PA employee cameos
Meet our people
| Name: |
Chris |
| Location: |
London, UK |
| Background: |
BA (Hons) History; Two years working for the Ministry of Defence. |
| Joined PA as: |
Consultant Analyst |
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What attracted you to PA and why did you choose to join? |
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The people and the excellent career opportunities were what attracted me most to PA. |
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What assignments have you worked on since joining PA? |
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I have worked on a wide variety of assignments for PA since joining in 2002 both internationally and nationally. Examples of projects I have worked on to date include a year long project for the Youth Justice Board to speed up justice for Young Offenders; a three-month project for the NHS to reduce the time patients wait for Orthopaedic operations; and my current assignment where I’m undertaking a project management role for a large telecommunications company in Washington DC. |
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What do you like about working at PA? |
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There are three main things that make working at PA a pleasure. The first is the work we do – which is varied and, working in government, gives me a real sense that I have made a difference. The second is our way of working, which encourages you to take as much responsibility as possible. The third thing – and this isn’t just a cheesy cliché – is the people. My colleagues really are good to work with! |
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Describe your ‘typical day’ at PA |
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That’s tricky – it all depends on the project. In my most recent assignment, this could have involved anything: analysing performance data to reveal problems in the criminal justice system, developing strategies with police and prosecution to overcome these problems, or reviewing implementation of an action plan with senior staff. |
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Tell us about a key moment in your time at PA |
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One of the benefits that PA offers its staff is scope for taking a sabbatical. Some people use this to take an extended holiday – trips round the world are popular. Other people use it to work for charities. I used the time to go to India, where I combined doing a little work for PA with working at a Delhi-based human rights NGO. Amongst other things, the NGO focuses on advocating justice sector reforms across the wider Commonwealth, and I have helped them develop their work on policing, including in India itself. This has been a great opportunity to transfer some of my experiences of working with the police in the UK to a different country, even though the realities facing the police in India are often quite different to those faced by their colleagues back in Britain.
It has also been a really useful learning experience for me, as working in a different culture can be a challenge. But it hasn’t been all work. I’ve taken the opportunity to see lots of India while I’ve been here, and even made it up to the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. It’s certainly been an unforgettable six months, and, who knows, with PA’s strong track record of work in international development, I may be back here sooner than I think! |
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