Tell us about your experience on the Fellowship Programme?

It was fantastic to get an insight into the different sectors on the programme.

I was on the business side of the programme. In society I think the interrelationships between the three strands of business, civic society and politics is maybe not as close as it should be. So it was really good to get an understanding of politicians’ priorities and maybe to try and persuade them of where the priorities are for business, but also for business to reflect and see what we can give back to civic society, where we can work with the public sector, with charities and organisations, to support their work and also then for all three strands to work together as one. We’re sort of working on our silos a little too much and it can be quite hard for politicians to understand the priorities of those other sectors.

How has it helped your outlook in your work?

I think in terms of the network that I’ve developed, as a result of the programme, it’s been hugely beneficial. I’m interacting with people on the programme like politicians and business people in different sectors. I work in financial services and for businesses outside of that, it’s been fascinating to get an insight into where their priorities lie. Also in terms of what we require from politicians, in terms of investment and where skills shortages lie, and I’ve been feeding that into my organisation.

What would you say to anyone thinking of applying, you know, what could they expect to get out of it?

I think it’s primarily a personal growth thing. You’ll come out of it with a greater sense of perspective.

You understand where politicians are coming from: politicians are criticised non-stop but there are huge pressures on them. Charities and civic society have massive pressures on them as well, so I think the opportunity to understand different perspectives is the one thing I would take from the programme.