Exploring a new age of public procurement
Procurex England, the leading public procurement event in England, will take place in Liverpool in May 2025, bringing together buyers, suppliers, leaders and influencers from across England’s £380 billion public procurement marketplace.
Officially supported by England’s leading public sector buyers and playing host to some of England’s highest profile procurement experts, public sector bodies and supplier organisations, Procurex is the one event public procurement professionals cannot afford to miss.
What's Happening At Procurex England?
Confirmed Speakers include
Nadiia Bihun
Deputy Minister of Economy

Nadiia worked at LLC, “KYIVSTAR” JSC (оne of the biggest service providers operating in the telecommunications sector of Ukraine), in particular, as a managing account manager and marketing manager, and held the position of deputy director general of SE “Prozorro”.
Since 2016, she has worked as Director of the Tender Procedures Department at JSC “UKRAINIAN RAILWAYS”, and in 2018 she was promoted to the position of Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Procurement at SE “MedProcurement of Ukraine”.
Nadiia also worked as Procurement Director at “UDI” JSC (Ukraine Defence Industry). In July 2022, Nadiia was appointed as Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine. She coordinates the development of proposals and implementation of decisions on:
- formation and implementation of the state public procurement policy;
- development of competitive relations;
- preparation of the Budget Declaration within the powers provided by law;
Nadiia also provides functional direction, coordination and control of the work of the Department of Public Procurement and Competition Policy.
DI Dan Gianassi
Head of Cyber & Innovation

Detective Inspector Dan Giannasi brings over 15 years of Policing experience to the Cyber Resilience Centre. Having worked across a diverse range of investigative roles including public protection, digital investigations and cybercrime. Dan maintains close links with the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) and local forces to help local forces provide accessible, consistent, government-backed support and training to organisations of all sizes.
Lorraine Cox
Chair

Lorraine leads STAR Procurement which is a very successful, high performing public sector shared service that is leading collaborative change and transformation through procurement and Social Value. STAR supports four Greater Manchester Councils and now two Liverpool City Region Councils that joined STAR in 2023. Lorraine has led STAR for almost seven years and in 22/23 they supported the retention of 78.9% local spend within Greater Manchester for her four partner Councils.
STAR have continued to improve the Social Value captured as added value through procurement securing 38.5% accumulatively of the collective contract value since April 2019. The National Social Value Taskforce is a ‘coalition of the willing’ of public, private and voluntary sector representatives who act as advocates and creators of this ‘Social Value Movement’. Lorraine has been part of this since its formation in 2017 as was appointed as Chair in June 2023.
Lorraine received a national award ‘Best Council to do Business With’ historically which she received at No.10 Downing St. She personally contributed to the improvement of Public Contract Regulations 2015 and Lord Young’s Reforms as she attended a Select Committee in the House of Commons to respond to a Public Procurement Review. Lorraine was also highly commended in Leadership at the National Social Value Conference 2020 and STAR won an award for embedding Social Value into the procurement processes in 2021.
Darren Knowd
CEO

Darren leads a team of twenty-three procurement staff responsible for all procurement activity at Durham County Council. In 2016 Darren was awarded the Cabinet Office’s first ever award for Social Value Leadership for an Organisation. He is Chair of the Local Government Association’s National Advisory Group for Local Government Procurement and is the Chair of the National Social Value Taskforce.
Laura Sellers
Executive and Leadership Coach

Laura is a EMCC accredited Executive and Leadership coach, with 10+ years' experience in leadership and management roles in Procurement & Supply Chain businesses, supporting Procurement teams to deliver value through employee engagement and change management initiatives. Laura has broad experience of working across global organisations in both the private and public sector, both in the UK and in Europe, gaining invaluable business, cultural and multilingual experience across large teams.
Laura delivers bespoke coaching & leadership development programmes for Procurement leaders & their teams, blending 1:1 and team approaches to support them in driving a greater strategic impact within their organisation. In her work, Laura holds a judgement-free and confidential space for CPOs and Procurement Leaders, partnering with them & their Procurement teams to increase their self-awareness, soft skills and confidence, so that they can increase their impact within their organisation in a way that supports their wellbeing.
Ian Schollar
Head of Teaching and Learning

