The latest round of the Chairs’ Challenge, hosted by Mark McAllister from the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), was held last week.
The Chairs’ Challenge series is one strand of a regular programme of events run by the Public Chairs’ Forum.
This month’s session explored how Chairs of public bodies can work collaboratively with the private sector to deliver public services more efficiently and cost effectively.
Each session begins with a contribution from speakers with a particular experience in the chosen topic.
Kate Ellis, Chair of the Oil and Pipelines Agency, described her approach to public-private collaboration working within the Ministry of Justice and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, along with her experiences interfacing with the public sector as a BP executive, where she held senior commercial roles for 22 years.
Jane Hanson CBE, Chair of Reclaim Fund Ltd, spoke about the challenges associated with the fund’s transfer from the private into the public sector. She also shared valuable insights from her role as a Non-Executive-Director within HM Treasury.
Mark said: “This is proving to be a highly stimulating and enjoyable series.
“By identifying key strategic themes, of interest to all public bodies, and bringing the combined experience of Chairs to the discussion, we aim to promote a learning environment from which all public bodies can benefit.
“This particular session was a good reminder that because of their size, mission and culture, Arm’s Length Bodies, such as ONR, have the agility and commercial prowess to collaborate successfully with the private sector.”
Regular Chairs’ Challenge sessions are planned through the year, with the September session entitled ‘Government in Transition’, examining the challenges for public bodies in the run up to a General Election.