In this episode of Deadlines & Detours, I sit down with Sarah Chilcott, former Managing Director of the UK’s national Planning Portal — the service that helped standardise applications across England and Wales and scaled to around 50,000 submissions a month.Sarah talks candidly about the multi-year transition from a government unit to a commercial joint venture, moving from central funding to commercial revenue, and why pace, people and values mattered more than any single piece of technology. We also cover housing and sustainability work, biodiversity net gain, and practical ways leaders can drive change without excluding users.What we discuss:The inside story of the Planning Portal and the shift to a JVWhat worked (and didn’t) in digital planningPace in government vs. private sector and how to manage itData, payments and service design lessonsHousing, sustainability and biodiversity net gain in practiceChange management (Kotter), culture and leadership habitsWhy “AI” is often the most overused word in techThe “five frogs on a log” test for moving from intent to actionLinks:hgkc — Sarah’s leadership and growth advisory work: https://hgkc.co.ukUK Business Council for Sustainable Development: https://ukbcsd.co.ukBristol Housing Festival: https://bristolhousingfestival.org.ukFollow Deadlines & Detours:Spotify: [add link]Apple Podcasts: [add link]LinkedIn (host): https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewbp/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DeadlinesandDetoursIf you found this useful, please like, comment and subscribe. It helps the show reach more people working on real transformation.

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