Ian Schollar is the Head of CIPS Business Study Centre at CIPS and has had a progressive career in procurement and commercial roles spanning over 30 years in both public and private sectors. He started his career with Mallory Batteries (Duracell) in 1983, before spending 15 years working within both central and local public sector organisations. He was responsible for procuring a diverse range of categories from breathing apparatus for fire fighters to high tech radar systems for air traffic controllers.
In 1998, Ian became a Senior Advisor for Crown Agents, an International Development Agency. He was project lead on numerous capacity building projects working in Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and Eastern Europe and headed up the procurement and supply chain training at their Training Centre. Ian has worked at CIPS since 2005 and has a particular passion for professional development. Ian is a Fellow of CIPS and holds a Master’s Degree in Management, Learning and Leadership from Lancaster University Management School.
Tiia Sammallahti
CEO & Founder

whatimpact.com is a National Social Value Marketplace that enables suppliers to the public sector easily connect with hyper-local VCSEs (charities, social enterprises, and community groups) that meet specific social value criteria.
For private sector companies, our platform provides VCSE partnership tracking, validated impact reporting and a volunteering management system. For public sector organisations, whatimpact.com offers social value management and grant management systems tailored to procurement needs.
In addition, whatimpact serves as a think tank, conducting ongoing research into social value from multiple perspectives. Our company has published white papers, guides, and educational content to support its mission: reducing the cost of social value delivery while maximising its impact.
At our core, whatimpact champions equal opportunity, reflecting this in our platform design, hiring practices, and collaborative approach. By fostering diversity and cross-sector partnerships, whatimpact drives meaningful social and environmental change.
Mana Sadeghipour
Working Group Secretary

Mana is a public policy professional with over 9 years of experience supporting organisations in navigating complex challenges, with experience in establishing regulatory frameworks for new industries, advocating for policy and regulatory reform, and delivering meaningful results in corporate social responsibility.
Since September 2023, Mana has been Working Group Secretary at the IEEE Standards Association, contributing to the development of the P3119 Standard that establishes a uniform set of definitions and a process model for the procurement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automated Decision Systems (ADS) through which government entities can address socio-technical and responsible innovation considerations to serve the public interest.
Carl Thomas
Procurement Reform Stakeholder and Policy Lead

Carl has a wealth of public procurement experience, having previously led the award-winning procurement team at one of Wales’ largest housing associations. Before joining Welsh Government, Carl worked for the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS), where he taught procurement and contract management best practice to public and private sector organisations across the globe.
Carl also played an important role in CIPS’ work post-Grenfell, and supported the work of Working Group 11 to agree specific procurement competence levels for people involved in the construction of new higher risk residential buildings. In his current role, Carl is responsible for developing Welsh Government’s wider Procurement Reform engagement activity, working closely with stakeholders across the Welsh public sector to ensure that they are ready to maximise the opportunities arising from procurement reform.
Catherine Proudlove
SME Lead - Defence Commercial

We protect the security, independence and interests of the United Kingdom at home and abroad. We work with our allies and partners whenever possible.
Our aim is to ensure that the UK’s Armed Forces have the training, equipment and support necessary for their work, and that we keep within budget.
Don Bowman
Director

UKUPC is a partnership between eight UK consortia who created a formal entity to support collaborative procurement within Higher and Further Education. All eight consortia work together to share knowledge and best practice, to support each other and our wider procurement community. The UKUPC Board is comprised of heads of the UK regional purchasing consortia (APUC, HEPCW, LUPC, NEUPC, NWUPC, SUPC), the head of TEC and the head of TUCO.
Adam Clarke
Managing Director

