Work Experience

Kate Allen, Regeneration & Renewal, 22 August 2008

• What has been your most beneficial career experience to date? The two years I spent working for the Forest of Dean District Council were of great benefit. Having worked previously for the Government Office for the South-West, it was useful to be involved in actual delivery. I recommend a stint with a local authority for any regeneration professional. It taught me how things really work and how to make things happen.
  
• What's the best advice you've ever been given? Easily the best advice has been that you must get your work-life balance right: leave work at the office and don't worry about things outside your control. This has become especially important to me now that I have a young family.
  
• What's the best training you've had? Gaining a postgraduate diploma in housing and community renewal taught me the theory behind many policy initiatives. It showed me that taking an academic view of issues and analysing them methodically can result in useful findings.
  
• What books would you recommend? Cities for a Small Planet by Richard Rogers and Cities for a Small Country by Richard Rogers and Anne Power. I must also mention Estates by Lynsey Hanley - it's a must-read for anyone in regeneration.
  
• What do you wish you'd known when you started out? Never take work matters personally and never reply immediately to an email that is critical of your work. After a couple of further reads, some time to think, or even a telephone call to the sender, the original email will not seem so bad.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

1996: Joins the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to work on its environmental policy and operations.

2004: Graduates from the University of the West of England with a postgraduate diploma in housing and community renewal.

2005: Joins the Forest of Dean District Council as housing strategy officer.

2007: Joins Swerda.