'I am motivated by a desire to improve public services and outcomes, especially for those who are most vulnerable and marginalised. Since joining OPM in 2002, much of my work has involved helping policy-makers and practitioners use research and evidence to improve their decisions.
For the past few years, I have been centrally involved in the national evaluations of both local strategic partnerships and local area agreements. I am working on the national evaluation of new unitary authorities and the two-tier pathfinders. These studies provide fascinating insight into the benefits of partnership working, some of the challenges, and the factors that help lead to success. They have also given me the opportunity to think about how partnerships can strengthen their accountability to local people and operate in more efficient ways.
Before joining OPM, I worked as a voluntary sector consultant, with Compass Partnership. I believe passionately in the huge potential of the sector to improve public services to create stronger communities and am now working to build OPM’s practice in this area. In a previous life, I was an academic publisher. Much of my work at OPM has involved working with academics and I continue to look for ways that OPM can act as a bridge between the world of ideas and practical implementation.'