Jana Javornik speaks to Petra Petan, a policy assistant in the cabinet of Paolo Gentiloni, the European Commissioner for the Economy. Petra gives some useful insight into the daily work of the European Commission, as well as providing some advice on how academics can work with members of the Commission. 

If you would like to get in touch about this episode, please contact Jana Javornik at research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk. A transcript of this episode is available. 

For more information about Leeds University Business School’s work with policymakers visit the website.

About the speaker:  

Petra Petan is a political economist with a Masters from the London School of Economics and a degree in English language and literature from the University of Ljubljana. 

After her first job in finance, she realised that policy and EU affairs are where her heart lies and got her first taste for both during a give-month Blue Book traineeship at the Directorate-General for Employment and Social Affairs of the European Commission in 2017. She later moved to a different part of the European Commission, getting acquainted with the European Semester. 

Petra later returned to her hometown of Ljubljana to join the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development as a Senior Advisor on social and employment topics. 

At the end of 2019, she joined the newly formed Commission of President von der Leyen, as Policy Assistant in the Cabinet of Paolo Gentiloni, Commissioner for Economy. Ever since, she’s worked in the cabinet on a vast array of topics, from the European Semester to the Customs Union, with ECOFIN and Eurogroup coordination and Sustainable Development Goals in between. Drawing on her previous experience in employment and social issues, she’s been responsible for the coordination these topics with the cabinet of EU Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights. She’s also been covering financial affairs, international partnerships, and foresight. 

Jana Javornik speaks to Paul Hayes, Senior Policy Fellow at Leeds University Business School, about his experience as a policy manager at a local council and what it is like working in local government. They also discuss how local government engages with academics and how academics can get on policymakers’ radars and build networks with those working in local councils. 

If you'd like to get in touch about this episode, please contact Jana Javornik at research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk. A transcript of this episode is available. 

For more information about Leeds University Business School’s work with policymakers visit the website. 

About the speaker: Paul Hayes is a Senior Policy Fellow at Leeds University Business School. He was formerly the corporate policy manager at Wakefield Council and policy lead for the Key Cities Group, an association of 27 mid-size UK cities. This role encompassed policy advisory work to local, regional and national politicians; development and authorship of local and regional strategies and plans; engagement with and representation on working groups of UK government and national bodies; and responses to consultations. The role also included scoping, commissioning and joint development of academic and think tank research and engagement with business and voluntary and community sectors. 

Dr Jana Javornik speaks to Louise Scott about what it means to be a Deputy Chief Social Researcher at the Scottish Government, and how academics can engage with government. 

If you would like to get in touch about this episode, please contact Jana Javornik at research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk. A transcript of this episode is available. 

For more information about Leeds University Business School’s work with policymakers visit the website.  

About the speaker: 

Louise Scott is the Deputy Chief Researcher at the Scottish Government where she is responsible for developing and implementing the strategic priorities of the government social research profession in Scotland. She has worked in the Scottish Government for twenty years, holding research posts in Education, Local Governance, Public Service Reform, Children and Families and the Office of Chief Researcher, and also held a policy role working on Covid. Prior to working in government she was an academic at Loughborough University where she worked on European social policy.