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Ruth Kennedy

Founder, Director, The Public Office (CPI Europe Board)

Biography

Ruth leads ThePublicOffice team, and is passionate about public service transformation that prioritises the citizen experience and leads to both improved outcomes and efficiencies. She uses her energy and diplomacy to build creative spaces within and between organisations in which genuine collaborations focused on citizens not services can grow, challenging received wisdoms and vested interests where necessary.

She is a systems thinker and explicitly seeks to create learning environments to grow the leadership and culture needed to support new ways of thinking and doing. As a geographer Ruth thinks sideways, always making connections, and is adept at drawing threads together for example across the complexities of the health and social care landscape.

Ruth has worked with some of the nation’s leading politicians, with senior teams from central government, local government and the NHS, and leaders of the largest companies supplying the UK public sector. Places she’s been an employee include the No10 Policy Unit, Department for Education, Guardian News & Media.

Previous clients include: Kings College London, RSA Public Services 2020 Commission, Swindon Borough Council, Essex County Council, and London Borough Croydon where she led the award-winning Total Place programme.

Ruth is a Senior Associate of Innovation Unit, an Enabler for Local Government Leadership, trustee at One Plus One, and vice chair of governors at her local primary school. She is very excited about the local community of Peckham, where she ably supported/kept in her place by her husband, 3 boys, and a garden.

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