Starting his career in commodity trading and asset optimisation, Adam has over 20-years of UK Trading and Energy Management experience. Adam made the switch from Wholesale trading to Energy Retail in 2012, developing energy trading and risk management products for the I&C sector.
Through the last 6-years of his career with EDF, Adam has established the largest renewable offtake portfolio in the UK – including a number of notable Corporate PPAs.
In March 2022, Adam joined The Energy Consortium (TEC) as MD to lead the team in the development of a range of products and services which will enable the Higher Education and UK Museums sectors to achieve ambitious Net Zero targets.
Matt Howarth
Co-Founder

As co-founder of Impact Reporting, Reason Digital and MeasureUp, Matt is a self-described "social impact geek" based in Manchester. He brings a wealth of technical experience as well as a huge amount of thought leadership around using technology as a force to drive social good. He’s spent over 15 years supporting purpose-driven organisations and reached tens of thousands of people with his talks at national conferences on topics such as ethical AI and wellbeing. Matt was voted Digital Entrepreneur of the Year at the Digital Entrepreneur Awards. Matt is a strong advocate for the LGBTQ community, having started Pride in Leadership and siting on numerous boards, including akt - the national LGBTQ+ youth homelessness charity.
Nina Howells
Commercial Project Manager

Salford City Council exists to serve its residents and provides a complete and comprehensive range of services and facilities.
The council's mission statement is "to create the best possible quality of life for the people of Salford."
Salford is a city constantly changing and moving into an exciting future as a thriving cultural, economic and residential location. It is located in Greater Manchester, covers 37 square miles and has a population of 220,000.
Salford is one of Britain’s ‘key growth’ areas, recording the fastest growing population and economy outside of London. It is home to 8,700 businesses who employ more than 140,000 people and MediaCityUK, which has boosted the economy by £1bn in just five years.
Joanna Dahlgren
Head of Social Value & SROI

Joanna has been a driving force behind the creation and management of the social value function in London Borough of Waltham Forest, since its inception in 2020.
With over 20 years’ experience leading on various investment and regeneration initiatives that promote inclusive growth and community wealth building, under Joanna leadership the Council has transformed the way it maximises social impact through its contracts for services, regeneration, and construction works.
Catherine Manning
Programme Director

Catherine Manning is the Head of Impact Practice at Impact Reporting, the Programme Director for MeasureUp and a seasoned social value impact consultant. With a background in leading engagement and technical teams at Social Value UK, Catherine brings extensive experience in delivering projects, programs, training, and events across various sectors. She holds an International Development master’s degree and a Level 1 Social Value Associate Practitioner certification and is member of the ICRS. Recognised as a WISE100 Star of the Future finalist in 2022, Catherine is dedicated to raising the voices and values of underrepresented populations. At Impact Reporting, she excels in impact management, procurement, project management, and research, helping businesses make a positive societal impact.
Carol Glenn
Social Value Programme Manager

Carol has 12 years’ experience working in the public sector within the Procurement department at Solihull MBC. As the Council’s Social Value Programme Manager since May 2019 and being dedicated 100% to the Social Value programme, it is now embedded into the Procurement and Contract Management processes. Through development of a Social Value Policy, implementing TOMs in collaboration with Social Value Portal, and engaging with colleagues, partners and suppliers to raise awareness of Social Value, Solihull MBC are now starting to achieve the benefits that Social Value can bring to the local community within the Borough. In recognition of her work, Carol, on behalf of SMBC, received the award for “Embedding Social Value in Contract Management; Project award” at the National SV Awards in February 2021.
Carol is an active member of Social Value UK, a member of the Supply Chain Sustainability School, and has been a speaker at various Social Value Conferences. She is also the chair of the WM Regional Social Value Taskforce.
Gillian Askew
Co-Founder and Director

