Meet the board 2013/14

Transcription

1 Meet the board 2013/14

2 Introduction by Jacquie Smallwood (Chair) It is my great pleasure to introduce the ERSA board to you all. Being an ERSA board member is extremely rewarding, as we oversee some exciting and, at times, challenging work. It is also a big commitment and one that helps cement strong relationships between board members. We meet every two months, but in between those sessions board members work as a team and with members on issues that ERSA and the industry are facing. We also work with a range of stakeholders and our commissioners in order to improve performance and the service we provide as employability professionals. I know that all the organisations for whom we work are very committed to supporting us as we give our time to ERSA and industry wide business. The ERSA board is representative of ERSA membership. Board members come from a range of organisations: large and small private service providers; international third sector organisations and smaller specialist charities. It is this mix of organisations that makes the industry and ERSA so strong. I wanted to be ERSA chair because I truly believe that ERSA is of crucial importance to the industry and to improving the services and life chances we are able to offer to disabled and disadvantaged jobseekers, plus the employers whom we collectively serve. Some current employment programmes give us unparalleled freedom to offer a truly bespoke service to our jobseekers. However, this means that, more than ever, it is up to us to discover and implement the best possible way of supporting the long term unemployed into work. That is why ERSA is such an important organisation. We need to work together to share what is successful and to identify collectively what needs to change to enable this journey of continuous improvement. I have really valued my time so far as ERSA chair. Being able to make a difference to the individuals and their families whom we as an industry serve is immensely rewarding and I look forward to the new challenges that we will face together over the coming year. ERSA is the sector body for the employment related services industry. It exists to be the voice for the sector to improve standards for the benefit of all customers and to ensure a fair and effective market for the commissioning and delivery of employment services.

3 Jacquie Smallwood MIEP (Chair) Operations Director, Shaw Trust It is a privilege to serve as Chair of ERSA and I am immensely proud to work in this sector. With ERSA s extensive experience, knowledge and networks it is uniquely placed to influence public policy and significantly improve the circumstances of unemployed people now and in the future. Jacquie joined Shaw Trust (now merged with CDG) in October 2012, bringing with her over thirty years of welfare to work experience. She has responsibility for delivery of the charity s welfare to work operations across the UK. Jacquie has extensive experience across the employment sector, including management of inner city job centres and significant operational experience of working in diverse and disadvantaged communities. As one of the founder members of Working Links, Jacquie was a director with responsibility for IT and supply chain management and before joining Shaw Trust, she served as Chief Operating Officer at MAXIMUS. During a secondment from Working Links to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Jacquie worked with ministers and senior officials on the design and implementation of the Work Programme. Steve Swan FIEP (Vice Chair) Welfare to Work Director, Tomorrow s People I am passionate about ERSA s role as a vehicle to improve the industry and, as a result, improve the service received by those with whom the industry works. I think that to do this it is imperative that ERSA continues to represent the position of all provider members large and small, which is why I am particularly interested in supply chain, and related, matters. Steve has 39 years welfare to work experience, including 24 years with Tomorrow s People and 15 years working for the government employment and training departments. He has been involved in ERSA since its inception, has been a board member since 2009, board lead on the Supply Chain Forum since 2011 and Vice Chair since Steve is a board member of DWP s Merlin Advisory Board and a member of both ACEVO and NCVO Welfare to Work Groups, and is a member of the Institute of Employability Professionals (IEP) Compliance Committee. He also chairs DWP s Best Practice Sub-Working Group on VCS engagement.

4 Brian Bell MIEP Chief Operating Officer, Working Links Brian joined Working Links in April 2000 and was one of its original founders, starting as a director in the North East. In 2008 he led the operation through an enormous growth phase including, critically, the introduction of Flexible New Deal, together with skills and home affairs work streams. Brian was appointed Commercial Director in March 2010, responsible for growth opportunities within the UK welfare to work space and internationally and continuing to diversify the business in new markets. In May 2013, Brian took up the role of Chief Operating Officer and is responsible for all its operations and driving high-performance across the business. Brian spent his early career with Jobcentre Plus and so has considerable experience within the welfare to work market. Whilst working with Jobcentre Plus, Brian completed his MBA at Newcastle Business School, specialising in services for unemployed people. Outside work, Brian is a governor of Northern Counties College which provides education programmes for adults with complex disabilities. Chris Blackwell MIEP Managing Director, MAXIMUS Employment and Training I believe that ERSA has a key role to play as a representative body, working in partnership with its members and the government, to ensure that the positive impact of employment programmes for the highly disadvantaged continue to grow. Chris has been a member of the ERSA board since Chris is the Managing Director for MAXIMUS Employment and Training, a role he took up in 2012 after almost ten years working for Ingeus. After starting in welfare to work as a front line employment advisor Chris has worked on every major welfare to work programme since 2003 and is passionate about the sector. Chris has witnessed how employment programmes have evolved over time; growing larger, longer and more sophisticated and making a difference in the lives of more and more people.

