Kezia Pugh

Kezia (she/her) is a PhD researcher with the South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership, funded by the Economic and Social Resarch Council. Situated within the interdisciplinary fields of social policy, employment relations, employment law, and sociology, her PhD focuses on exploitative labour practices amongst racialised and migrant workers in the adult social care sector. Kezia is interested in qualitative methods, including participatory action research (PAR) ethos and practice.

Prior to starting her PhD, Kezia held various roles in the third sector for organisations championing social justice and equality.

As Partnerships & Campaigns Manager for the Living Wage Foundation, Kezia led a national campaign in Health & Social Care, growing the network of Living Wage Employers in the sector to nearly 1,000, and securing pay rises for a total of 54,000 staff. As part of this, she authored a toolkit for NHS organisations interested in implementing the Living Wage which includes tailored information and guidance for (and case studies of) NHS Trusts, primary care providers, and Integrated Care Systems.