PUBLIC EVENT
We are delighted to welcome you to the third Policy Fellowships Showcase, hosted by the Royal Academy of Engineering.
This evening event brings together civil servants, engineers, and subject matter experts to explore how engineering and systems thinking can help address complex policy and delivery challenges. This evening event will highlight the ongoing work of our Policy Fellows, share the real-world impact of the programme, and bring together people from across policy and engineering to exchange ideas, challenges, and insights.
The event will feature Policy Fellows who will share how they have applied engineering and systems thinking to improve policy and public services, from raising standards in the tax advice market to strengthening safety assurance for self-driving vehicles and building innovation culture across research and industry.
The programme includes a keynote address by Dr Hannah White OBE, CEO of the Institute for Government, short presentations from three Policy Fellows, and a panel discussion on the theme ‘From challenge to impact: What helps policy ideas turn into change?’ The panel will explore what enables promising policy ideas to gain traction, including a deeper look at how we build national capacities for long-term change.
The evening concludes with informal networking, with opportunities to connect with policy advisors, Academy Fellows, and peers from across sectors, and exchange perspectives on common policy challenges such as systems change, decarbonisation, and AI.
If you’re a policymaker, civil servant, or someone working to improve public services, this is a space to pause, connect with peers, and see how new perspectives, particularly from engineering and systems thinking, can support better outcomes. Whether you're curious about the programme or already part of the growing alumni network, we look forward to welcoming you.
Programme
| 5.30pm | Registration |
| 6.00pm |
Welcome address Dr Natasha McCarthy, Associate Director, Policy, Royal Academy of Engineering |
| 6.05pm |
Keynote speech Dr Hannah White OBE, Director and CEO, Institute for Government |
| 6.15pm |
Showcase presentations by Policy Fellows
|
| 6.35pm |
Panel discussion: From challenge to impact: What helps policy ideas turn into change? Facilitated by Dr Natasha McCarthy, Associate Director, Policy, Royal Academy of Engineering
|
| 7.00pm | Audience Q&A |
| 7.25pm | Closing remarks |
| 7.30pm |
Networking reception with informal exchanges on shared policy areas with academy fellows: systems change, decarbonisation, and AI Academy Fellows
|
| 9.00pm | Close of event |
Photography/filming notice
Please note that photography/filming may take place during this event. All photographs and videos will be securely stored on the Academy’s servers and used for editorial, marketing and media use by the Academy and selected press or industry media. Please let us know if you do not agree to this processing. Please refer to our General Privacy Policy for more details.
Venue and accessibility
It is very important to the Royal Academy of Engineering that our events are accessible to all. If you have any accessibility requirements, please contact the Policy Fellowships team more than one week in advance of this event so that necessary arrangements can be made. Contact details: [email protected].
Further information about accessibility at Prince Philip House can be found at: https://raeng.org.uk/about-us/accessibility.
Diversity monitoring form
The Academy is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and one of our goals is to develop an engineering community fit for the future. To help us achieve this, we would like to collect some basic anonymous data about the event attendees. If you would like to help, please complete the diversity monitoring form by logging into your user account on our website and completing ‘Update my D&I data’.
Chris Irwin
Chris Irwin is the Deputy Director, Agent Policy at HMRC.
Chris is a senior civil servant with wide-ranging experience in shaping high-impact policy and leading cross-sector change across government and industry. His career has spanned a range of complex policy areas, where he has brought together multidisciplinary teams to deliver practical outcomes and lasting impact. He has a strong interest in the role of leadership in enabling collaboration, confident decision-making, and organisational culture. Chris completed his Policy Fellowship while working on standards and regulation in the tax advice market. His challenge explored what policy interventions are most likely to be successful in raising standards and improving outcomes for consumers and the wider economy.
Elena Gillies
Elena is the Head of Automated Vehicles Act Implementation, Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, at Department for Transport.
Elena started her career on the Welcome Trust, a global health research charity, before moving to Public Health England’s Parliamentary team, various private office roles at the Department for Education and rail reform roles at the Department for Transport. Elena completed her Policy Fellowship whilst leading policy development of the authorisation of self-driving vehicles. Her policy challenge focused on delivering robust safety assurance for the new self-driving vehicle framework, specifically exploring what detailed technical requirements should form the basis of secondary legislation and guidance for connected and autonomous vehicles.
Frances Downey
Frances is former Head of Research and Innovation Culture Strategy at UKRI, and currently the Head of Science and Research Policy at Cancer Research UK.
Frances has nearly 20 years of experience in research and innovation strategy and policy, having worked across government, national academies, and NGOs. Before joining CRUK, she led ambitious and multi-strand programmes that shaped national policy and strengthened collaboration across sectors. Frances completed her Policy Fellowship while exploring how government policies can foster innovation culture across research and industry, creating safe spaces for inclusive dialogue, diverse perspectives, and the sharing of best practice.
Dr Hannah White OBE
Hannah is the Director and CEO. She leads the Institute in its work to make government more effective.
Hannah is a regular commentator on the radio and television – including BBC television and radio, ITV, Channel 4, Sky News, Times Radio, and international broadcasters – and writes regularly for a wide range of print media – including the Telegraph, Guardian and the Times. She hosts the Institute’s weekly Inside Briefing podcast and co-hosts The Expert Factor briefing with Paul Johnson of the IFS and Anand Menon of UKICE.
Hannah has a PhD in Human Geography. She started her career as a parliamentary clerk in the House of Commons, working on select and legislative committees and advising on parliamentary procedure. In 2012 she was appointed secretary to the Committee on Standards in Public Life in the Cabinet Office. Hannah joined the Institute in 2014 and was appointed Director and CEO in October 2022.
Hannah is a non-executive director of the Law Commission and also serves as deputy chair of trustees for the public participation and deliberation charity Involve. She received an OBE in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to the constitution, and in 2022 she published her first book Held in Contempt: what’s wrong with the House of Commons?.
Dress Code
Business casual
Networking
Registration will open at 5:30 PM, followed by networking over refreshments. After the event, there will be a networking session with nibbles and drinks.
About the Policy Fellowships programme
As the UK’s national academy for engineering and technology, the Royal Academy of Engineering brings together the most talented and successful engineers, finest systems thinkers and outstanding talent in technology for the benefit of society. The Policy Fellowships inspires policymakers to think differently and to use engineering and systems thinking to frame complex and wicked problems, and design resilient solutions. The programme has grown a unique network of policymakers, engineers and other experts who are working together to develop fresh insights and approaches to economic, social and technical problems.