Reflections from our Programme Director
- Joanna Rowelle
- Mar 21
- 2 min read
Thank you and farewell
It is with a heavy heart that I write this blog today, to finish off the work that the Delivery Associates Network team have been delivering with you for over a year now.
I am honoured to have led the team of Delivery Associates and Subject Matter Experts through a range of amazing projects, with your talented teams across local authorities around the UK.
The diversity of projects has been pronounced with a range of complexity and scale. The portfolio of projects you will have delivered - as shovels come out of the ground and you complete construction - is going to provide a broad range of social and environmental outcomes, for your communities and, for generations to come.
Our teams have been delighted to support you with the myriad of services and technical disciplines we have provided including project and programme management, risk and assurance, regeneration and planning, public realm, transport planning, financial planning and more.
We would like to thank you all for the energy and engagement you have provided throughout the support we have offered. The feedback I have seen has been thoughtful and gratefully received. Our teams seem to have had a lot of impact, and we hope the support we have provided has helped you find the right path to delivery, in complex and difficult times.
We’re proud of what we’ve been able to provide through our Delivery Associates, Subject Matter Experts, working groups, and the Local Growth Knowledge Hub:
With the benefit of having a bird’s eye view across the programme and listening to the daily and weekly reports of the team, I thought I might end with some observations to guide you through the future.
Firstly, remember that no programme is linear and there will always be bumps in the road. Focus on the end goal and go with the wobbles that will follow and the bouncing around you might feel you are doing. A strong vision and a determined team goes a long way through uncertainty.
Secondly, strong engagement with your communities, whether local people or businesses, provides long term benefits. These moments of engagement do not just need to be through a statutory process, keeping people informed helps with momentum and support.
Thirdly, this network you are now in can endure even though our work has stopped. There is no better way to learn in the built environment than through your peers, your networks and through those groups of people you know who have been here before. There are no silly questions when you want to get something right so lean on all those you have in your wider network for advice and tips. Sharing your knowledge is powerful.
From myself and the team, we would like to wish you all well as you continue your project journeys and we look forward to visiting your projects around the UK soon.
Joanna Rowelle is the Senior Responsible Owner of the Delivery Associates Network. She works on regeneration projects predominantly linked to infrastructure, both in the UK and globally. She advises Local Authorities on regeneration, social value, infrastructure, and economic development.
