New Director for Birmingham's Centre for Public Service Partnerships

The University of Birmingham has appointed John Tizard as the first Director of its Centre for Public Service Partnerships.

John will direct the UK's first independent Centre for Public Service Partnerships (CPSP), a joint venture between the University’s Schools of Public Policy and Business. The newly established Centre is destined to become the leading source of authoritative, evidence-based research and advice for governments, the corporate sector, the voluntary sector, other stakeholders and academics.

John currently has responsibility for The Capita Group’s strategic relations with Government, the wider public sector and other national public policy and regulatory bodies. He advises on the Group’s strategic responses to legislation, regulation and public policy issues which impact on both its private and public sector business and its management of these issues. John has been at Capita for ten years and previously held senior management positions in the voluntary sector and a leadership role in local government. He has also has served in a non-executive capacity in the voluntary and health sectors.

John says: “The future of public services is one of the most important political, social and economic challenges domestically and globally. The Centre aims to influence this future. We shall bridge the divides between academic research, policy development and practical implementation by drawing on international evidence, experience and expertise. We also aim to support and promote new models of partnership between and within the public, business and third sectors; and between commissioners, providers, customers, citizens and the wider community.”

The public sector is increasingly partnering with businesses, voluntary organisations, social enterprises for the delivery of public services and infrastructure. The Centre will undertake and actively disseminate cutting edge research into partnerships, strategic alliances and other joint initiatives between and across the public, private and third sectors. It will also act as a forum for dialogue and debate between the sectors on the best ways to deliver effective outcomes through partnership.

John says: “This is an unique opportunity and we intend to work with others to challenge orthodoxy, identity successes, understand what works and why and propose new solutions. We shall put partnership into practice as we foster collaboration with stakeholders and the international academic community.”

Professor Edward Peck, Professor in Public Services Development and
Director of the School of Public Policy at the University says: “I am delighted John has agreed to be the founding Director of the Centre. John brings wide and varied experience from across the public, private and third sectors which will enable the Centre to build on the University's existing activity in this area.”

The Centre is being funded over an initial five-year period through the generosity of Rod Aldridge through his foundation and University alumnus Professor Keith Palmer, who graduated from the University in 1968. Fellow alumnus Michael Rawlinson, who studied Social Sciences and Economics and graduated in 1991, also supports the venture. It is also supported by a donation from Balfour Beatty.

John Tizard will take up his new position in January.

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Notes to Editors:
The Centre for Public Service Partnerships has been achieved through funding from the University of Birmingham, Balfour Beatty and three sources:

Rod Aldridge is the Founder of the Capita Group, which he led from its formation in 1984 until his retirement in July 2006. During this time the Group has become a FTSE 100 company and the market-leading provider of support and professional services to government and to the private sector in the UK. Rod has now established the Aldridge Foundation to further the work of his charitable trust primarily focused on education underachievement and social exclusion in the young, but also to focus on removing the barriers to the reform of public services in general.

Keith Palmer has held senior positions in the private sector, the public sector, academia and the voluntary sector. Currently he is Vice Chairman of Rothschild, a major UK investment bank, Chairman of Cambridge Economic Policy Associates, an economic and financial advisory firm, Chairman of Infraco, a public private partnership that promotes infrastructure development in developing countries and a part-time Professor at the University of Dundee Centre for Energy and Mining Law and Policy.
www.keithpalmer.org

Michael Rawlinson is one of four directors at the new investment bank Liberum Capital.
Mr Rawlinson previously held the position of Managing Director of Equities at Cazenove & Co which he joined in 1997. He was involved in the IPO's (Initial Public Offering) of a variety of leading mining players including Billiton, Anglo American, Xstrata and Vedanta and lead coverage of the UK mining sector.

Prior to joining Cazenove he had four years experience in corporate finance in the Flemings (now JP Morgan) mining team.

Further media information:
Anna Mitchell, Press Officer: tel: 0121 414 6029 / mob: 07920 593946 / email: a.i.mitchell@bham.ac.uk