Whistleblowing is increasingly perceived as a critical function in a fair and just society.
Many believe too many whistleblowers have been failed by UK legislation that has succeeded only in turning serious malfeasance, crimes and corruption into a contractual dispute that plays out in an employment tribunal.
Join us as we mark Whistleblowers Week 2024 for this event where our expert speakers will discuss the state of whistleblowing the UK.
Speakers and panel
Georgina Halford-Hall
CEO of WhistleblowersUK and the Secretariat of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Whistleblowing. Georgina has worked to build the case for bolstering protections for whistleblowers in the UK, as well as helping whistleblowers successfully to defend their case at tribunal. Working with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Whistleblowing at Westminster, she has supported efforts to establish a new Office of the Whistleblower - a project to deliver effective protection for whistleblowers, sanctions for abusers, and education for the public on their rights.
Iain G Mitchell KC FRSA
Chairs of the WBUK Legal Panel Iain is a highly experienced member of both the Scottish and English Bars who frequently represents clients in IP and IT disputes including contracts, copyright, trade secrets and whistleblowing in the IT Industry. He advises clients, including public sector bodies, in non-contentious matters, including GDPR Compliance.
Charles Fowler FRSA
Director of the UK Values Alliance CIC and Global Coordinator of World Values Day Charles also chairs the Human Values Foundation, is project partner of the Collaborating Centre for Values-based Practice for Health and Social Care at Oxford University, and sits on the steering committee for the Global Alliance on Values-based Education (GAVE).
Mark Clark MBE WS
Mark is Co-founder and CEO of Transformational, and an Associate Fellow at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. He provides consulting, facilitation, executive coaching, and group coaching support to develop leadership, collaboration, and high-performing teams. He has 30 years’ experience at the intersection of leadership, complexity, and conflict, serving in the army and Foreign Office and working with different governments, NGOs, the Olympic movement, in corporate law and the private sector; in the UK, India, Iraq, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Papua New Guinea, and Jordan, where he served for 12 years as CEO of Generations For Peace, a global peacebuilding organisation with 22,000 peacebuilders in 52 countries.
More background
The campaign for the Office of the Whistleblower is gaining traction within the Whistleblowing Bill drafted by WhistleblowersUK, which is championed by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Whistleblowing. The Bill recently received the support of the Levelling-up, Housing and Communities Committee, thanks to Mary Robinson MP, chair of the APPG.
WhistleblowersUK [WBUK] is a voice for change in policy-thinking and institutional organisation seeking to ensure all citizens are protected. It seeks to promote ethical standards of conduct and compliance using legislation in the public and private sector. Whistleblowers in challenging situations seek out its offering of practical advice and guidance, often being referred to trusted legal experts when needed. WBUK thus creating a demonstrable record of aiding whistleblowers in succeeding in their cases. WBUK seeks to establish an Office of the Whistleblower in the UK to investigate whistleblowing claims, sanction those who abuse whistleblowers, and educate every citizen on their rights and responsibilities. WBUK is asking Parliament to pass the Bill proposing the creation of The Office of Whistleblower (OWB). WBUK has developed and championed the OWB since 2014 and has been instrumental to the Bills currently being debated in parliament proposing the creation of this institution.
- To transform the way everyone thinks about whistleblowing, educate the public and demonstrate the importance of whistleblowers in a fair and transparent society.
- To campaign for legislative reform that properly protects the public interest, and whistleblowers through enhanced protection and fair treatment for whistleblowers.
- To help whistleblowers and organisations understand whistleblowing and the importance of professional standards.
- To grow its community through associate membership.
Taking part in online events
For our interactive online events, the RSA uses the platform Zoom. It may be necessary to follow a short set-up process. To understand how Zoom uses your data, please read their privacy policy.
Zoom call joining details will be sent via email in advance of the event.
If you have any access requirements or require any reasonable adjustments to support your participation, please let the team know by emailing: networks@rsa.org.uk.
We sometimes record our online RSA Fellowship events for learning purposes, publicity and/or public viewing. By attending this event, you accept that you may appear in RSA videos, audio or images as an attendee of this event.
