Confirmed Speakers

The HCSA promotes the work of procurement and supply chain staff at all levels in healthcare. The Association provides training events and educational seminars, sponsors awards and hosts two high-profile annual conferences. The governance of the Association rests with the board of Trustees. The Executive runs the day to day business of the Association supported by a National Council of Regional Coordinators, Specialist Area Coordinators and National representatives from across the U.K. HCSA is a registered charity in the UK, is entirely self-financed through a combination of income from conferences, seminars, other training events and advertising.

NHS England, officially the NHS Commissioning Board, is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health and Social Care. It oversees the budget, planning, delivery and day-to-day operation of the commissioning side of the National Health Service in England as set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

Alyson has worked in procurement for 41 years, 23 of which have been in collaborative working environments, and will provide powerful insight into how collaborative procurement works within the NHS and what this means for suppliers seeking to engage in this marketplace.

Matthew leads our commercial insights work. His experience includes Big Four audit and valuations, merger and market investigations for the Competition and Market Authority, and economic regulation in the telecoms, water, aerospace and defence sectors.

Michelle is Executive Director of Sustainability and Social Value at NHS London Procurement Partnership. She’s contributed a huge amount to the social value movement across a long and varied career, initially working in finance and education, and now heading up a team tasked with creating more sustainable procurement practice within the National Health Service in London.

Will Laing is the Operations Director for the NHS Workforce Alliance, jointly reporting to the senior management of all five partner organisations, and responsible for the overall success of the Alliance in driving positive outcomes across all areas of workforce management for the NHS. Previously, Will was the Account Director – Department of Health and Social Care for Crown Commercial Service, during a period where the engagement between the health sector grew significantly. Will has an extensive background in NHS procurement since taking his first role with NHS Supplies North West division in 1995. From 2000 to 2010, Will worked in various commercial and managerial roles in the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA), which has given him insight into the challenges and opportunities in the NHS. Will led several categories in the 2004 NHS Supply Chain Excellence programme, introduced the first national agreement for Agency Nurses in 2007, and in 2008-10 represented the NHS in leadership roles in the OGC’s collaborative category management in energy and fleet.

Caroline has worked in procurement since 1998, moving in the year 2000 from a manufacturing environment to the NHS, initially at the Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust. It was during this time that Caroline became CIPS qualified. In 2006 she joined the predecessor of the North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative (NOE CPC) as Project Manager for the pilot project “Growing the Region’s Businesses with NHS Investment”, NOE CPC’s unique partnership with the Regional Development Agency, Yorkshire Forward. The project was shortlisted for two prestigious awards; the HSJ Awards and Government Opportunities (GO) Awards Since the successful completion of the Yorkshire Forward project, Caroline has worked in a number of roles at NOE CPC, including Procurement Training Specialist, delivering training to both businesses and NHS staff on public sector procurement, and as a Category Manager. Caroline's current role as Head of Training, Events and New Business Development involves developing NOE CPC's relationships with both existing and new members, and delivering a programme of procurement training and other events for NOE CPC members and other NHS procurement professionals.

After completing a marketing degree at Lancaster University, Olivia joined NOE CPC in 2021 under the two-year Pathways to Procurement graduate scheme. This involved completing the CIPS level 4 apprenticeship and a series of rotations across the organisation. Olivia now works in Procurement Operations for the HR & People category and is completing the CIPS Advanced Practitioner course.

Riley is the current Graduate Trainee at NOE CPC, having recently graduated from a Masters in Modern History, and will be rotating between various teams over his two year graduate scheme. As part of the Graduate Scheme, Riley is also currently studying CIPS level 4.

Alexandra is Head of Sustainable Procurement and Supply Chain at NHS England and NHS Improvement, where she leads the team responsible for delivering a net zero Carbon Footprint Plus for the NHS, which comprises over 60% of total emissions. In 2020, the NHS became the world’s first national health system to commit to become ‘carbon net zero’. Carbon Footprint Plus includes the NHS’ wider supply chain, aiming for an 80% reduction in emissions by 2036-2039 and Net Zero by 2045. Following the release of the ‘Delivering a Net Zero Report’, Alexandra has led the development and implementation of activities to achieve net zero carbon, drive social value and eradicate modern slavery across the supply chain. Before joining NHSEI, Alexandra led on the strategic and operational implementation of green plans for NHS organisations across the country, as well as some of the largest decarbonising infrastructure projects in the health sector enabled by procurement frameworks. Alexandra holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Policy from Edinburgh University, she graduated with honours from Boston College in the USA, and has previously led the award-winning sustainability programme at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.

