Place & Regeneration Zone
Many organisations including local authorities, housing associations, framework providers and suppliers play a vital role in urban regeneration projects, transforming towns and city centres and creating new homes, jobs and communities, and with a new government prioritising housing and various initiatives already underway, significant opportunities are available for suppliers to support these projects.
The Place & Regeneration Zone at Procurex England will host several speaking sessions discussing the major upcoming housing schemes and urban regeneration projects, what buyers are looking for and prioritising, and outline how suppliers can support these projects and help renew towns and cities.
Confirmed speakers include
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.
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.
Catherine Wilkins
Category Management Group Lead - Pavements
National Highways, formerly Highways England, is the government company responsible for the country's motorways and main A roads. This includes modernising and maintaining the highways, as well as running the network and keeping traffic moving.
Martin Capper
Head of Procurement
National Highways, formerly Highways England, is the government company responsible for the country's motorways and main A roads. This includes modernising and maintaining the highways, as well as running the network and keeping traffic moving.
Matthew Perrott
Deputy Head of Commercial Services
Matthew is currently the Deputy Head of Commercial Services at Digital Health and Care Wales and has responsibility for all procurement and sourcing of national digital clinical systems and IT Contracts for DHCW and the NHS in Wales. He has been a proud member of procurement in NHS for the past 15 years and has worked across multiple commodity areas including medial, pharmaceutical and utilities before joining DHCW 8 years ago. Recent engagements for DHCW have included acting as commercial lead for the procurement of national systems for Laboratory Information Management, Radiology Imaging solutions and Pharmacy and ePrescribing systems for the whole of Wales. Digital Health and Care Wales is part of the NHS Wales family and a trusted partner. DHCW is taking forward the next generation of services needed to transform health and care delivery to provide world leading digital services, empowering people to live healthier lives.
Stuart Brown
Senior Associate
Stuart joined Trowers & Hamlins in February 2019 and is a member of the firm's Public Procurement group. He specialises in public procurement and advises the public, private and third sectors on Public Procurement, Subsidy and building safety issues. Stuart advises clients on complex procurement strategy and structures, and helps clients navigate all kinds of procurement issues, including structuring flexible procurement procedures, advising on shared services and collaboration, and the incorporation of transparent evaluation methodologies. Additionally, Stuart regularly delivers training on a broad spectrum of procurement matters including the use of framework agreements, incorporating social value into the procurement process and evaluation models.
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.
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.
Sara Lawton
Director
Sara is an innovative, award-winning business leader with close to 30 years’ experience leading public and private sector enterprises. Throughout her career, Sara has been motivated by a desire to reach the most vulnerable and neglected members of society, raise their living standard, and see their dignity restored. During her time in the public-sector Sara delivered a range of public-sector frontline services that went beyond her role including mentoring young women at risk of exclusion from education, the creation of specialist outreach teams to tackle youth crime, the creation of an innovative safety project educating women in prison about the dangers of arson and the delivery of Liverpool’s super zone The Fire Fit Hub (Fire Fit). Seeing an opportunity to create an organisation that was truly capable of and committed to making a difference in people’s lives, Sara embarked on the journey of social entrepreneur in 2016 when she founded Rise Construction Framework (Rise). Rise is a social business that uses profits generated by the procurement of capital works and services to fund community intervention and prevention services that tackle some of society’s darkest issues including domestic violence, homelessness and mental health & well-being. In 2021 during the pandemic Rise launched Thrive an organisation that exists to help care leavers live happy, safe and fulfilling lives; since its launched Thrive has changed the lives of 100’s of care experienced young people.
Ian Brotherston
Head of Government Levers
Innovate UK is the UK’s national innovation agency, supporting business-led innovation in all sectors, technologies and UK regions. Innovate UK help businesses grow through the development and commercialisation of new products, processes, and services, supported by an outstanding innovation ecosystem that is agile, inclusive, and easy to navigate.
Mark Breakenridge
Business Development Manager
Delta eSourcing enables efficient, effective and compliant procurement. Utilised by thousands of public sector buyers every day, its Buyer Portal, Tender Manager, Supplier Manager, Contract Manager and eAuctions services can be used independently or else combined to form a comprehensive and effective end-to-end procurement solution. In challenging times, Delta eSourcing delivers transparency, compliance and value for money.
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.