Aspire 4 October 2017 Strategic HR & OD Business Partner Programme for Welsh LG Celebration Day

Date: Wednesday 4 October 2017 Time: 10:00am arrival for a 10:30am start until 4pm (complimentary lunch and refreshments included) Location: Ricoh Suite, City Stadium, Leckwith Road, Cardiff, CF11 8AZ Chaired by: Colin Williams, West Midlands Employers

How HR and Business Partnering can be a mechanism to address some of the BIG ‘Strategic Business’ challenges facing the public sector today.

The LGA is proud to be a partner on Aspire, a national HR & OD programme with a difference. Our aim is to support and empower HR professionals to be credible and hugely influential partners in the decision making processes in councils, with a focus on decision making that not only resonates, but influences the business. Our aim is to collaboratively develop a strong network of insight-led professionals driving leading edge performance across the sector. Sarah Messenger, Head of Workforce, Local Government Association Celebration Day Programme

10:30 13:35 Welcome CIPD in Wales Jonathan Lloyd, WLGA Harry Barton, Nottingham Trent University

10:35 13:40 Public Services in Wales – Theme 3 Workforce Matters Identifying the commercial opportunities of the HR Function: A Guide for Local Authorities” Alison Ward, Chief Executive, Council Rebecca Bradshaw, City of Cardiff Council Geraint Edwards, County Council 10:55 Debra Jenkins, Vale of Council Introduction to themes 14:25 Colin Williams, West Midlands Employers Theme 4 11:00 Meeting the Challenge of Change “What ingredients are required to retain employees’ discretionary effort?” [What Theme 1 makes staff go the extra mile?] “How can we embrace digital technology to configure HR services differently in the future” Melanie Warburton, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council Amy Hutchings / Chris Walsh / Carla Davies, Karen Phillips, Council County Borough Council Debra Paskell, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Leanne Evans, City and County of Council

11:45 15:10 Theme 2 Closing Remarks – Shaping the How can Local Authorities attract, recruit and engage 16- future of Business Partnering 24 year olds to ensure they have a diverse organisation that reflects the community it serves, and ensure together succession planning for the future? Jonathan Lloyd, WLGA

Jane Westwood Gover, Newport City Council 15:15 Alyson Watkins / Claire Ford, Vale of Glamorgan Council Presentation of Certificates & Close Jane Stansfield / Caroline Davies / Norah O’Leary, Nigel Carruthers, Local Government Association City of Cardiff Council

12:30 Networking Lunch

13:30 Welcome Back Colin Williams, West Midlands Employers Our panel of experts Throughout the day, our panel will be asking questions and providing feedback on aspire delegates’ presentations.

Equally the audience will have time to question our panel on the themes, to ensure a robust debate on the 4 themes of the day.

Nigel Carruthers, Senior Advisor, Workforce Strategy & Policy from Local Government Association Nigel has worked for and in local government for over 20 years. He is Keynote speaker the Senior Advisor for Workforce Strategy leading on engagement, performance management, resourcing and Alison Ward, talent management for local government nationally. The Chief Executive, Torfaen role provides advice, guidance and practice support to County Borough Council councils in England and Wales. Alison grew up in Herefordshire Current activities focus on improving manager and and read law at Exeter University. employee performance, organisational re-design and She joined West Glamorgan Council as a improving workforce efficiency and productivity. Nigel Child Care Lawyer and specialised in that area of law is the LGA’s workforce lead for the North East and until Local Government Reorganisation. She worked for Yorkshire & the Humber regions. Previously, Nigel was a CBC as Assistant Director of Social National Programme Manager at the Improvement and Services and Housing, and joined Torfaen in 2002 as Development Agency for Local Government, managing Assistant Chief Executive, being appointed as Chief diverse national programmes of work such as Local Executive in November 2004. Government Careers, National Recruitment Campaigns, Smoking Cessation Initiative, Healthy communities Alison recently completed a seven-year term as a Non- project, National Competency Framework Initiative, Executive Director of the Institute of Customer Services. Get On Campaign and Strategic Workforce Planning She is also a Council Member of the national Canals and Network. Rivers Trust and a founder member of the Welsh Public Services 2025 think tank. Jon Rae, Alison is also lead Chief Executive for the South East Director of Resources, Wales Regional Partnership Board, which is responsible WLGA for co-ordinating collaboration for the ten local authorities making up the South East Wales region. She was Chair Jon has worked in variety of of SOLACE Wales in 2009/2010. She was one of the research and analytical roles in the founders of the Frailty Programme and chaired private and public sector. He has the programme board until implementation in April 2011. worked as a capital market analyst at Reuters Ltd and as a consultant for public Alison is the secretary and chair of the Welsh Public sector clients. Sector Employers Group and a member of the Welsh Government Workforce Partnership Council. He has also worked as a statistician for the LGA special interest group, the County Council Councils’ Network, Until recently Alison was a Non-Executive Director on based at Somerset County Council. Recently he has held Public Health Wales. various positions in the Welsh Government working on local government finance and public service reform. In the 2011 New Year Honours Alison was awarded the CBE for services to local government. Debra Wood-Lawson, Deputy Director, Aneurin Bevan University Health More information Board on Aspire events visit In February 2017 Debra became www.aspirehrbp.org.uk the Deputy Director for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and has worked for the University Health Board since March 2016 when she started Assistant Director. Links Before moving to the Health Sector Debra worked @WelshLGA at Newport City Council as Head of People and Transformation and Head of HR, Policy and #aspirehrbp Performance. During her time in local government she also chaired the HR Directors Network which involved representing the sector on a range of National bodies.

With a career spanning 30 years Debra has worked across a number sectors including both Public and Get in touch Private Sectors. with Welsh Local Government Association Professor Harry 029 2046 8600 Barton PhD, MBA, MA.HRM, BSc, [email protected] Chartered FCIPD, Principal follow @WelshLGA Fellow HEA, FRSA Emeritus Professor www.wlga.gov.uk Up until to his retirement in early 2017 Harry Barton was Professor of Human Resource Management and Professional Practice and Head of Research at Nottingham Business School (NBS), Nottingham Trent University.

Prior to this Harry held posts in policy development, research and management within the Metropolitan Police, Audit Commission and Cardiff Business School.

His wider research interests are in the areas of international HRM; public services management; ‘lean’ in public services; police performance management and the future of management education, outputs of which have resulted in both national and international publications.

He has previously served as Chair of the South East Wales Branch of the CIPD and in 2014 he was elected as a Council Member to the British Academy of Management and the following year he was made a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Authority.