Principal Associate of COG Associates, a Winnipeg-based public policy consulting company
Peter Holle worked in various senior policy advisory positions for the Government of Saskatchewan from 1983 to 1991. This provided a broad experience inside public sector organizations, in both line departments and a central agency position in Executive Council, in the Premier’s policy secretariat. His activities, beyond policy analysis, advice and recommendations, included leading a cross government exercise in regulatory reform, co-managing zero base reviews of line departments, and unique experience with assisting with the development and implementation of a program for the privatization of government services and assets. During this period these policies was seen as extremely controversial. This period involved exposure to leading policy thinkers from the Thatcher Government in Britain and the reform Labour Government in New Zealand. Many of these tasks took place at the interface between the political and administrative spheres of government; providing valuable experience on what works and does not work in affecting substantive policy change in government change efforts. Peter has consulted for different governments in partnership with various leaders in policy innovation through COG Associates. He also leads one of Canada's leading independent public policy think tanks, the Frontier Centre for Public Policy in Winnipeg which explores cutting edge policy models designed to improve public policy outcomes in government. Prior to that he founded the Manitoba Taxpayers Association, the organization which was directly responsible for the first substantive balanced budget legislation in Canada, implemented by Manitoba in 1995. Peter has a BBA and MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, a society which honors academic achievement in the study of business.
Larry Mitchell
Local Government Performance Specialist
Larry Mitchell is a New Zealander though a Canadian by birth. He has over 30 years active experience of commerce, chartered accounting and since the mid-nineties an immersion in local government finance and policy practice. He services the New Zealand local government sector with extensive financial and policy advice primarily through his "Base Stats with Trendz" statistical reports to over 30 New Zealand Councils. Larry graduated B Com, (Auckland University) in 1967. He served as a pilot in the RNZAF before taking up public accountancy practice. Following over twenty years experience as a partner in Coopers and Lybrand's Auckland office in 1996 he graduated Master of Public Policy (Victoria University) majoring in public sector finance. Larry served on the ICANZ (NZ Institute) Quality Practice Review team for two years and assisted in development of CA practice standards. During the late nineties he was appointed as sole auditor of the Institute of Chartered Accountants for 3 years. He now operates his own international local government consultancy business from Puhoi, 40 km north of Auckland, New Zealand and numbers over 30 New Zealand Councils as his clients.
Graham Scott
Core Public Sector Reform Advisor
Dr Graham Scott is the Executive Chairman of Southern Cross Advisers Ltd. Graham has a background in economics, accounting and management. He has been delivering advisory services in the area of public sector reform in emerging and transitional countries since 1993. Graham’s extensive experience includes Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. He has focused on financial management issues, including fiscal frameworks, revenue enhancement, budget planning, regulatory reform and privatization matters.
Graham has advised the World Bank on improving the approach to the management and resolution of internal conflicts, and its approach to public management advisory services.
Prior to his involvement in international consulting work, Graham was Secretary (CEO) to the New Zealand Treasury (equivalent of the Ministry of Finance), and led the New Zealand public financial management reforms, including the move to performance-based budgeting.
Among his many roles, Graham has served as Assistant Commissioner to the New Zealand State Services Commission, working on improvements in public management, and purchase adviser to the Minister of Finance in New Zealand. He has held positions as the Chair of government agencies in the health sector and New Zealand’s wholesale electricity market. Graham has published widely on public sector management and has been a keynote speaker at numerous events worldwide including conferences organised by the World Bank, the United Nations and the OECD.
Sandra Foster
Performance Improvement Consultant
Sandra is a Certified Management Consultant with over 30 years of leadership and management experience. She provides consulting, facilitation, coaching and training to organizations around the globe to help them improve results by improving strategy and strategy execution.
She has led projects to improve results in the areas of health, social services, education, human resource, and finance and administration. Her consulting methods and tools include strategic planning, project management, business process improvement and organization change management. She is a Certified PRINCE2 Practitioner and a Certified Business Process Professional.
Sandra is an engaging facilitator who has delivered over 300 courses and seminars around the world to over 5000 people on a variety of performance improvement topics. She has developed value-based, long-term relationships with clients in the private and public sector because of her proven ability to help them solve complex strategic and tactical problems that lead to improved results.
