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Please note that the seminars are in-person only and not streamed or recorded.
Monday 9 February 2026, 5.00pm – 6.45pm
Nissan Institute Lecture Theatre, St Antony’s College
What can MPs learn from what has already worked in transforming their institutions for 21st Century?
Government projects for transformation that have been a success can seem rarer than hens’ teeth. There’s a growing sense that Government itself cannot achieve change but is that true or have there been examples that offer lessons that are overlooked and what does that tell us about how to deliver?
Speakers:
David Freud’s first career was as a journalist, training in Cardiff on the Western Mail and then moving to the Financial Times, where he spent his last four years writing the Lex Column. In 1984 he began his second career, in the City, where he specialised in equity markets, company flotations and transport. His most dramatic deal was the flotation of Eurotunnel in the teeth of Black Monday. He ended up as Vice Chairman at UBS before retiring in 2003. Afterwards he wrote a book on the experience called Freud in the City.
A spectacular failure as a retiree, he took up a job as CEO of the Portland Trust, which worked on both sides of the Israel/Palestine divide. Here he designed the initiative to build Rawabi, the first planned city for Palestinians in modern times.
He also produced an independent report for the UK Labour Government on welfare to work in 2007, called Reducing Dependency, Increasing Opportunity. This led to a job as Conservative Minister for Welfare Reform (2010-16), where he worked to reshape the British welfare system. In particular he was involved in creating and shaping Universal Credit, to break the poverty and welfare traps. He described the gruelling experience in another book: Clashing Agendas
He created the Grandmentors programme in 2009, working with the charity Volunteering Matters. This provides older mentors for children leaving care. He became President of Volunteering Matters in 2019.
Thomas Elston is Associate Professor of Public Administration at the Blavatnik School of Government. He is the author of Understanding and Improving Public Management Reforms (Policy Press, 2024), and Co-Director of the London PhD Colloquium for Public Management.
Dr Elston’s research focuses on the organisation and management of public services, particularly in terms of performance, resilience, reform and democratic control. At the School, Thomas teaches classes on political science and public management, and conducts workshops for senior leaders on strategy, organisational learning and resilience.
Thomas also consults for governments in Europe and North America on issues related to inter-organisational collaboration, civil service performance and public sector reform.