Gene Payne
Gene is an independent public servant, creative thinker and innovator committed to unlocking the energy and imagination of local communities. He has consistently promoted and participated in activities related to pupil voice, student leadership and the use of practitioner expertise, research and evidence in education. He has extensive experience of designing and delivering professional development and applied research programmes with the community and voluntary sector, local government, networks of schools and at a national level, and of working at the level of policy design and implementation.
His Director role with a national education agency involved studying and promoting collaboration, the use of research, and the development of professional practice with a relentless focus on improved outcomes for children and their families. He is strongly committed to developing innovative practice in partnership with the public and public service professionals.
Gene is currently working in strategic consultancy roles with; a large Federation of Academies in South London on innovation and D&R projects, The Innovation Unit to develop a pilot change management programme, Education Bradford to support the development of ‘next practice’ models of learning and leadership, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Learning Futures Programme, and Innovation Exchange to support third sector innovators. Gene is also a lead member of ThePublicOffice Team, enabling public servants to improve services by engaging with service users.
Gene has a particular talent for designing and facilitating complex conferences, workshops and seminars with groups of adults and young people from as small as three to as large as a thousand.
Gene was educated at Southampton, Oxford and Cambridge universities and has seven children – Sam 19, Emily 17, Bethany 14, William 12, Oliver 10, Jacob 7 and Lucas 2 years, to whom he looks for a valuable perspective on the real world.