President update 2nd June - latest news from ADEPT
It's great to be writing my first President's Update, even if I came to this role slightly earlier than planned! I'm Katie Stewart, the new ADEPT President and Executive Director for Environment at the City of London Corporation.
I want to start by saying a huge thank you to Angela Jones, whose presidential year has just come to a close. Her theme of Making the Case for People and Place has genuinely shaped the conversation across our sector - she has set the bar high.
The ADEPT Spring Conference on 13th May – where I formally took over as President - brought together nearly 170 delegates for a day of honest, frank conversations about the future of place leadership, tackling LGR, devolution, Live Labs 2 and the planning agenda. We were delighted to welcome Minister Simon Lightwood MP, who spoke about the Government's commitment to putting more power in the hands of local place leaders. You can read the full conference round-up here.
The Conference saw the launch of ADEPT’s Strategic Plan 2026-29. This sets out our six strategic priorities, from building resilient places and leading decarbonisation, to supporting devolution and developing the workforce of the future. It's an ambitious vision and one I'm proud to be taking forward - you can read the full plan here.
I also announced my presidential theme at the Conference - The Place Director of the Future - and outlined my priorities for the next year. In short: the role of Place Director is evolving rapidly and we need to make sure our profession evolves with it. My three priorities are leadership and succession, skills and resilience, and community and support - you can read more on this, along with my full speech, here.
In case you missed them, we have launched three new publications:
- Navigating Highways Services through LGR Toolkit – a joint publication with Local Partnerships
- Local Highways Climate Adaptation Guide – developed by ADEPT’s Engineering Board
- Supporting the Transition to Electric Vehicles – our new policy position
Held on the same day as the Conference, the President's Annual Awards Dinner at One Whitehall Place was a genuine highlight! Many congratulations to all the winners and highly commended finalists - the full list is here. Hear from our winners at this month’s Lunch & Learn on 24th June - register here.
I very much look forward to working with you all over the year ahead.
For more updates on ADEPT's latest news, publications, and the work of our boards and groups, visit our website: www.adeptnet.org.uk.
