Friday 19th May, 1-2pm

Join us for a webinar chaired by Michael Roy, Professor of Economic Sociology and Social Policy, Glasgow Caledonian University to explore the potential opportunities to tackle health inequalities through the work of Regional Economic Partnerships in Scotland.

Jo Winterbottom, Organisational Lead for Regional Economies and Health at Public Health Scotland (PHS), will share some of the lessons learned from the PHS Collaboration with Glasgow City Region. This will be followed by a panel Q&A session with:

• Kevin Rush, Director of Regional Economic Growth, Glasgow City Region

• Michael Kellet, Director of Strategy, Governance & Performance, Public Health Scotland

• Dr. Rachel Phillips, Regional Economic Policy Unit, Scottish Government

 

About the panel

Michael Roy, Professor of Economic Sociology and Social Policy, Glasgow Caledonian University

Michael Roy PhD MSc BSc (Hons) FHEA is Professor of Economic Sociology and Social Policy and leads the Social Economy Research Group.

His primary area of research concerns social enterprise and other ‘alternative’ economic forms. He has written extensively in major international journals on the health and wellbeing impacts of social enterprises; on policy ‘ecosystems’ supporting the social economy; and on innovative funding mechanisms such as Social Impact Bonds. He was awarded the Helen Potter Award of Special Recognition 2017, for the most original article in Review of Social Economy by the Association for Social Economics, which was founded in 1941 in the United States. In 2022 Professor Roy was elected as Chair of the Development Trust Association Scotland.

Kevin Rush, Director of Regional Economic Growth, Glasgow City Region.

Kevin Rush, Director of Regional Economic Growth, Glasgow City Region. A graduate of the University of Glasgow, Kevin worked as a political adviser at Westminster and Holyrood before joining Glasgow City Council in 2008 to provide policy advice to the Leader of the Council.
He became Senior Adviser to the Leader early in 2012, where he managed the Leader’s Office. In January 2014, after a period as Assistant Head of Economic Development, he was appointed Head of Economic Development at Glasgow City Council, in which he had responsibility for employment, inward investment and business support in Glasgow. He was also responsible for the development and implementation of the Glasgow Economic Strategy 2016-23.

He was appointed to his current role in August 2017 where he is responsible for driving forward the implementation of the Glasgow City Region Economic Strategy and overseeing the delivery of the Glasgow City Deal.

Michael Kellet, Director of Strategy, Governance & Performance, Public Health Scotland

Michael’s focus is to ensure PHS makes an effective contribution to improving Scotland’s public health, and that the organisation is best equipped to meet that challenge.

Michael joined PHS in August 2022 from the Scottish Government where he was Director for Population Health. Having over 20 years experience in Scotland’s public sector, his roles have contributed to health, resilience, and education within Scottish Government. He was private secretary to three separate Ministers and represented Scotland in the USA. Further, he was also the Chief Officer of the Fife Health and Social Care Partnership.

Jo Winterbottom, Organisational Lead for Regional Economies and Health, Public Health Scotland.

Jo came to Public Health Scotland in May 2021 to lead the Regional Economies and Health programme. She has drawn on her experience from work in West Dunbartonshire HSCP, Glasgow City Council, the Third Sector and consultancy across a range of policy areas including youth work, community engagement, social care, housing, refugees and asylum seekers, substance use and placemaking.

Dr. Rachel Phillips, Regional Economic Policy Unit, Scottish Government

Rachel joined the Scottish Government in 2019, where she has focussed on developing the Scottish Government’s policy on regional economic development, including the role and profile of Regional Economic Partnerships. Rachel led on working with the Regional Economic Policy Advisory Group, who published a review of regional economic development in December 2022. That review came with 11 recommendations aimed at increasing the autonomy of regions, improving capacity and integration, creating a more supportive placed based funding and policy environment for regional activity to function, and establishing hubs for economic analysis within every region.

Prior to her role at SG, Rachel worked as a political researcher for a Westminster MP, looking at matters of social justice, health and social care. Her PhD from Edinburgh University is in philosophy, specifically the metaphysics of death.