 Programme
9.30 – 10am: Registration
Reception area
Tea & Coffee
10am – 10.05 am: ‘Welcome’
Laura Fitzpatrick, think M., and Victoria Pagan of ERS provide an introduction to the event and progress with NortheRN & UKES network activity.
10.15am – 10.35 am: ‘Using hindsight effectively’
Dr Janice Mcmillan, and John Fenwick, programme directors from UNAN, present key findings from their recent research into learning and change in public bodies.
10.35am – 11.10am: ‘Qualitative approaches to assessing social policy’
Tom Foster of York Consulting outlines key decision criteria for selecting methodology and developing effective research strategies in support of evaluating social policy.
11.10am – 11.35am: Break for Tea, Coffee & Danish Pastries
11.35am – 12.10pm: ‘Meeting practical demands of programme evaluation’
Kerry Aldred of ONE North East and Neil Shaw of EKOS Consulting outline key aspects of a recent evaluation delivered for ONE North East’.
12.10pm – 12.35pm: ‘New thinking’
Paul Sutherland of think M. explores the use of online research tools in contemporary studies, and hosts a brief debate into their application in public sector research.’
12.35pm – 1pm: Formal Close / discussions
Biographies
Janice McMillan, Programme Director, Organisation and Human Resource Management, UNAN
Dr Janice McMillan is Principal Lecturer in Organisation and Public Services Management and Programme Director PhD Programmes. She joined Newcastle Business School in 2003 and has previously held posts at The Robert Gordon University and Nottingham Trent University. Her research interests include public policy and management and she has published widely on public service reform in the UK. She is Chair of the Political Studies Association Public Administration Specialist Group
John Fenwick, Programme Director, Organisation and Human Resource Management, UNAN
Previously, John was a local government officer, Lecturer at Hull University and former Newcastle Polytechnic. He joined Newcastle Business School April 2005. John is a registered Practitioner of the Higher Education Academy and a member of the British Academy of Management, the Political Studies Association of the UK and the Local Authorities Research and Intelligence Association.
John's teaching interests are public management, local government, and organisational studies. His programme responsibilities lie within research management, and John also contributes to the external management development activities and distance learning programmes of the Corporate Management Development Centre. John has long-established research interests in public participation and, more generally, in policy research. He recently concluded a study of political management in local government and the role of executive mayors (list of publications available on request). John's current research relates to organisational learning in the public sector and also to aspects of postgraduate learning and teaching.
Tom Foster, Senior Consultant
Tom Foster is a senior consultant with York Consulting. He is an experienced economic development practitioner, specialising in evaluation, business planning and project appraisals. He has undertaken assignments for a range of clients including DfES, DTI, DCLG, WAG, The World Bank and the RDAs. Recent projects include the evaluation of the impact of SRB in the North East; the impact of global supply chain linkage programmes; and the impact of 3G broadband on the Scottish economy.”
York Consulting is one of the UK’s leading independent economic development consultancies, specialising in evaluation and policy research in the fields of regeneration and economic development; learning and skills and education and schools.
Neil Shaw, Senior consultant EKOS Consulting
Neil has over 20 years of hands-on experience running projects in the public and voluntary sector and has worked extensively in the area of enterprise creation, skills training and business growth. For the last 9 years he has worked as a project development and evaluation consultant with an extensive portfolio including UK central government departments such as DfES and DTI, Scottish Executive and Welsh Assembly Government, RDAs, SSDA, the Health and Safety Executive and the TUC.
Neil has directed and managed projects in the fields of learning and skills, business support/competitiveness and social policy and is particularly interested in qualitative research. Assignments have varied from impact assessments to formative evaluations and strategy planning; from provision of project support to small projects to managing large national pilots.
Kerry Aldred, ONE North East
Kerry has over 10 years experience as an evaluation specialist working in the public sector, and has managed and undertaken evaluations in the NHS and criminal justice arena.
Kerry currently works with the NE Regional Development Agency developing and embedding the use of evaluation so as to inform decisions around investment. Her interests are very much around the practical application of evaluation theory and building capacity and skills for evaluation as part of project management. Recent work includes the development of a stakeholder review approach to evaluation on which a presentation will be delivered at this year’s UKES conference.
Over the past year Kerry has been working to establish a regional UKES evaluation network to draw the research/evaluation community together as a means to share learning and networking.
Paul Sutherland, Managing Director
Think M. Ltd
Paul has over 16 years experience in strategic consultancy, and has delivered a wide range of regional, national and international research projects. An active ‘chartered marketer’, paul is keen to raise the national profile of North East’s professional marketing and research services community.
Paul sits on the CIM’s national ‘Research and insights’ committee, and also co-ordinates NortheRN research community activity in support of the MRS (Market Research Society); He is also presently chair of marketing services, and a Director of Service Network, the regional service industry cluster.
His background includes 10 years in the public sector managing scale programmes, as well as a variety of roles in the private sector. He has significant experience in developing strategic marketing, research and intelligence services for the public sector, business and industry.
think M.’s team, is very active in the public sector, undertaking feasibility studies for significant new investments, assisting in service development projects, and undertaking service evaluations.
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