Public Sector Productivity Roundtable

The Programme for Government references a 10-year public service reform with some specific suggestions, but what does productivity mean in the public sector? 

This roundtable brings together key stakeholders to explore the challenges and opportunities in enhancing public sector productivity. Focusing not just on identifying problem areas, but on where The Productivity Institute and Prosper can add value, the discussion will inform a research proposal aimed at driving meaningful improvements in Scotland’s public sector productivity.

Speakers:

• Susan Love, Strategic Engagement Lead, ACCA
• Richard Robinson, Senior Manager, Audit Scotland
• Stuart Bain, Chief Officer for the Employers Team, COSLA 
• Scott Barnett, Chief Information Security Officer, NHS National Services Scotland
• Bridgette Wessels, Professor of Social Inequalities, University of Glasgow, Co-Lead Productivity institute Scotland Forum 

Clare Reid, Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Prosper will chair the roundtable.

Agenda:

• 09.30 – 10.00 Registrations and Networking
• 10.00 – 11.00 Panel Discussion
• 11.00 – 11.30 Q&A
• 11.30 Close

This event is part of the National Productivity Week and it is delivered in partnership with The Productivity Institute Scotland Forum.

Seats will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis

Clare’s role at Prosper fulfils her passions.

Clare looks after our Policy team and leads on government and stakeholder engagement, Peer Works and Stemovators. She loves working with our fantastic, talented team across all of these areas and getting to meet the most amazing array of people in her daily work. She really enjoys finding out about what’s going on in their worlds, uncovering future trends and bringing people from diverse industries, sectors and backgrounds together to make a difference.

Outside of work you’ll probably find Clare cooking up a storm in the kitchen, on a bike or up a hill walking and talking with family and friends.

Stuart Bain has worked in local government for 24 years and has been with COSLA for the last 6. He has been Chief Officer for the Employers’ Team since December 2023. Before taking on his current role he worked as a Policy Manager in the team on all its areas of work including, but not limited to, working on national pay negotiations, terms and conditions, pay modelling and calculations, supporting Employer’s work with Scottish Government, providing support to the Resources Spokesperson, and liaising with professional advisers in councils across Scotland.

Before joining COSLA Stuart carried out a wide range of HR roles in Fife Council. Prior to that he had HR roles in Boots the Chemist. He started his HR/OD career with a major UK photo-processing company way back in the long-ago-time when we used to take our holiday snaps on film. (Stuart still sometimes uses film for his holiday snaps.)

Susan Love is the Strategic Engagement Lead for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in Scotland, the global professional body for professional accountants. ACCA’s members and future members in Scotland work across a wide range of roles in finance in public, private and third sectors.

Susan has responsibility for leading the organisation’s engagement in Scotland with government and other key partners. Susan also sits on the board of the Economic Development Association of Scotland, which works to improve the skills, knowledge and networks of those who work in economic development. Beginning her career working for former Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, Sir George Reid, and serving as an elected member of Stirling Council, have given her a wide-ranging knowledge (and occasional geekery) of government and public policy at both local and national level.

Having most recently worked as a passionate advocate for smaller businesses for FSB Scotland for many years, Susan is a well-known contributor to policy discussions about business and the economy in Scotland.

Susan lives with her husband and two young sons in Clackmannanshire.

Prof Bridgette Wessels is Co-lead of the Scotland Forum of the ESRC funded Productivity Institute. She is Professor of Social Inequality at the University of Glasgow. Here research focuses on inclusive growth and improving prosperity for all. She has worked with private, public sector and third sector partners on projects that aim to improve outcomes for business, public sector, communities and people.

Richard is Audit Scotland’s performance audit lead for Scottish devolved fiscal powers, wider public finances and the reform agenda. In recent years this has included auditing the Scottish Government’s approach to Covid-19 spending, the public sector workforce and financial planning. He began his career in financial audit in England where he gained his CIPFA qualification before moving to Scotland to focus on performance audit.

Richard has represented Audit Scotland as an expert lead for the fiscal framework, national long-term performance outcomes and equalities budgeting. He believes in the importance of the close links between financial and performance reporting to show the difference public money makes. Richard is a keen proponent of public sector reform, heading up Audit Scotland’s engagement with a wide variety of public sector leaders on reform activity and the role of public audit.

Scott Barnett is an established Information and Cyber Security leader, with strong people and risk management skills and a broad technical security knowledge. He has over twenty years cyber security experience in protecting the customers and partners of large and global organisations.

Scott joined NSS in 2020 after 12 years in the private sector where he held various senior cyber security roles, including Deputy CISO at TSB Bank. Prior to that he served as a Police Officer in the Scottish eCrime Unit, and has hands on experience of several major cyber security incidents. Since joining NSS, Scott has driven the commission and creation of the Cyber Centre of Excellence by NSS, opening its doors in December 2022, with a mission to protect NHS Scotland’s patients and staff from cyber harm.

Scott is a long-established member of UK and International cyber security and fraud communities and is a Certified Information Security Manager and Certified GDPR Practitioner.