FitzSimons (pictured) previously led the social inclusion portfolio within the education, employment and skills research group at Rand Europe, helping to form the company’s social inclusion workstream.

At Rand, FitzSimons also held responsibility for setting strategic direction and business development for the social inclusion workstream.

In addition, FitzSimons specialises in social inclusion and equalities, with a focus on process, outcome, impact and cost evaluation.

The appointment comes as The Social Agency seeks to grow its evaluation offer, with other recruits being sought.

The Social Agency was formerly Basis Research Group’s public sector and social research practice, Basis Social, but last year saw a management buyout completed, and is now wholly owned by the division’s co-founders Darren Bhattachary and Dan Clay.

Dan Clay, managing partner at The Social Agency, said: “This is a really exciting hire for us. Ana is both super talented and cares deeply about embedding equitable, participative approaches – a perfect fit for us. It’s a statement of our ambition to build out from our existing portfolio of work and bring a little disruptive thinking to the evaluation world.”