Involve hires systems thinking expert and Bond CEO, Stephanie Draper, as Director of Innovation & Practice (Interim), to lead design and delivery of innovative participation and deliberation.
We are excited to announce that Stephanie Draper has been appointed as Director of Innovation & Practice (Interim) at Involve.
It’s a critical time for democracy in the UK. In the face of polarisation, low trust in government, the cost of living crisis and the urgent need for climate action, we need to build a vibrant democracy where everyone can shape a society that works for us all. The public must have a real, meaningful say in the important decisions which will help us address the challenges of the 21st century.
Involve has an ambitious strategy to develop, support and campaign for new ways to make public participation and deliberation an everyday part of democracy. Stephanie will join us as Interim Director to lead our Innovation & Practice function, supporting our highly-skilled and passionate team to turbo-charge our practice across all four nations of the UK.
Stephanie brings twenty years of experience working in stakeholder engagement, with a particular focus on how collaboration can catalyse a better future. Working with Forum for the Future and later as CEO of Bond, she has deep experience of futures, strategy, and leadership.
Stephanie will join Involve’s management team along with CEO, (Sarah Castell), Director of Capacity Building and Standards (Sarah Allan), Director of Advocacy and Communications (Calum Green) and Director of Finance and Support Services (Gareth Bridges).
“I am delighted to welcome Stephanie, and looking forward to working together, as Involve steps into the huge opportunity we see today; to create a stronger democracy through our innovative participatory and deliberative practice. The management team at Involve were impressed by her experience, leadership and commitment to supporting our expert team. We are confident that she shares our values of equity, collaboration and integrity, and a belief in purpose and quality in engagement.”
“I am excited to take on this important role and join inspirational colleagues in the Involve team. Having been working towards a just and sustainable future for many years, I am convinced that citizen participation is an essential component of any just and equitable change - in this role I hope to contribute to making that happen”.
“The Involve team are the UK’s experts in the design and delivery of deliberative and participatory processes. We are delighted that Stephanie can join us to build on the team’s work and help us rise to the challenge of creating a hopeful, vibrant democracy.”