Watch: panel discussion with DCMS

Panel Chair: Dr Kirstine Szifris, President, UK Evaluation Society

Kirstine Szifris is President of the UK Evaluation Society and has over 15 years’ experience working in research and evaluation. Starting out as a teacher of mathematics and then moving to complete a PhD in Criminology with a focus on prison education, Kirstine has a depth of knowledge of working in practice. Since then, Kirstine’s work has focused on evaluating programmes in and around the criminal justice system, most recently working in the victim space to improve victims’ experience of the criminal justice system. Kirstine has published a range of peer-reviewed journal articles and a book on her work teaching philosophy in prisons.

Urvashi Parashar, Director of Analysis and Chief Economist at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)

Urvashi Parashar is Director of Analysis and Chief Economist at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. She leads a function of around 110 multi-disciplinary analysts, providing evidence, analysis and evaluation to shape and inform policies supporting DCMS sectors, including demonstrating their value for money and impact on economic growth, wellbeing and community cohesion. Urvashi was previously Chief Impact Officer at the National Wealth Fund, and prior to that, led the analysis and evidence for the Levelling Up White Paper on spatial disparities. She was Deputy Director, Sector Analysis at the Department for Business and Trade, leading on industrial strategy, evidence and evaluation of R&D programmes for advanced manufacturing sectors, and analysis of impact of economic shocks, including the pandemic. She also spent 8 years in an economic development consultancy designing and delivering evaluations for central and local government. Urvashi chairs a cross-government Wellbeing Analysis Board that aims to influence the use and valuation of wellbeing metrics in policy decisions. She is passionate about embedding a strong culture of evaluative learning in the Civil Service, and raising its capacity and capability for understanding what works.

Harman Sagger, Head of Cultural Analysis at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)

Harman Sagger is Head of Cultural Analysis at DCMS. He is responsible for setting the analytical strategy for the directorate, ensuring that public investment decisions are underpinned by robust evidence, evaluation and value-for-money principles.

He leads the Cultural and Heritage Capital Programme, a flagship, cross-sector initiative to embed consistent appraisal and evaluation approaches across the cultural system, nominated for a Civil Service Award. Harman previously led the analytical work supporting the Cultural Recovery Fund and chairs and advises senior technical groups across government and the sector, including the Technical Reference Group for the UK City of Culture, with a particular focus on cultural infrastructure, place-based growth and data.

Before joining DCMS, Harman was Head of Economics at the British Film Institute and held economist roles at HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs, advising on major economic and fiscal policy issues including productivity, globalisation and environmental taxation.

Andrew Mowlah, Director, Research at Arts Council England (ACE)

Andrew Mowlah is Director, Research at Arts Council England (ACE). He has an extensive background in research and evaluation and joined ACE in 2013 having worked in strategy, policy and research for organisations including the Northwest Regional Economic Development Agency, a business lobby group and a management consultancy firm.

Andrew heads up the research and evaluation function at ACE. His team leads on generating robust knowledge and evidence to support delivery of the Arts Council strategy Lets Create and to inform future research strategy and policy development.

Tom Walters, Deputy Director of Impact at the National Lottery Community Fund (TNLCF)

Tom Walters is Deputy Director of Impact at the National Lottery Community Fund, where he leads the UK-wide Evidence and Impact team. Tom has been at the Community Fund since 2023 and has led his team’s work to develop and launch their Evidence and Impact strategy for the next five years. Prior to this, Tom was Head of Research, Data and Insight at the Heritage Fund, where he was closely involved in the development and evaluation of Covid-19 support programmes such as the Culture Recovery Fund and Green Recovery Challenge Fund, as well as the development of the Fund’s strategy Heritage 2033. Tom has worked in data and evaluation in the charity, private and public sectors throughout his career, including through 7 years at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and roles in consultancy and the Government Economic Service at the start of his career.