Speakers

Grahame joined Glasgow-based BiP Solutions Ltd as Production Director in 2003, following 13 years as Magazine Editor, Publisher and latterly Publishing Director at EMAP plc. He is responsible for the Media Department at BiP, which includes the Contracts, Communications and Design Teams that are responsible for producing the range of Government Opportunities products.

Ken has had a wide spanning career in both the public and private sectors and is a Director of SPS Consultancy Services. He was the Director of the London Centre of Excellence (LCE) until 2008 and is the Efficiency Advisor to the successor body, Capital Ambition. Ken has been the architect of numerous high profile projects in recent years including forming the Procurement Agency for Essex (PAE).
He worked in central government until 1995, serving in various senior project management and procurement roles at the MOD, Home Office, Cabinet Office and H M Treasury, before moving into the private sector in 1995 where he managed the public sector division for a major ICT provider. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) and is a Liveryman in the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists having received the Freedom of the City of London in 1994.

Patrick joined Business Link in London in June 2007, determined to drive forward BLIL's contribution to strengthening London's economy by helping SMEs and start-ups to grow and develop. Previously, he was a Vice President at SAIC Inc, a multinational company with a turnover of $8bn providing business consulting and outsourcing services to government and private sector clients. Patrick has led teams delivering innovative customer propositions and creating new businesses over multi-year periods, including as Director of Interactivity at a leading digital TV operator and as the Strategy and Launch Director for the businesslink.gov.uk portal targeted at start-ups and SMEs.

Helen joined the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) in October 2004, having previously worked in the voluntary and community sector (VCS). Before that she worked for two years with the Open University, followed by eight years in the NHS. In 1995, Helen set up the Gloucester Council for Voluntary Services where she was Chief Executive for nine years. During this time she was also a member of the steering group which set up the Regional Voluntary Sector Forum, sat on the Home Office Reference Group for the 2002 cross-cutting review of the VCS role in public service delivery and was a trustee of the then National Association of Councils for Voluntary Service.

Jillian is a Programme Manager at Pera and has programme management responsibility for Supply London. Prior to joining Pera, she worked for London Fire Brigade as the IT project manager for the Fleet Mobilising System and for London Borough of Tower Hamlets Social Services, project managing business systems such as electronic records, document management and social care management systems. The roles included procurement responsibilities which generated Jillian's interest in lowering the barriers to entry for SMEs since there seemed to be a knowledge and skills gap of the public procurement process.

Gary is Programme Director for the London Procurement Programme. He was previously involved in the establishment of PRO-CURE, the Collaborative Procurement Hub in the South Central SHA region. Most of his career has been spent in the private sector where he has held a variety of engineering, production management and commercial roles. The London Procurement Programme (LPP) works alongside Trusts to make the most of the commercial size of the NHS in London. The main focus is to drive collaboration, to maximise London's £5 billion purchasing power and use this to deliver savings and improvements to enhance patient care across the capital.

Naomi joined the civil service in 2002, working in a number of high profile policy development and project management roles in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Home Office before joining the OGC as a senior advisor in August 2007. OGC's responsibilities include getting best value from £175bn of annual third party spend, getting the best from the Government's £30bn estate; helping achieve delivery of further government policy goals, including innovation, equality, and support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs); and driving forward the improvement of central Government capability in procurement, project and programme management, and estates management. Naomi was the project manager for the Glover Review into the role of SMEs in public procurement, and is subsequently programme managing the implementation of the Glover recommendations.

Phil has played key roles in organising and running public sector procurement and training events since 2001 and has been involved with the Supply2.gov.uk brand since its launch in 2006 through marketing at roadshows, events and meetings with interoperability partners. He was recently appointed Interoperability Manager for Supply2.gov.uk and is responsible both for strengthening relationships with existing buyers and for creating further relationships to extend the reach of this respected government brand.

Leon is Head of Olympic Business Legacy at the London Development Agency (LDA), working within their Olympic Legacy Directorate. His role is to lead the strategic and operational delivery of the LDA's Business Legacy Programme - helping London's businesses to maximise the economic benefits from the London 2012 Games. Leon leads the team responsible for the design, development and delivery of the CompeteFor service, working closely with a range of key stakeholders, including the Olympic Delivery Authority, LOCOG, the Regional Development Agency network, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Government Olympic Executive. Leon has also developed and managed a number of high-profile business and enterprise projects for the LDA and local authorities. Prior to joining the LDA, he led the London Borough of Newham's Inward Investment and Business Development Team, focusing on supply chain initiatives.