John Coyne is the Director of Commercial and Procurement at Birmingham City Council. With over 30 years of leadership experience across the public, private, and third sectors, John specializes in driving high-impact commercial transformations. His career is marked by notable leadership roles, including Director of Commercial and Procurement for the Welsh Government and the first-ever Commercial Director of Liverpool FC. John is a vocal advocate for using procurement as a lever for social and economic change, ensuring that public spend delivers maximum value to the communities it serves.

Clare recently completed her PhD at the University of Liverpool, following her earlier achievement of an MBA from the Management School. Her research examines the operational barriers to delivering social value within public procurement by exploring the policies and practices in both commissioning and supplier organisations.

As a chartered accountant Clare’s professional life was spent in senior management roles across the Finance and HR functions for Eli Lilly & Co. Ltd and Novartis.

Experience in the public sector was gained as a non-executive director for Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS trust, where she chaired the finance committee.

She is a member of Social Value UK’s advisory board and an active member of North Sefton District Scouts, a role which blends her experiences with providing opportunities for young people in our region.

Clare is passionate that research should generate meaningful action and is looking forward to the role the Centre for Sustainable Business will play in inspiring debate and knowledge exchange.

Dr. Darar Apiri is a Senior Specialist at WRAP, providing technical expertise in sustainable procurement on the Welsh Government-funded Circular Public Sector Project, as well as on WRAP projects across the wider UK and the APAC region. He supports organisations in integrating decarbonisation planning, circularity and social value into procurement strategies and tendering processes, helping deliver low-carbon, resource-efficient outcomes and embedding circular economy principles into decision-making.

Darar holds a PhD in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, an MSc in Engineering Business Management, and a BEng in Civil Engineering. He is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CMILT), a member of the Association for Project Managers (MAPM), and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA). Before joining academia, Darar worked internationally as a procurement lead in aerodrome operations, gaining practical experience in complex, high-stakes supply chain and procurement environments. He subsequently held academic positions at the University of the West of England and the University of South Wales, teaching and leading research in sustainable supply chains, circular economy, global procurement, and project management.

Jane is a Professor in Procurement for the Logistics and Operations Management (LOM) section of Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University. Jane’s subject areas for research and teaching include innovation and social public procurement, supply chain management, and collaboration. Jane is the strategic lead for Procurement Labs in a WEFO funded project, Infuse (Innovation of Future Public Services). Jane is Programme Director for the UK Government funded 'Help to Grow Management' programme delivered at Cardiff Buisness School aimed at supporting SMEs with business growth. Additional Roles: Member of IRSPP (international research study on public procurement) Branch Chair of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) South Wales Associate Director (MICW) of Institute for Collaborative Working (ICW), Cymru.

David is a globally recognised procurement leader specialising in using his experience of Digital-era methods to modernise public procurement. He is respected for his notable work applying agile ways of working to public procurement, AI procurement, moving from ‘spending’ to ‘investing' public money through public procurement and contracting and helping organisations improve their market engagement approaches ensuring contract exit is thought through from the start.

He has advised and led some of the most innovative digital and technology procurement activities of recent times in the UK Public Sector and overseas governments, centred around the needs of all users, being an expert on all Digital, Data and Technology commercial-procurement and public procurement’s link to the well-being of future generations.

Dan Ebanks is the Co-Founder and CEO of Match My Project, a digital platform dedicated to maximising social value in public procurement. With over 15 years of experience working across the public and private sectors in the UK and EU, Dan is a recognised leader in "tech for good." He is also the founder of the Social Value Exchange, a software-driven initiative that matches the resources of government suppliers with community-based projects. Recognised as a Big Issue Changemaker of 2024, Dan’s work focuses on using market design and technology to build more resilient communities and ensure public spending delivers tangible local benefits.

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 Dec 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.

Over the past four years, the collaborative efforts of the Council and its supply chain have yielded over £50 million in delivered social value, laying the foundation for a substantial pipeline of future benefits.

