Lloyd’s Register Foundation appoints Nancy Hey as Director of Evidence & Insight

Nancy will lead the global safety charity in building capacity and good practice for safety evidence and insight, supporting the generation, collation and implementation of evidence and data to improve safety across the world.

The role includes the delivery of the 2023 and 2025 iterations of one of the Foundation’s flagship programmes, ‘The Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll’ – a unique global study into people’s perceptions and experiences of risks to their safety – as well as the establishment of a Lloyd’s Register Foundation global safety evidence centre over the next 18 months. The centre aims to become a go-to hub for new information and good safety practice across the world.

Nancy brings with her a wealth of experience from her previous role at the What Works Centre for Wellbeing – the UK’s national body for wellbeing evidence and practice which aimed to understand the role of government, business, communities and people in improving wellbeing. Prior to this, Nancy worked in the UK Civil Service as a policy professional, including working courts, constitution & skills and leading Civil Servants to introduce wellbeing into public policy. She has held numerous advisory roles including Expert Advisor to the House of Lords ‘Life Beyond Covid’ Committee.

Nancy said: “I’m excited by the goal and ambition of the Foundation to engineer a safer world. I've been following the development of the Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll and am really looking forward to working with the great team and partners on the latest findings; sharing them with people and organisations who can use them well. Evidence and insight are at their best when robust, relevant, useful and communicated effectively with busy but interested professionals who make things happen. Safety evidence is so important, especially in the workplace – the learning it provides and the feedback it generates will help make sure the Foundation and its partners make the biggest difference possible to peoples’ lives and communities for the long term.”

Chief Executive of the Foundation, Ruth Boumphrey commented: “We’re very much looking forward to Nancy joining and building on the great work delivered by her predecessor, Sarah Cumbers. Nancy is a very well-known expert in her field and will lead, develop and grow a multidisciplinary team to continue driving impact through our current programmes, as well as setting up our new Global Safety Evidence Centre. We’re excited about the opportunity this brings to underpin and strengthen our evidence-led approach to making the world a safer place to live and work.”

Sarah Cumbers left the Foundation in late 2023 to take up the role of Chief Executive of the National Statistical Society.