What is the Policy Leaders Fellowship?
The Policy Leaders Fellowship addresses the needs of the most senior policy makers – whether in Whitehall, devolved administrations or local government in the UK, or equivalent organisations – providing access to research and academic expertise. Launched in 2013 under the Chairmanship of former UK Cabinet Secretary Lord Wilson, its discussions focus on the need for long-term thinking, the value of evidence, and fresh perspectives on key challenges.
Who is the Fellowship for?
Policy Leaders Fellows join the Fellowship by invitation. Those who take part include Permanent Secretaries and Directors-General from Whitehall and beyond, as well as Chief Executives of agencies, local government and foundations.
What does the Fellowship involve?
Our Leaders Fellows participate both in one-to-one meetings with leading academics and in roundtable discussions with researchers and other Fellows. The Fellowship meets once a term in Cambridge, and is now chaired by the Master of Trinity College and former Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Dame Sally Davies.
Over the course of the two-year Fellowship, Fellows are invited to six days in Cambridge, and we ask that they commit to attending at least two days per year.
In addition to these days in Cambridge, Fellows and alumni are invited to dinner discussions co-hosted by The Royal Society in London up to three times a year.
What topics are covered?
Roundtable meetings have included discussions on the intelligent use of modelling in government, the future of work, cities, conspiracy and democracy, and open policy making in a digital world; they have also explored the latest thinking on academic frontiers such as biodiversity, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and bioelectronic medicine.
What are the benefits of joining the Fellowship?
- access to senior academics across all disciplines
- membership of a network of high-level policy professionals
- access to structured interactions, including the opportunity to convene bespoke discussions
- the challenge to thinking which is characteristic of the Fellowship process, promoting innovation and creative approaches.
- Read more about the PLF experience from Lucy Smith, Director General at Defra and Paul Kett, Director General at DfE.
Policy Leaders Fellows (and alumni)
Current Policy Leaders Fellows and alumni are listed below. To learn more, contact Karri Aston, Programme Manager.
Policy Leaders Fellows
Susan Acland-Hood
Department for Education
Jenny Bates
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
Simon Baugh
Cabinet Office
Jim Breslin
Government of Ireland
Alan Clamp
Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care
Shona Dunn
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
Katie Farrington
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
Tamara Finkelstein
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
Catherine Frances
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC)
Bernadette Kelly
Department for Transport (DfT)
Julia Kinniburgh
Department for Education
Laurence Lee
Ministry of Defence (MoD)
Cat Little
HM Treasury
Scott McPherson
UK Health Security Agency
Alison Pritchard
Office of National Statistics (ONS)
Ben Rimmington
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)
Chloe Squires
Home Office
Abi Tierney
Home Office
Alex van Someren
Government Office for Science (GO-Science)
Lindsey Whyte
HM Treasury
Policy Leaders Fellows - Alumni
Tera Allas
McKinsey & Company
Michael Anderson
Kosmos Energy
Gillian Beasley
Cambridgeshire County Council
Sam Beckett
Office of National Statistics (ONS)
James Bowler
HM Treasury
Deborah Bronnert
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
Deborah Cadman
Birmingham City Council
Nadia Calviño
Spanish Government
Lindy Cameron
National Cyber Security Centre
Alex Chisholm
Cabinet Office
Juliet Chua
Department for Education
Jon Cunliffe
Bank of England
Gareth Davies
Department for Business and Trade
Helen Edwards
Recovery Focus
Leslie Evans
Scottish Government
David Eyton
Retired
Matthew Gould
Zoological Society of London
Iain Gray
Cranfield University
Paul Grice
Queen Margaret University Edinburgh
Tricia Hayes
Home Office
Sarah Healey
Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC)
Ed Humpherson
UK Statistics Authority
Joy Hutcheon
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
Nick Joicey
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
Gavin Kelly
Resolution Foundation
Julian Kelly
NHS England
David Kennedy
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
Paul Kett
PwC
Sam Lister
Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
Helen MacNamara
Robert Madelin
Fipra International Ltd
Charlie Massey
General Medical Council (GMC)
Clive Maxwell
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)
Emily Miles
Food Standards Agency
Jonathan Mills
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)
Jeremy Moore
BPDTS Ltd
Shan Morgan
Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust and Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust
Clare Moriarty
Citizens Advice
Geoff Mulgan
UCL Public Policy
Sue Owen
Jeremy Pocklington
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)
Vikas Pota
Education Outcomes Fund
John Pullinger
The Electoral Commission
Antonia Romeo
Ministry of Justice (MoJ)
Philip Rutnam
National Churches Trust
Philip Rycroft
Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge
Hayaatun Sillem
Royal Academy of Engineering
Andrew Slade
Welsh Government
Jonathan Slater
King's College London
Lucy Smith
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
Geoffrey Spence
Julia Unwin
York St John University
Patrick Vallance
Natural History Museum
Ashok Vaswani
Barclays
Tracey Waltho
Citizens Advice
Peter Watkins
Chatham House
David Williams
Ministry of Defence (MoD)
Katrina Williams
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
Chris Wormald
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
Philip Wynn Owen
European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)