Chief Executive Officer, Thames Skills Academy

Policy Fellow Alumna, Centre for Science and Policy

Katherine Riggs is the Chief Executive Officer of Thames Skills Academy, a Group Training Association which supports employers in the Port of London.

Previously, Katherine was Director of the Thames Vision Project, leading the 12-month project to shape a vision for the River Thames over the next 20 years, covering all its aspects – economic, social and environmental. Before joining Port of London she was head of Defra’s Strategy and Implementation Unit, creating Defra’s ten-point growth plan to embed the Government’s economic development agenda; developing an overarching strategy for biosecurity, covering animal and plant health; and preparing the department for the 2015 General Election. Previous Government policy roles have included developing and implementing the EU rural development programme; sponsoring the Foresight Global Food Sustainability report; and at the FCO, representing the UK at EU negotiations on agriculture.

Katherine holds a degree in environmental science and a PhD in soil chemistry; her career has used this analytical background to apply to policy roles. Her objectives for the Policy Fellowship are to explore with academics how to take a wider context into account in policy making development and decisions. In particular, she is keen to explore how to take fuller account of longer-term developments in short-term decision-making and how best to take full account of non-economic factors.