Holds Master’s Degree in Finance, Banking & Insurance from Finance Academy in Warsaw and BA Degree in Banking, Corporate Finance & Securities Law
Also holds the following qualifications: • Social Value & SROI Accredited Practitioner, Social Value International 2019 • SCRUMstudy Agile Master Practitioner in Public Services, Basis 2019 • Mental Health First Aid, (MHFA) England 2017 • Management Development Programme, JSB Consulting 2011 • AET Award in Education and Training, City & Guilds 2010 • L3 Certificate in Recruitment Practice (CertRP) 2007 • 2020 – 2021

Dr. Ian Brotherston is a leading expert in the "Government Levers" of innovation at Innovate UK. As Deputy Director, he specializes in how public sector procurement—specifically through programs like SBRI (Small Business Research Initiative)—can serve as a catalyst for new technology and public sector efficiency. With over two decades of experience spanning academia and industry, Ian acts as a key liaison between Innovate UK and government departments across the UK. He is a passionate advocate for "Contracts for Innovation" and empowers public bodies to act as intelligent buyers to de-risk and adopt emerging solutions.

Michelle Walker was appointed to the newly created role of Head of Procurement Services at YPO in 2024, leading on forming strategic stakeholder partnerships, nurturing strong internal relationships and collaborating with customers within the YPO supply chain.

Michelle is an award-winning procurement professional with extensive experience in the public sector, specifically within the NHS and higher education at Sheffield Hallam University. For 15 years prior to joining YPO she held positions within the NHS North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative (NOE CPC) in Sheffield, with her most recent role seeing her lead a team within the Healthcare Services and Pharmacy category.

Michelle also tutored the next generation of procurement professionals, delivering CIPS level 4 and 5 training at the College of York and the University of Hull. Michelle is CIPS qualified and holds a post graduate qualification in Public Procurement Law and Policy from the University of Nottingham.

With over 25 years of procurement experience, the bulk of which has been in the public sector, Caroline is an adaptable, well respected, and proactive leader in procurement, training, and customer relations. MCIPS qualified, Caroline has delivered numerous projects for both internal stakeholders and external customers.

John began his career as a laboratory assistant before becoming a qualified Master Brewer. Having spent 10 years in brewing production, John moved onto various procurement roles in the industry prior to spending 2 years in the food industry working for one of the country’s leading chilled food producers. In 2006, he joined the NHS being involved in the growth and development of two regional procurement organisations before joining Anchor 2 years ago in the role of Head of Procurement and Purchasing.

Warren Smith is the Director of Insight, Innovation, and Impact at Posterity Global. With nearly 30 years of experience across the public and private sectors, Warren is a leading figure in modern commercial delivery. He is widely recognised for his tenure at the UK Government Digital Service (GDS), where he served as the Director of the Global Digital Marketplace Programme. In that role, he helped governments worldwide reform their procurement systems to be more transparent and inclusive. Warren currently co-leads the UN’s United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) thematic group on intergenerational procurement, focusing on creating people-centered urban environments.

STAR is the collaborative procurement service for Knowsley, Rochdale, St Helens, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford Councils, providing procurement services and a wide range of business consultancy services to their Partners and other clients.

STAR sit strategically alongside their Partners and clients to support delivery and improvement in public service reform and growth, delivering best practice procurement that provides added “procurement worth"​.

Tiia founded whatimpact in 2017, driven by a clear passion and vision to create The UK National Social Value Marketplace®. A recognised thought leader in the field, she has shaped whatimpact into a pioneering platform that connects businesses, public sector bodies, and VCSEs to deliver measurable, evidence-based social value. Tiia is an active member of various social value working groups, speaker in conferences and driving thought leadership within the field.

In his present role Phil is responsible for supporting the FSB's volunteer activists and other small business members, and representing their policy positions and other interests in Merseyside and Cheshire. This includes chairing the Liverpool City Region Business Group of leading membership organisations and representing FSB in the media. He also project manages the development of the FSB's various activities. He has regularly represented the FSB on television and radio, notable appearances being the BBC’s Panorama, The One Show, Working Lunch, BBC News, Sky News and BBC Radio Four and Five.