Ben Connah

2 months ago | civilserviceworld.com | Jess Bowie |Ben Connah

Before becoming an executive coach, Peter Shaw was a civil servant whose decades as an official spanned several departments and three director general posts. Since switching careers in 2004 and becoming a founder member of the international coaching organisation Praesta Partners in 2005, he has coached chief executives from multinational companies, public sector bodies and charities, as well as permanent secretaries, DGs, vice-chancellors, board chairs and emerging leaders.

Jan 17, 2025 | civilserviceworld.com | Tevye Markson |Ben Connah

Ministers have swerved several key recommendations from the Covid-19 Inquiry’s first report, including the creation of a new UK-wide body for whole-system civil emergency preparedness and resilience. The government yesterday published its response to the inquiry’s Module 1 report on the resilience and preparedness of the UK, which called for “fundamental reform” to civil emergency planning.

Jan 3, 2025 | civilserviceworld.com | Ben Connah |Jim Dunton

Like almost everyone in early 2020, I saw first-hand the impact the pandemic had on public services. I was working in the Department for Education and over the coming months I watched as Covid-19 turned the lives of the nation’s children and students, parents and teachers upside down. And like everyone I watched the nightly updates on the grim toll it was taking on the public as a whole. When I heard that the government decided to set up a public inquiry, I knew I wanted to get involved.

Sep 23, 2024 | cityam.com | Ben Connah

Tuesday 24 September 2024 4:38 am | Updated: Monday 23 September 2024 7:52 pm Letter to the editor: Why the Covid Inquiry should interest City A.M. A member of the public observing the National Covid Memorial Wall, Photo credit: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire It was disappointing to read the suggestion from your editor-in-chief Christian May yesterday that the “main purpose” of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry is “a form of stage-managed catharsis”. I cannot agree. It is estimated that the total cost of UK...

Apr 29, 2024 | belfasttelegraph.co.uk | Ben Connah

This public inquiry, entirely independent of any government, concerns a pandemic that touched everyone. Society was turned upside down when Covid hit and all our lives were affected. The public deserves a thorough and comprehensive examination of how decisions were made and actions taken during that unprecedented time. As a country, we must learn lessons for the future ahead of the next pandemic — because we all know there will be one.