The Go4Growth Programme is a fully funded service for small business enterprise (SME), voluntary organisations, community groups and social enterprises (VCSE)
It is designed to bridge the gap between SME/VCSE and the public sector. The programmes core purpose is to help smaller organisations who aspire to start out or grown in the public sector, to develop the skills, confidence and knowledge to be able to grow their business.
Sheri-Leigh Miles
Co-Founding Director

Sheri-Leigh is the co-founding director of NETpositive Futures Ltd and she has been catalysing leading-edge sustainability activity in the tertiary education sector (and beyond) for over 15 years. She is an established expert in stimulating engagement with sustainability and especially experienced at working alongside teams to deliver practical and meaningful change. She focuses on developing process and practice that demonstrates excellent practice with sustainability built into ‘business as usual’.
Pauline Vella
Delivery Manager - Technical Support

At WRAP, we want to tackle the causes of the climate crisis and give the planet a sustainable future.
We want to halt environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity and protect both our lives and the planet. In a thriving world in which climate change is no longer a problem, we will be able to provide for a growing population and raise people out of poverty.
WRAP is at the forefront of making the world a more sustainable place. By bringing people together, acting on facts, we will drive change and protect our planet.
Rikesh Shah
Head of the Innovation Procurement Empowerment Centre (IPEC)

Rikesh Shah is a Head of Innovation Procurement Empowerment Centre – IPEC at Connected Places Catapult since October 2023. Previously, Rikesh was an Open Innovation and Open Data expert at PA Consulting, and prior to that he was the Head of Open Innovation at Transport for London where he created the organisation’s first Innovation Hub, recognised as one of the best in the public sector in Europe, and he also oversaw the organisation’s world-renowned open data initiative bringing £130m worth of value per annum.
Rikesh is a guest lecturer at the Royal College of Arts and a Mobility Tech Innovator at Harvard University. He is a non-executive advisor at Cities Today, London Transport Museum and See.Sense. He also previously served on the Mayor of London’s Smart London Board, co-chaired the Data and Digital Board at the Institute of Civil Engineering.
Alison Walton
Partner

Alison, a Partner and the head of Procurement at Muckle LLP, is a seasoned expert in public procurement. With a distinguished track record, she has actively participated in numerous high-profile procurement exercises, representing both the public sector and bidders alike. Alison's extensive experience encompasses advising on procurement for significant outsourcing initiatives, urban regeneration projects, and public/private partnering arrangements. Additionally, she provides valuable counsel on procurement challenges, contributing to a team that has effectively pursued and defended major procurement claims.
Hannah Quinn-Hill
Business Director for Procurement Recruitment

Michael Page has five decades of expertise in professional services recruitment. We were established in London in 1976, and over this period we've grown organically to become one of the best-known and most respected consultancies, with an office network spanning six continents
Gemma Waring
Procurement Consultant

Gemma Waring is a qualified bid writer, trainer, and coach. With an unwavering commitment to excellence, Gemma has worked in the sector for 20 years and her career has been marked by exceptional achievements due to her determination to succeed and her passion for empowering others.
A beacon of diligence and reliability, Gemma is recognised for setting and upholding high standards. Her enthusiasm for the procurement sector is infectious, propelling her to stay abreast of industry developments and generously share her knowledge, including being a key played in the roll out of the Procurement Act 2023. Gemma's dedication recently earned her the prestigious title of Runner Up in the APMP UK's annual awards in the Supplier of the Year category and seen her continuously develop her own skills as an advocate of life-long learning.
At the helm of G Waring Consulting Ltd since 2019, Gemma orchestrates success in public sector tendering and procurement projects – securing new business and successful outcomes across the board. Notable accomplishments include bid writing endeavours for blue-chip companies, securing multimillion pound contracts, working with Scottish Government on a national training campaign, and securing successful outcomes in complex multi supplier / multi lot frameworks and DPSs.
In her role as Lead Trainer and Skills Coach for the Bid Coordinator Apprenticeship, Gemma also runs multiple cohorts, shaping training content, and assessing learners for long term development and supporting new entrants to the sector to grow and flourish.
Gemma Waring is not just a consultant and trainer; she is a driving force behind transformative change, infusing every project with unmatched enthusiasm and expertise.
Grahame Steed
Director of Public Policy, Research and Communications

