Upcoming Events OLD

This event provided chairs with the opportunity to discuss their experiences, and hear from experts, on how to lead through challenging times and safeguard organisational ethics in line with the Nolan Principles.

Good Governance – Leading People Summary – 23 October 2020

This event provided chairs with the opportunity to discuss their experiences, and hear from experts, on how to lead through challenging times and safeguard organisational ethics in line with the Nolan Principles.

PCF Conference – 13 October 2020

Our conference provided Chairs with the opportunity to share their experiences and insights, providing a lively discussion over an extended session.

Webinar with Rt Hon Peter Riddell CBE, Public Appointments Commissioner – 23 June 2020: Event Summary

Members discussed the latest developments in the public appointments process with the Commissioner for Public Appointments as his five-year term draws to close. The following are recommendations he and our members make for areas to drive improvement.

Value for Money Webinar, 11 May 2020: Event Summary

This seminar invited members to consider the importance, and challenges, of demonstrating value for money to the public and wider government – particularly in light of Covid-19.

Commerciality and the Public Sector, 06 March 2020: Event Summary

This seminar for PCF members explored the matter of commerciality, discussing both the opportunities and limitations of profit-making practices for public bodies, and how comfortably these sit alongside one’s public service commitments.

Seminar with Peter Riddell, Commissioner for Public Appointments, and Chris Skidmore MP, Parliamentary Secretary, Minister for the Constitution, Cabinet Office 1 February 2017

We were delighted to welcome Peter Riddell, Commissioner for Public Appointments, and Chris Skidmore MP, Parliamentary Secretary, Minister for the Constitution, Cabinet Office, for our members to hear first-hand about the implementation of the new Governance Code on Public Appointments.

Civil Service Effectiveness – with Chair of the Public Administration & Constitutional Affairs Committee, Sir Bernard Jenkin MP – 31 January 2019

Sir Bernard Jenkin MP spoke with PCF and ACE members, from the perspective of his role of Chair of the Public Administration & Constitutional Affairs Committee, (PACAC). Last year, the Committee published its report, The Fulcrum of Whitehall Effectiveness, which examined civil service capability and the relationship between ministers and officials.

Public Chairs’ Forum Seminar – Sir Mark Sedwill, Cabinet Secretary & Head of the Civil Service – July 2019

The Public Chairs’ Forum was delighted to welcome the Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill to a private seminar.

Event Summary – Implementation of Sir Gerry Grimstone’s Review of Public Appointments Public Chairs’ Forum (PCF) seminar with Rosalyn Eales, Deputy Director, Centre for Public Appointments

The PCF were delighted to host a seminar with Rosalyn Eales, Deputy Director for the Centre for Public Appointments on the implementation of Sir Gerry Grismtone’s Review of Public Appointments, which was published on 11th March 2016 and sets out key recommendations for the public appointments process.

Conference Summary – 14 October 2015

The PCFs conference in 2015 was themed Seizing the initiative: the contribution of public bodies to the next wave of transformation and aimed to prepare Chairs lead transformative action after the November Spending Review.

Public Chairs’ Forum & Association of Chief Executives Brexit and the delivery of public services – 15 January 2019 – Event Summary

With the date for the UK’s departure of the European Union drawing near, in addition to being held on the same day of the meaningful vote in Parliament, this seminar was a salient opportunity for chairs and chief executives of public bodies to discuss with Lord Callanan, Minister of State for the Department for Exiting the European Union, (DExEU), the government’s agenda for Brexit.

Giving Evidence to Select Committees – 29 June 2018 – Institute for Government

Giving evidence to a select committee often fills those appearing with a feeling of trepidation, so Chairs of public bodies welcomed sage advice from Bob Neill MP, Chair of the Justice Select committee, and
member of the Liaison committee, and National Security Strategy Joint committee.

Public Chairs’ Forum Annual Conference 2017 – Perspectives on Brexit

On Wednesday 18th October, the Public Chairs’ Forum was delighted to host their annual conference on the theme of Brexit. There are many arm’s-length bodies, (ALBs), in the UK that are impacted by EU funding, regulations and legislation and therefore the direction of negotiations over the next two years are of vital importance to the delivery of public services.

Event Summary – PCF member-led seminar: ‘If I had my time again – capturing lessons learnt’

We were delighted to welcome members to share challenges and discuss lessons learnt from their careers as public sector Chairs.

