Victoria Ford

Managing Director

Victoria Ford is the Managing Director and Group CEO of Perago, a transformation delivery partner working across UK Government, local authorities, Welsh Government and the third sector. She co-founded Perago after a career as a senior civil servant, and has spent over 25 years in public sector delivery.

At Caerphilly County Borough Council, Perago’s work delivered £20m in savings in year one. The following year, after Perago had left, the council delivered a further £13.5m independently. That lasting impact, work that holds up once the delivery partner is gone, is what Victoria looks for in every contract Perago takes on.

Victoria has led large operational delivery units, run award winning communications teams, and worked on digital communications and culture change, including support for the Digital Strategy for Wales. She has advised chief executives and senior leaders across sectors on communications, delivery and capability.

Victoria is a Fellow of the Institute of Internal Communications , an accredited PR practitioner through the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and mentors and coaches other leaders in the sector.

Key achievements

→ Provided CEO level coaching and hands-on support to a local authority to create and launch a 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 of delivery with a roadmap for a further £45m savings. 

→  Delivered a Cabinet Office, cross government communication reform project that launched the acclaimed ‘The IC Space’ and also set up and led a change office for a major government agency that resulted in audited £100m year on year savings.

→ Implemented the communication and engagement approach for the new Centre for Digital Public Services in Wales. Delivered all activity for its initial phase including launching a website and blog for providing regular updates and creating a drumbeat around progress. Demonstrated ‘working in the open’ through show and tells, website content and blogs. Launched the first national community of practice focused on bilingual service delivery. 

→ Supported delivery of the Digital Strategy for Wales including analysis of workshop output to feed into strategy content, ensuring consistency of language and content and supporting communication of the new strategy including hosting a webinar with the Deputy Minister accountable for digital. 

→ Supported senior level restructuring of a national audit body to reflect the digital needs of the organisation and its users. 

→ Interim Head of Communications for a national audit body leading all communication activities and implementing an internal communications approach to ensure engagement throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. 

→ Reviewed, restructured and supported creation of a new communications capability for a not-for-profit organisation with over 3 million customers and 3500 staff including design of a new communications strategy, team training and development and delivery of review recommendations. 

→ Designed and delivered an award-winning communications strategy for an internal compliance programme impacting over 3500 staff. 

→ Deputy Director of a £85m, cross government technology transformation programme responsible for leading engagement with all government departments to deliver £280m savings over 4 years. 

Areas of Expertise

  • Communications
  • Engagement
  • Digital Strategy
  • Change Leadership
  • Operational Delivery
  • Governance
  • Organisational Strategy
  • Change Management
  • Executive Coaching