It's hard for me to say what happened when I wasn't at the table, but I can only imagine what we missed. Having said that, I can tell you what has happened since I have been in office.
For example, during this pandemic, it was clear that the position I hold was a very important one. I have been able to work with various government departments, as the multidisciplinary objectives of science cut across several departments. In addition, this position provides us with important links, both domestically and internationally, which have served us well.
I guess it's important to have a chief science adviser position if most of the big countries have one, so that you can be at the table and benefit from what others are doing well, to adopt best practices.
Obviously, there is a lot of work to be done and my deepest wish is that we can have a sustainable science advisory system in this country, a bit like England, and even the United States, which have had well-established systems for over 50 years.