Former MP and House of Commons Deputy Speaker, Natascha Engel, has been appointed as Policy Connect’s new Chief Executive, announces Policy Connect Chair, Barry Sheerman MP.  

Natascha brings with her a wealth of Parliamentary knowledge and experience both as Deputy Speaker and chair of the cross-party Backbench Business Select Committee.  

She said:

“I am delighted to be joining Policy Connect as I have always believed that Parliament works best when it co-operates across political parties and speaks to the real-life experts when developing policies – the ideas and direct experiences of academics, business, industry and charities.  

“This is exactly what Policy Connect has done for many years: facilitating forums for high-level policy debates and providing expert information through quality reports.  

“I am looking forward to working with its excellent directors and senior leadership team.” 

Barry Sheerman MP said: 

“On behalf of the Policy Connect board and staff, I am delighted to welcome Natascha to this role. Her in-depth knowledge of Parliament as well as her policy and opinion research background mean that she is ideally suited to lead Policy Connect into the future. Natascha will join a brilliant leadership team including Claudia Jaksch, who has shown tremendous leadership as interim Chief Executive.” 

Notes to editors 

For more information please contact Alice Webster on alice.webster [at] policyconnect.org.uk (Alice[dot]Webster[at]policyconnect[dot]org[dot]uk) or 07526 936868.

About Policy Connect 

Policy Connect is a cross-party think tank. We specialise in supporting parliamentary groups, forums and commissions, delivering impactful policy research and event programmes and bringing together parliamentarians and government in collaboration with academia, business and civil society to help shape public policy in Westminster and Whitehall, so as to improve people’s lives. 

Our work focusses on five key policy areas which are: Education & Skills; Industry, Technology & Innovation; Sustainability; Health; and Assistive & Accessible Technology. 

We are a social enterprise and are funded by a combination of regular annual membership subscriptions and time-limited sponsorships. We are proud to be a Disability Confident and London Living Wage employer, and a member of Social Enterprise UK. 

Upcoming work 

Policy Connect has an important programme of work in the coming months:  

• Publishing our report on higher education and levelling up; 

• Launching a research project on black men in the mental health system, as co-investigators with Manchester Metropolitan University; and  

• As a follow-up to our action-oriented report on delivering net zero, we will be publishing recommendations on how manufacturers can use digital technology to achieve net zero.