Hayley Grover-Ridgewell

Lead the CFO’s Office and wider Executive Offices function, providing strategic advice, executive support and organisational leadership. Responsible for running the executive operating rhythm, strengthening governance and ensuring senior leaders have the insight, alignment and support required to focus on strategic outcomes. Key responsibilities and achievements include:

• Act as trusted advisor to the CFO, providing insight, challenge and advice on strategic priorities, risks, organisational issues and stakeholder management.
• Translate executive priorities and strategic objectives into clear plans, actions and accountabilities, bringing together stakeholders to resolve issues, remove barriers and maintain momentum.
• Direct day-to-day Executive Office operations, coordinating leadership activity, resolving organisational issues and ensuring timely escalation and resolution of critical risks and blockers.
• Act as a connector across UKRI’s senior leadership system, bringing together stakeholders to resolve issues, align perspectives and maintain momentum.
• Lead development of UKRI’s organisational operating rhythm, identifying fragmentation across strategy, planning, funding, financial management, governance, performance and people cycles. Designing an integrated approach to improve organisational coherence, forward planning and decision-making.
• Strengthen Executive governance arrangements by improving clarity of purpose, accountability and decision routes across committees and forums.
• Support the development of UKRI’s future operating model, working with senior leaders to clarify accountabilities, improve alignment and establish sustainable ways of working.
• Transformed a fragmented executive support function into a single, flexible Private Office model, consolidating resources, redesigning line management arrangements and establishing clearer ways of working. Established consistent approaches to executive support, prioritisation and ways of working, improving resilience and quality of service.
• Built a collaborative, high-performing team culture focused on professional development, wellbeing and continuous improvement, enabling stronger strategic support to senior leaders
• Convene cross-functional teams to resolve complex organisational issues where ownership was unclear
• Build trusted relationships across senior leaders, government stakeholders, corporate functions and external partners, influencing through credibility, judgement and constructive challenge.
• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is a £10 billion, 9,000-person organisation sponsored by the Department for Business Innovation Science and Trade, funding and delivering national research and innovation priorities.

Responsible for establishing and leading the Private Office for the CFO, providing strategic executive support, governance coordination and stakeholder management across UKRI’s senior leadership environment. Key responsibilities and achievements include:

• Established and led an effective Private Office, creating clear ways of working and building strong relationships with other Executive Offices across UKRI and government.
• Prepared and quality assured briefings, papers and recommendations to support the CFO’s engagement with Board, Ministers, senior officials and organisational stakeholders.
• Provided oversight of corporate priorities and strategic initiatives, tracking progress, identifying risks and ensuring issues were escalated and addressed effectively.

Provided strategic support to the Chief Executive across dual roles as CEO of AHRC and Champion for all Research Council International activity in translating ambitious ideas and strategic priorities into practical delivery. Worked with researchers, policy leaders and stakeholders to develop proposals, shape thinking and create the structures needed to turn creative ambition into real-world impact. Key responsibilities and achievements include:

• Prepared speeches, reports, papers and briefings for internal and external audiences, translating complex information into clear and accessible messages.
• Applied knowledge of organisational governance, research policy and government priorities to support Senior Management Team discussions and decision-making.
• Maintained organisational oversight of CEO commitments, decisions and strategic actions, ensuring key issues were tracked, communicated and progressed through to completion.
• The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) is a national funding body with an annual budget of £77 million and around 100 staff. It supports research and postgraduate study through over 2,000 annual awards, delivered via partnerships with 70+ UK universities and research institutions. In 2018, AHRC transitioned into UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Provided executive support to senior leadership, Boards and advisory groups during a period of significant strategic development across the UK research and innovation system. Key responsibilities and achievements included:

• Supported Chief Executives, Chairs and senior leaders to deliver strategic priorities through effective executive coordination, governance support and stakeholder management.
• Developed strong understanding of organisational and government priorities, supporting annual planning activity and implementation of strategic objectives.
• Managed Board and advisory group processes, including agendas, papers, minutes, actions and stakeholder communication, ensuring effective governance and organisational memory.
• Anticipated and resolved sensitive issues, exercising judgement, discretion and political awareness in a complex public sector environment.
• Contributed to improvements in staff engagement and ways of working, supporting a positive organisational culture.
• Research Councils UK (RCUK) was a non-departmental public body coordinating the UK’s seven research councils, aligning national policy and funding for research and innovation across the arts, humanities, science, and engineering. In 2018, RCUK transitioned into UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).