An introduction to the Committee on Standards in Public Life, with Committee Chair, Lord Bew – 20 November 2017, Institute for Government

The Public Chair’s Forum was delighted to welcome Lord Bew, the Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, to speak to members about the work of the Committee.

Public Chairs’ Forum seminar – 24 September 2018 – Working Effectively with Department Non-Executive Directors

This seminar was an opportunity for members of the Public Chairs’ Forum (PCF) and department non-executive directors (NEDs) to consider how they can make best use of their expertise, to ensure the public services they oversee are being delivered effectively.

The Vision of Public Sector Audit with National Audit Office Comptroller and Auditor General, Sir Amyas Morse

The Public Chairs’ Forum (PCF) and Association of Chief Executives (ACE) were delighted to welcome Sir Amyas Morse, Comptroller and Auditor General (C&G) at the National Audit Office (NAO), to share his experiences leading the organisation for the past nine years, and provide lessons learned to arm’s-length bodies.

Board Appraisals Workshop – A Public Chairs’ Forum event in partnership with Deloitte – Event summary

Dr Jay Bevington, Partner and Leader of Deloitte’s Board advisory practice, has worked with over 350 boards over 15 years, offering independent board effectiveness, governance and risk reviews in public and private sector organisations.

Digital Transformation – Event Summary – Public Chairs’ Forum seminar in partnership with the National Audit Office – 24 May 2018

On 24 May, the PCF was delighted to welcome Max Tse, Executive Leader for Digital Transformation at the National Audit Office to host a roundtable discussion with members.

Sir Jeremy Heywood, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service – 1 December 2017, Institute for Government

The Public Chairs’ Forum welcomed Sir Jeremy Heywood, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service to hear the latest on the Civil Service’s priorities and to give members the opportunity to engage in private discussion.

Public Chairs’ Forum event – Diversity, Equality and Inclusion for Boards – 6 June 2018

Following the launch of the Centre for Public Appointments Diversity Action Plan, this seminar was an opportunity to consider what action can be taken and how chairs can be supported to meet the Government’s ambitious targets to make public boards more inclusive and diverse.

Sir Mark Sedwill, Acting Cabinet Secretary and National Security Adviser – 5 October 2018, Institute for Government

The Public Chairs’ Forum welcomed Sir Mark Sedwill, Acting Cabinet Secretary and National Security Adviser to discuss the current priorities within government and to give members the opportunity to raise any issues of relevance to Arms’-Length Bodies.

Event Summary – Working in Partnership: ALB and Departmental NEDs – Public Chairs’ Forum (PCF) seminar with Sue Langley, OBE, Lead NED at the Home Office

We were delighted to welcome Sue Langley OBE, Lead NED at the Home Office, to speak to our members at our seminar on 9 June.

‘A Discussion on Public Appointments with Sir Gerry Grimstone’ – Event Summary

The Public Chairs’ Forum’s most recent seminar was a private discussion led by Sir Gerry Grimstone, Lead Non-Executive at the Ministry of Defence, to discuss the process of Public Appointments in the UK.

Discussing the leadership challenges for Chairs of public bodies

The “Leadership Challenges for Chairs of Public Bodies” event followed a slightly different format to other PCF events as it was member-led and structured around challenges highlighted by the PCF network of Chairs.

How to prepare for a new administration, with Lord Kerslake – 17 July 2018 – Institute for Government

A lengthy period of austerity, ongoing negotiations about how the UK will leave the European Union, and a minority government, has meant that the likelihood of a General Election does not feel impossible.

‘Whistleblowing and the role of the Chair and board’ – Write-up of the PCF seminar with Cathy James, Chief Executive of Public Concern at Work

At this seminar, Cathy James, CEO of Public Concern at Work talked about whistleblowing and the important role that Chairs and board members have to play.

Write-up of PCF seminar on ‘Customer Perceptions of Public Services’

The Public Chairs’ Forum held a seminar on Customer Perceptions of Public Services. The keynote speaker was Ben Page, Chief Executive of Ipsos MORI. Ipsos MORI is a leading market research organisation that has worked extensively for the UK Government, looking at public attitudes to key public services to inform social policy.

PCF Event Summary – Leadership Challenges for Chairs of Public Bodies

This roundtable event followed a slightly different format to other PCF events as it was member-led and structured around feedback from the PCF network of Chairs.