Sarah Dawson

Sarah joined IPA in 1997 from the Engineering Employers Federation (now Make UK) where she managed the Southern regional association’s training and consultancy services.

Sarah’s interest and expertise is employee voice and employment relations. She provides advice and guidance to organisations on the establishment of effective employee voice architecture and governance, including the establishment of information and consultation mechanisms and staff networks.

She also advises on employment relations and developing collaborative working relationships with recognised trade unions.

Sarah heads the IPA's election services, supporting organisations with independently run elections for employee representatives.

Contact Sarah: » [email protected]

Latest

Beyond rhetoric: what is really sustaining – or undermining – DEI in UK workplaces?

Diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) has not disappeared from organisational agendas, but it is under pressure. It feels more fragile, more contested, and harder to sustain than it did a few years ago. Dr Meenakshi Krishnan, Principal Research Fellow at IES reflects on what is driving inclusion and fairness in organisations right now? How are current labour market challenges strengthening or complicating the case for DEI? And what would make DEI feel like core business?
What new sectoral bargaining could mean for pay and workforce stability

Naomi Cooke, Head of Workforce at the Local Government Association, reflects on what the introduction of a new model of sectoral bargaining could mean for local government employers and beyond. The Employment Rights Act represents a real sea-change. Two comparatively small provisions denote a significant shift in how pay, terms and conditions will be set, by establishing the first statutory collective pay bargaining mechanisms in England since wage councils were abolished in the 1990s.
IPA Employee Voice Survey

Strong employee voice helps organisations make better decisions, manage change more effectively and build trust at work. To understand how this works in practice, we asked employee representatives, forum and staff council chairs, and others involved in voice arrangements to share their experiences via an online survey.
The five disruptors of the UK industrial model

With prescience and clarity, the outgoing Chair of ACAS, Clare Chapman, in a recent address to the IPA’s Work Insights Network identified the five ‘disruptors’ which are upending the UK’s industrial model. IPA director, Nita Clarke OBE considers how the political and policy response to these disruptors will determine the shape and success of our economy going forward. April 2026

Andrea Ryland

Senior Associate
Dr Jasmine Gartner

Senior Associate
Lucy O'Melia

Head of learning & development
Lorraine Modeste

Administration manager
Nita Clarke OBE

Director