Emma Northcote

Engagement Lead

Em is a senior leader with over 20 years’ experience across UK policing. She has worked close to the front line and alongside public sector organisations, charities, and residents. Em understands the responsibilities and challenges facing organisations in designing and delivering good services. 

Skilled in data mining, user research, community engagement, service design, and communications, Em is a strategic thinker able to work collaboratively to meet audience needs. Alert to the challenges of today, she is committed to supporting leaders that inspire innovation and glimmers in others – while ensuring fairness of access and opportunity in all that they do. 

Key achievements

→ Led user research strategy development and implementation for a local authority transformation programme to deliver £65m of savings over 4 years while improving services to residents. The programme delivered £20m of auditable savings in the first year with a roadmap for a further £45m over 4 years.

→ Led redesign of a police press office and strategic communications function. Provided support to leadership decision making, aligned internal communication to organisational objectives, and developed an evidence-based preventative communications model to underpin proactive work.  

→ Head of Corporate Communications for the largest geographic police service in England and Wales, I represented the voice of rural forces across the national police communications network. I successfully lobbied for the recognition of alternative communication approaches when preparing national guidance relating to the management of messaging around terrorist-related activity, major crimes, and major incidents – all user-informed and tested during both exercise and live situations. 

→ Developed a research strategy to challenge the perception of what good public services look and feel like making recommendations on changes to organisational structure, improved engagement processes, and provided third sector partners with access to new data that enabled them to draw on funding and services that were directed back into restorative activity within communities. 

→ Successfully redesigned and led the process of guiding a decision-making body to confidently make risk-based spending decisions, relating to the expenditure of tens of millions of pounds – balancing safeguarding needs, mandatory compliance, and a significant reduction in available budgets. Co-designed the approach with stakeholders and followed the principles of working in the open. 

→ Finalist in the Leading Wales Awards 2014 – recognised for my commitment to improving public services, and my passion for ensuring users are heard and are provided with the tools to play and active part in designing services that matter to them. 

Areas of Expertise

  • User research
  • Data-informed decision-making
  • Strategic communication
  • Crisis & reputation management
  • Media relations and public engagement
  • Public affairs & stakeholder management
  • Welsh speaker