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Newton have launched the Leaders Network 2025, year-long network and alumni community designed to support civil service leaders in partnership with think tank, Re:State.
The network was developed in response to feedback from senior officials recognising the importance for cross-departmental and cross-sector conversations to create space for leaders to step outside the pressures of day-to-day delivery, share ideas, and learn from one another.
Building on this foundation, the Leaders Network provides a dedicated forum for civil service leaders to expand their networks, develop as system leaders, and build their capability to deliver through an ever-changing policy environment. Over the course of the 12-month programme, participants will take part in curated discussions, workshops, and study visits, with the opportunity to join an alumni network.
The founding cohort brings together nineteen senior civil servants from across Whitehall, sponsored by a group of senior officials.
“We created this network to give Whitehall leaders a space to rethink how government works and meet the challenges of today. We need new ideas, and civil servants need spaces outside of the day-to-day pressures of Whitehall to develop them.”
Charlotte Pickles, Director Re-State
Ben Harris, Partner for Newton’s Central Government practice, explains why Newton is proud to sponsor and deliver the programme with Re:State.
“We’ve seen the leadership challenge shift significantly in the years we’ve spent working as a strategic delivery partner to government. Through our work, we’ve seen a system needs rewiring, to make the public services of the future more preventative, personalised and productive. That requires bold leadership, collaboration across boundaries, and networks of leaders who can navigate complexity with confidence. This programme is about investing in those leaders, giving them the time, skills and community to thrive, and to create the conditions where people and places can thrive too.”
Last week, Deputy Directors from eleven government departments came together in London for the first session of the programme. The discussion was joined by Cat Little, COO of the Civil Service and Second Permanent Secretary at the Cabinet Office, to discuss the future of civil service leadership and the challenges leaders face today.
Joe Hill, Policy Director at Re:State and chair of the launch event, reflects on the importance of this network:
“Much of the civil service is shaped by history, with structures and ways of working designed for a different era. Yet leaders now face a ‘polycrisis,’ with overlapping and compounding challenges that leave little room for stability. Some of Whitehall’s greatest innovations, like the Vaccine Taskforce, emerged from crisis, and the challenge is sustaining that kind of innovation through ongoing disruption.
At the same time, there are opportunities. New technologies, like AI, could transform public services. But leaders must balance optimism with realism, offering stability while navigating rapid change. Incremental approaches are often the default, but they aren’t enough for the scale of reform the public expects. Radical thinking, experimentation, and exposure to new perspectives from outside government are all essential.
The Leaders Network is designed to support that kind of thinking – to bring people together, spark new ideas, and help leaders innovate, collaborate, and deliver the change Whitehall needs.”