CEO Blog | Dr Neil Bentley-Gockmann OBE
When The Whitehall & Industry Group (WIG) was established by the Cabinet Office in1984 to build understanding and share learning between the public and private sectors, it had collaboration at its core.
Today we operate arguably in a faster-changing, more volatile and more uncertain environment, in which the challenges we face are increasingly complex and interconnected – and collaboration between government, business and social sector leaders is needed more than ever.
And it is this context - the rich legacy and the growing potential to convene leaders to collaborate for the common good - which excited me about the role of CEO at WIG.
I firmly believe no one sector has a monopoly on wisdom when it comes to tackling the social, economic, technological and environmental challenges we face.
And regardless of political direction the country takes over the coming years, it is impossible to imagine a government which will not need to lean on the leadership expertise and resources from across other sectors to deliver economic growth and prosperity for all.
WIG’s mission to convene leaders who believe in the power of cross-sector collaboration is therefore as relevant as ever, as the engine of change for the common good.
I have seen WIG in action close up over the past few weeks, and I am looking forward to working with our 240 member organisations to champion the power of collaboration. This includes fostering cross-sector strategic dialogue, sharing intelligence on the big issues we face and enhancing leadership capabilities through development programmes, secondments and mentoring.
Developing collaborative leadership mindsets and skill sets is vital. That’s why we have worked with the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University on a Collaboration Playbook which we will launch in the autumn and will to help give fresh impetus to our mission.
This project was conceived following the 2021 Declaration on Government Reform - which included the need to ‘bolster dialogue between leaders from all sectors to make sure we are spotting and tackling problems together and exploring new forms of collaboration in service delivery.’
The Playbook creates an ambitious agenda with a clear focus on the importance of leadership skill set and mindset to achieve meaningful collaboration that makes a tangible difference on policy-making, decision-making and social impact.
I am really looking forward to convening our members on this agenda. And, as we look ahead to celebrating WIG’s 40th Anniversary in 2024, despite ongoing uncertain times, I know that working together we will go from strength to strength, to help boost prosperity for all, through leaders collaborating for the common good.
Written by
Neil joined WIG as CEO in May 2023 at a time when the charity’s purpose of encouraging better leadership, dialogue and collaboration across sectors for social, economic and environmental benefit is more vital than ever.
Neil spent over seven years as CEO at the charity WorldSkills UK, a network for raising training standards in apprenticeships, technical and professional education to world-class levels. Neil was previously Deputy Director-General and Chief Operating Officer at the business organisation the CBI, working for 12 years at the highest level of the business and government interface nationally and internationally.
Neil was also the former CEO of OUTstanding, a business network for LGBT leaders and their allies, and former deputy chair of Stonewall, the LGBT equality charity. He holds a PhD in race equality in the workplace and was awarded an OBE for services to diversity and inclusion in the 2019 New Year’s Honours List. In 2019, Neil was also awarded an honorary doctorate by Middlesex University for services to STEM education.
Neil enjoys reading and travelling and supporting his husband in the garden.
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