5 David Jessop MIEP Director of Operations, RBLI ERSA is a strong and well established voice for the many private, public and third sector organisations delivering key services within welfare to work sector. My reason for active involvement with the board is to do all I can to influence the delivery of continuously improving support for those seeking to find and sustain work. David Jessop is Director of Operations at RBLI and has responsibility for front line operational delivery across RBLI s care, welfare, employability and social enterprise activities. He joined RBLI in 2001 having worked in various human resource management roles across the retail support services and hospitality sectors. David is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (FCIPD). Helen Robinson AIEP Director, The Salvation Army Employment Plus ERSA has an important role now and in the future to ensure that the Government is fully informed of how to best serve unemployed people in a cost effective way by being the voice of the welfare to work sector. Helen Robinson helped establish and is now the Director of The Salvation Army s (TSA) Employment Plus UK operations. TSA was one of the first ERSA members and in its early days hosted ERSA s operations and its two members of staff. TSA felt it important to join ERSA, as another fledging entity themselves, so that they could be fully informed about the changes in the welfare to work arena. Helen applied to become a board member as it was felt very important to have the views and experiences of subcontractors, especially those from the voluntary sector, plus the views of participants, heard at board level.

6 Jack Sawyer MIEP Chief Operating Officer, Ingeus I have never been an employment advisor but I wish I had been, I d be very proud to have been. The people in our industry do tremendously challenging jobs that are hugely important and highly impactful on the lives of others. I take what we all do very seriously, it is far too important to ever do with less than 100% commitment. The reason that I am on the ERSA board is to do more for unemployed people and more for our people, who dedicate their careers to changing the lives of others. Jack has worked for all of his career delivering public services as it is important to him that he makes a contribution. Since 2004 he has worked for Ingeus in welfare to work. Previously he worked in both railway and housing management roles, mostly focused on retail and customer services. Kate Still FIEP Director for Scotland, Rathbone I love working in a sector that provides opportunities for people to gain knowledge, skills, experience and help to find work. I work daily with fantastic staff truly dedicated to making a difference to the lives of others. My vision for the future for ERSA is based on growing its membership, enhancing its reputation for excellence in service delivery to its membership as well as offering a united voice on policy matters to government. Kate is currently responsible for all Rathbone activities in Scotland and is a member of the Senior Management team, supporting UK wide delivery of education, skills and employability. She was previously the Director of Development and Delivery at the Wise Group. She has a 20 years track record in delivery of results through leadership; strategic partnership working at EU, UK and Scottish levels; and financial, project and people management skills. Kate has experience and expertise in employment, criminal justice, regeneration and sustainability.

7 Rob Murdoch MIEP Group Partner Director, A4e ERSA is more relevant today than ever. Government and its partners are going through significant change and it s vital that we lay down the core foundations of a sustainable industry and continue to make a positive impact for the careers and prospects of the employability profession and those we support into work Rob Murdoch has been a board member since 2007 and is ex chair of ERSA. He is currently A4e s Group Partner Director, having also led A4e s bid, sales, policy and strategy teams. Rob has had an exciting and varied career including, starting his own window cleaning round, being an operator in a chicken factory, teaching and teacher training and working as an equity analyst in the investment community. Rob has seen the rapid growth of the sector and the great impact its people have of improving the lives of customers. Sean Williams FIEP Managing Director, G4S Welfare to Work I believe that ERSA is a powerful force for influencing public policy for the better, helping more people to move from unemployment into sustainable employment. Sean is the Managing Director of G4S Welfare to Work. Sean has spent his entire working career in the welfare to work sector, starting as a frontline Personal Advisor in Brent, London over 10 years ago. Since then, Sean has worked in research, policy, business development and operational management for some of the largest, most successful welfare to work providers in the UK. This includes Sean s previous role as Development Director at Serco Welfare to Work, as well as roles at Work Directions Australia, Ingeus and Working Links. Sean has designed and managed large-scale welfare to work contracts both across the UK and abroad. He has been a board member at ERSA since 2011.

8 Simon Newberry FIEP Chief Operating Officer, Ixion Holdings I am delighted that I can bring my varied experience to ERSA, not just as a member but also as a board director. It is a very interesting time for the welfare to work sector and the ability to help shape the future direction and focus of it as a board director is challenging, but exciting. ERSA continues to grow its influence as the voice of the sector and thus supports the sustainable growth of this important sector in which we work. Simon has over 12 years of experience within the welfare to work, skills and criminal justice sectors with A4e, Intraining, G4S and currently Ixion. In this time he has experience of operating as both a prime and a subcontractor and for large and small organisations. As Chief Operating Officer at Ixion and within previous managing director roles he has contributed to major strategy/policy change, substantive TUPE transfers, new programme implementations, Payment by Results (PbR) development, led on the Working Prisons initiative and developed VCS partnerships. Stuart Vere FIEP Chairman, Avanta ERSA has a key role to play as the industry s representative body working for its members and with the government and other stakeholders to ensure that the value and positive impact of the employability industry, working, for the hardest to help is recognised. It is also important that there is a strong industry voice in policy making and commissioning so that all stakeholders but particularly end users receive high value and expert services. Stuart became Chairman of Avanta Enterprises Ltd in April 2006, following the merger of TNG and InBiz. Stuart s background has been in CEO, board and chair positions, mainly in commercial service industries, both in the UK and overseas. He has a strong record of entrepreneurial and commercial success, achieved through leadership, creative strategic planning and consistent growth based around a belief in people and their capacity to develop and achieve. Many of the companies with which Stuart has been associated have involved start ups, management buy ins and company developments in areas such as health and training. A significant number of these have also been involved in the public/private sector interface. Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) 10 Greycoat Place, London, SW1P 1SB Telephone +44 (0) membership@ersa.org.uk Website: