Peter Welsh

Peter has 20+ years’ experience in academia, the public and private sectors. He is currently Director of Government and Society at one of the world’s largest social and market research companies, Ipsos. Peter has previously held head of evaluation and research roles in private sector consultancies, Office for Public Management, Evident and Focus.

From 2003-2011 he was Head of Research and Intelligence at Kent County Council, the largest county council in the UK where he was responsible for a wide-ranging programme of work bringing together international academics to support innovative public service improvements. In this role Peter became active in the PASCAL International Observatory and has served on the Board since 2006 actively supporting project work, strategic development, and conference organising. Peter was the first Vice-President of PASCAL International Members Association (PIMA).

Peter has become recognised as one of the UK’s leading public policy evaluation experts with a portfolio of impact and process evaluation projects for UK Government (Cabinet Office, DLUHC, DHSC, DfE, DWP), NHS, local authorities, universities, large charities, and grant giving foundations and private sector companies. He has presented conference papers at academic and applied public policy conferences internationally (Australia, Canada, Europe).

His evaluation work has focused specifically on complex multi-site, multi-year evaluations, expertise in theory based, formative process and impact evaluations, as well as economic assessment and cost avoidance. Currently he is programme director of the largest evaluation ever commissioned by the UK Government and is leading a major evaluation review of the Government Major Projects Portfolio covering spending to approximately £805Bn.

Peter’s track record of evaluation and research studies covers a wide range of public policy areas notably: impact of major government structural funds, preventative social programmes, vocational training and LLL, young people’s policies, physical health, mental health, social care, inclusion, community safety, offender pathways, domestic abuse.

Peter is especially committed to the development of evaluation practice, professionalisation and pedagogy. He has served on the UK Evaluation Society National Council since 2017 and acted as UKES Vice-President 2021-23 organising conferences and acting as editor of ‘The Evaluator’.

Further to his evaluation and research expertise, Peter has a successful track record of winning significant research funding, business development, innovation as senior strategic leader and company director.

Peter was awarded his Ph.D. in 1999 from Loughborough University supported by funding from DGV (social policy) of the European Union. Peter’s research drew upon his fieldwork in Spain (Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona) and France (Paris II Sorbonne-Pantheon) funded by the EU Training and Mobility for Researchers (TMR) programme. Peter has taught at Universite de Limoges, Loughborough University, Universitat Autonoma Barcelona, Paris II Sorbonne-Pantheon, Paris XIII Villetaneuse and most recently Sciences-Po (Institut d'études politiques de Paris).