ONR - Sarah Brown gains new perspectives through the Policy Fellowship

Sarah Brown is the policy business partner for New Reactors and policy lead for Better Regulation at the Office for Nuclear Regulation.

I wanted to understand how we can best learn from those we engage within the nuclear sector and beyond to improve our effectiveness.

The Policy Fellowship provided me with a unique opportunity to step outside of my day-to-day role and gain new perspectives on how we can best learn from those we engage with to improve.

Applying systems thinking with the help of experienced engineering Fellows helped to define the problem, put the system into context, and put people at the heart of the problem.

The engineering input helped me think about what our stakeholders need from us. Through the articulation of the behaviours needed to build consensus from the world of standards, and the frequent acknowledgement of the importance of relationships and behaviours in facilitating a meaningful dialogue with stakeholders, I was reminded of the need to consider relationships and people before processes.

Undertaking the Policy Fellowship has taught me to apply systems thinking to policy challenges and put people at the heart of the advice I provide.