Duncan is a Non Executive Director at BiP Solutions. Prior to this he was Chief Executive of NHS PASA, an organisation he had headed since its creation in 1999. He is a past President of CIPS and the Health Care Supply Association. In 2001 CIPS awarded him the Swinbank Medal for distinguished service to purchasing and supply. In 2005 Duncan was awarded the prestigious GO magazine Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of his contribution to the public procurement profession.

Neil recently retired after a career spanning over 40 years in procurement, 31 of which were in the health care sector. After working in Trent and Oxford regions he became Divisional Supplies Manager in North West Thames in 1983, providing a procurement and logistics service to hospitals in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. In 1991 the Division merged into East Anglia Regional Health Authority and he was appointed Director of Purchasing. Shortly afterwards, NHS Supplies was formed and Neil became National Purchasing Executive for the medical category. When NHS Supplies was disbanded and the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency came into existence in 2000, Neil was appointed Director of Policy and Performance. His responsibilities included business planning, supplier relationships and communications, legal and procedural issues, the environment and emergency planning. In 2005 he was appointed Director of Pharmaceuticals, a position he held until taking early retirement at the end of 2006.

Peter is a highly experienced professional in strategic procurement and supply management. He currently holds the position of Chief Executive of the North West Collaborative Commercial Agency. Prior to joining the then North West Collaborative Procurement Hub in May 2005, Peter was Vice President of Global Supply Chain for Cable & Wireless, where he undertook significant change programmes in the Caribbean and Latin America. Peter has also held the position of National Contracts and Procurement Manager at Transco plc, delivering business benefits via a strategic outsourcing programme. He is a member of CIPS and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in London. Peter started his career in the construction industry as a chartered surveyor (quantity surveyor) and is a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

Fiona is Deputy Director for Strategic Sourcing at Healthcare Purchasing Consortium widely acknowledged as one of the country’s leading collaborative procurement hubs based in the West Midlands. With 14 years experience, Fiona has previously worked in a number of NHS procurement environments including an acute trust, PCT, and supply management confederation. In her current role, Fiona has overall responsibility for delivery of the challenging financial savings targets of the medical, corporate and pharmacy category teams.

Bob is a Senior Fellow in Financial Management at Keele University and also has his own consulting firm. From 2001 to 2004 he was the Programme Manager for Financial Reforms at the Department of Health, where he led the team responsible for the initial design and implementation of Payment by Results. Bob has also worked as a Finance Director in the NHS and as an advisor to the House of Commons Select Committee on Health and to the Welsh Assembly Government. He has worked with the private health care sector, pharmaceutical and medi-tech suppliers on the design and implementation of reimbursement policies. In addition, Bob works for the World Bank on health sector reforms in the Balkans and Central Asia and is a non-executive director at the Heart of Birmingham Primary Care Trust.

Andrew was Chief Operating Officer for the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency, part of the Department of Health. NHS PASA was responsible for purchasing and supply strategy for the NHS in England and also managed national contracts. Andrew has 25 years’ NHS purchasing experience at local, regional and national level. At PASA, he was also the Director responsible for eProcurement, sourcing and data analysis and programme and uptake management. His wider corporate responsibilities included performance, quality and information. Andrew has a Masters Degree from the University of Birmingham and is a member of both CIPS and the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Stephen has been involved with procurement within the NHS for over 20 years and has experience working at a local, regional and national level with a strong focus on patient-centred services within a variety of structures and operating models. His current role at the Department of Health (DH) focuses on development and implementation of pan-government initiatives together with building the internal professional procurement capacity to enhance the commercial skills available. Before joining DH, Stephen worked at the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency. There he focused on the development of procurement and service delivery strategies within the area of rehabilitation services and played a pivotal role in the introduction of digital hearing aids to the NHS.

Howard is responsible for the commercial interface with UK hospitals for Pfizer Business Units. Previously, he held the position of Principal Pharmacist (Procurement) for Leeds Teaching Hospitals and was Regional Pharmacy Procurement Specialist for Yorkshire (1984 to 2001). Howard has 25 years’ experience as a Pharmacy Procurement Specialist and was founder and Chairman of the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists Procurement and Distribution Interest Group (GHP PDIG). He has been instrumental in the development of best practice guidelines in audit, contracting and procurement. Since joining the pharmaceutical industry in 2001, Howard has continued to contribute to best practice working between the NHS and the pharmaceutical industry and is currently Chairman of the ABPI Supply Chain Group.

Simon is Head of Procurement and eCommerce at the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The Trust has a £650m turnover, including a total non-pay spend of £250m, and is among the largest and most complex organisations in the NHS. Simon leads a team that provides a unified procurement and eCommerce service, including sourcing, materials management, electronic catalogue-based ordering and invoice payments. In 2009, he became Chairman of the Purchasing Board of the North East Patches Oracle Group. He has held a number of positions in both regional and locally based NHS procurement across his 23-year career – all spent in the NHS.

Speakers may be subject to change.