Grahame joined BiP Solutions in 2003 as Production Director with responsibility for the multi-disciplined media and production department, including Content, Research and Distribution. Prior to that, he worked in various senior editorial and publishing roles for the media company EMAP plc.
Grahame was appointed Deputy Chief Operating Officer of the BI Division in May 2012 and became Sales & Marketing Director in May 2016 with overall responsibility for driving revenues through private and public sector sales, marketing and events teams.
In January 2017, Grahame was appointed Managing Director of the Media and Marketing Solutions division of the BiP Group. In this role he assumed overall responsibility for two of BiP Group’s recent acquisitions – Pro Mark Media and Ingenium – as well as BiP Solutions’ events and training portfolio.
Following a restructure of BiP Group in April 2018, Grahame was appointed Sales and Marketing Director for the Business Intelligence and Public Sector business units, before subsequently being appointed Director of Public Policy, Research and Communications in 2023.
Kevin Lewis
Senior Business Development Manager

Delta eSourcing is an end-to-end, EU compliant, full eSourcing web-based service which allows buying organisations to manage tenders, suppliers and contracts in a single solution.
Our eTendering portal is at the forefront of eProcurement technology for the public sector, and offers all users outstanding customer support and guidance.
Delta allows public sector buyers a chance to build communities, enjoy benefits of collaboration and transparency as well as meeting with an ever changing legislative landscape. Intelligent forms allow users to comply with legislation and at the same time allows our customers the ability to outperform their market.
Oleksii Opanasenko
International Cooperation Officer

Prozorro is a public electronic procurement system in Ukraine, where state and municipal customers announce tenders to purchase goods, works and services, and business representatives compete for the opportunity to become a state supplier.
The platform has been recognised globally, winning International Public Procurement Award in 2016 for the creation and implementation of an electronic system with unique architecture, and winning at the World Procurement Awards 2016 for the best solution in the public sector.
Procurex England 2025 Themes
2025 Event Sponsors
Amazon Business
Corporate Sponsor
Stand Number: 81

Amazon Business helps millions of customers worldwide—from small businesses, schools, hospitals, non-profit organizations, and government agencies, to large enterprises with global operations—reshape their procurement with cost and time-savings, greater productivity, and insightful purchasing analytics.
Blackhawk Network
Corporate Sponsor
Stand Number: 82

Blackhawk Network (BHN) is your premier alternative payments solutions partner, specialising in supporting public sector fund disbursement programs. With a focus on seamless transactions and financial empowerment, we deliver innovative solutions tailored to the unique needs of local councils and central government bodies. Additionally, our Employee Benefits offering ensures comprehensive support for organisations, fostering financial wellness, employee satisfaction, and performance.
YPO
Lanyard Sponsor
Stand Number: 28

YPO have 50 years of experience in helping the public sector achieve the best possible value when buying products and services. We’re dedicated to providing great support and added value, as well as meeting the public sectors changing needs for greater flexibility, innovation, and sustainability. From finding and assessing vendors to negotiating contracts and maintaining supplier relationships, we can provide support to help your procurement process. We can increase productivity, lower risks, and guarantee on-time delivery of goods and services with our optimised procedures and our flexible solutions. By working together, we can assist with the complexities of procurement while you concentrate on your main business operations.
In Association With

The GO Awards are the UK’s leading public procurement excellence awards, celebrating the very best procurement achievements from across UK’s public, private and third sector organisations.
Find out more about this year’s categories and enter today. The deadline to enter is Monday 24 March.
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