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 Cat Little, Second Permanent Secretary at HM Treasury; 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 Charlotte Sausman, Associate Director, Policy Fellowships.
Policy Leaders Fellows
Susan Acland-Hood
Department for Education
Jenny Bates
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
Lucy Chappell
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
Richard Clarke
Home Office
Tamara Finkelstein
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
Jerome Glass
Ministry of Justice (MoJ)
Ali Griffin
London Councils
David Hill
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
Julia Kinniburgh
Department for Education
Paul Lincoln
Ministry of Defence
Angela McLean
Government Office for Science (GO-Science)
Sarah Munby
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)
Colm O'Reardon
Government of Ireland
Alison Pritchard
Office for National Statistics (ONS)
Jennifer Rubin
Home Office
Jo Shanmugalingam
Department for Transport (DfT)
Rebecca Sheeran
National Audit Office
Ceri Smith
Department for Business and Trade (DBT)
Catherine Vaughan
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
Lindsey Whyte
Financial Stability Group, HM Treasury
Policy Leaders Fellows - Alumni
Tera Allas
McKinsey & Company
Michael Anderson
Kosmos Energy
Simon Baugh
Cabinet Office
Gillian Beasley
Cambridgeshire County Council
Sam Beckett
HM Treasury
James Bowler
Financial Stability Group, HM Treasury
Jim Breslin
Renewable Energy Ireland
Deborah Bronnert
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
Deborah Cadman
Birmingham City Council
Nadia Calviño
European Investment Bank
Lindy Cameron
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
Alex Chisholm
EDF Energy
Juliet Chua
Department for Education
Alan Clamp
Professional Standards Authority
Jon Cunliffe
Bank of England
Gareth Davies
Department for Business and Trade
Shona Dunn
St John Ambulance
Helen Edwards
Recovery Focus
Leslie Evans
Scottish Government
David Eyton
Retired
Katie Farrington
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
Catherine Frances
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
Matthew Gould
Zoological Society of London
Iain Gray
Cranfield University
Paul Grice
Queen Margaret University Edinburgh
Tricia Hayes
Home Office
Sarah Healey
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Ed Humpherson
UK Statistics Authority
Joy Hutcheon
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
Nick Joicey
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
Bernadette Kelly
Department for Transport (DfT)
Gavin Kelly
Resolution Foundation
Julian Kelly
NHS England
David Kennedy
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
Paul Kett
PwC
Laurence Lee
Ministry of Defence
Sam Lister
Department for Business and Trade (DBT)
Cat Little
Cabinet Office
Helen MacNamara
Future Governance Forum
Robert Madelin
Fipra International Ltd
Charlie Massey
General Medical Council (GMC)
Clive Maxwell
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)
Scott McPherson
UK Health Security Agency
Emily Miles
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
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
UK Debt Management Office
Jeremy Pocklington
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)
Vikas Pota
Education Outcomes Fund
John Pullinger
The Electoral Commission
Ben Rimmington
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)
Antonia Romeo
Ministry of Justice (MoJ)
Philip Rutnam
National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR)
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 (KCL)
Lucy Smith
University of Oxford
Geoffrey Spence
Chloe Squires
Home Office
Abi Tierney
Welsh Rugby Union
Julia Unwin
York St John University
Patrick Vallance
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)
Alex van Someren
Government Office for Science (GO-Science)
Ashok Vaswani
Kotak Mahindra Bank
Tracey Waltho
Citizens Advice
Peter Watkins
Chatham House
David Williams
MOD, Defence and Security Accelerator
Katrina Williams
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
Chris Wormald
Cabinet Office, UK Civil Service
Philip Wynn Owen CB
European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)