief Executive < Speakers < Previous Next > Dr Catherine Howe Chief Executive Adur and Worthing Councils Dr Catherine Howe is Chief Executive of Adur and Worthing Councils. She is an expert in digital innovation, focusing on the area of digital democracy and systems practice and has a background which connects together technology, community and social change. Catherine has worked across a number of different sectors including education, not for profit and the technology industry. Catherine was CEO of a successful SME, Public-i Group Ltd, before moving to Capita to redevelop Capita’s digital transformation approach and then… Show More

John Amaechi OBEOrganisational Psychologist < Speakers < Previous Next > John Amaechi OBE Organisational Psychologist Founder of APS Intelligence There are many things to tell you about John. There’s all the usual bio stuff: Professor John Amaechi OBE is a respected organisational psychologist, and the Leadership Transformation Expert at APS Intelligence LTD, the consultancy he founded in 2006. At APS Intelligence, John and his team of specialists' partner with businesses to build bespoke programmes focused on executive coaching and behavioural change that help create effective leaders and authentic and ethical cultures. This is what John believes leads to sustainable… Show More

Hal KhanomHead of Strategy and Community Participation < Speakers < Previous Next > Hal Khanom Head of Strategy and Community Participation London Borough of Barnet Hal is a strategist and service designer who works alongside communities to develop new solutions to increasingly complex challenges. She rethinks systems, the ways we work and how we relate to the place around us, to support democratic renewal and greater fairness. Translating ideas into delivery, she has lead work at neighbourhood level that creates the conditions for inclusive economies; leading socioeconomic projects and programmes in inner and outer London in local government, and across the most disadvantaged areas in… Show More

Leanda CableLead Specialist in Strategy & Resource Directorate < Speakers < Previous Next > Leanda Cable Lead Specialist in Strategy & Resource Directorate Maldon District Council Leanda has worked in local government for 18 years mainly specialising in skills and economic development. She has a passion for delivering projects for local businesses and communities. In her current role, Leanda is leading on Maldon District Council’s UK Shared and Rural England Prosperity Fund allocations and delivering the Corporate Plan Priority of Helping the Economy to Thrive.

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

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

David BurnsDavid Burns < Speakers < Previous Next > David Burns David Burns Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council & Solace Northern Ireland Chair David Burns has been the Chief Executive of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council since November 2018, making the move across from Scotland with his wife and 2 children. David worked for Councils and Housing Associations in the West of Scotland for close on 25 years, with a particular focus on Council housing, housing management, community planning & engagement, capital projects and regeneration initiatives. In his spare time, David is an assistant referee with the Irish Football Association, operating at Championship… Show More

Tim KleinschmidtHead of Service Design < Speakers < Previous Next > Tim Kleinschmidt Head of Service Design Cadence Innova Tim Kleinschmidt leads the service design practices for Cadence Innova with over fifteen years of experience designing and improving online and offline services within the public sector, with a focus on creating a better end-to-end experience. He is an intuitive customer-centric leader who combines systems thinking, design methodologies, best practices, process improvement techniques, and effective communication to bring people together to create better digital services and throughout his career focused on improving online and offline services in Defence, Energy, Health,… Show More

Sarah HealeyPermanent Secretary of the Department < Speakers < Previous Next > Sarah Healey Permanent Secretary of the Department The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) Sarah Healey was appointed Permanent Secretary of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) on 7 February 2023. Prior to this, she was Permanent Secretary of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) from 2019 and before that worked in the Cabinet Office where she was the Director General overseeing the development and implementation of economic and domestic policy following two and a half years working on negotiations and preparations for the UK to leave the… Show More