Neil Hind has worked across various private and public sector organisations advising and delivering on various procurement, programme and sustainability programmes. He is also a Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply and holds an MBA from the University of Liverpool. He has previously held the roles of the Head of Procurement for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, was Head of Procurement at NHS England whilst implementing a new Commercial and Procurement team, and was the GM NHS Procurement Programme Director, setting up one of the first ICS procurement teams within the NHS. More recently he has been supporting Net Zero for Carbon & Social Value Projects for NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care and is now their Anchors Programme Lead looking at system approach in embedding the Anchor principals that includes social value.

Ruth joined the North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative (NOE CPC) in June 2022, she has spent the last 30 years working in the pharmaceutical, medical device industry ranging from global organisations to SME’s and early start ups in the UK and North America holding a wide variety of roles from clinical to sales and marketing and general management. Before joining she worked in stakeholder relations and communications for a mid-sized pharmaceutical company. NOE CPC is a member of NHS Procurement in Partnership (NHS PiP) which is the collaboration between four NHS procurement hubs including NHS Commercial Solutions, East of England NHS Collaborative Procurement Hub and NHS London Procurement Partnership (NHS LPP)

NHS Shared Business Services is a proud member of the NHS family, helping NHS organisations achieve more together than they can alone. Whether that’s unlocking long-term efficiencies to be reinvested into patient care, or supporting complex transformation programmes, NHS Shared Business Services' solutions are co-created with and for the NHS.

Prior to joining the NHS in 2003, Janet spent fifteen years managing United Nations funded health and other development projects in both urban and rural communities in the Philippines. Her expertise in community and sustainable development led to consultancies with international organisations including the World Bank’s Economic Development Institute and the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Throughout the twelve years with the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, she worked closely with clinicians, service users, a variety of other health professionals and external advisors in successfully implementing a range of Trust-wide schemes including capital schemes, Sustainable Travel Initiatives; furniture reuse and recycling scheme; and was one of the key persons who implemented the 2010 Carbon Management Plan (CMP) which resulted in the Trust achieving 14% reduction in its carbon footprint by April 2015. Janet wrote the Trust Green and Climate Change Impact Adaptation Plan and is responsible for managing and facilitating its implementation. Under her leadership, the Trust has realised a 9% reduction of its carbon footprint from 2020‐21 baseline.

Lee Joseph was appointed Managing Director of NHS LPP in October 2023. Prior to this appointment, he working as the Interim Managing Director for seven months and, during that time, worked to further build the organisation in regards to its service offering to members, as well as ensuring it is a great place for staff to work. Prior to his role as Interim Managing Director, Lee worked in various senior roles at NHS LPP after joining the organisation in 2016. Before joining NHS LPP, he held strategic and leadership roles across the public and private sector, including Hospital Corporation of America, General Electric (GE), Unipart, JCB and Visteon.

Paul is the Director, Commercial & Procurement for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Paul is responsible for all Procurement, Commercial, Supply Chain and Logistics services for the Trust. Paul has over 25 years’ experience in procurement, logistics and supply chain management in both the private and public sector. Since joining the NHS in 2011 Paul has been particularly keen to promote the value and benefits of investing in procurement professionals throughout the NHS and show how good procurement can help improve frontline services. Paul is Chair of the National Commercial Talent Board and is also the Chair of the Yorkshire & Humber Skills Development Network.

Steve has worked across a wide range of procurement functions within the NHS and wider public sector. He also has a commercial track record in consulting and business development. Before joining LPP, Steve was at EGS as Head of Business Process Outsourcing, and before that, he was at Improvement and Efficiency South East where he helped 74 local authorities collaborate and meet their efficiency savings.

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.

NHS SBS is the UK's only full service provider of corporate services to the NHS, offering payroll, procurement, finance, digital, and integrated care solutions. Learn how NHS SBS helps NHS organisations achieve more, save money, and improve patient care.

NHS London Procurement Partnership (NHS LPP) is one of four national procurement hubs serving the health community in London and beyond. Our members extend across the acute, community and mental health sectors, as well as primary care and clinical commissioning.

Sharon took up her post on 1 April 2024, following more than six years as the Director of the Lancashire Procurement Cluster, and more latterly in a dual role as acting Chief Procurement Officer for Lancashire and South Cumbria.

NHS England, officially the NHS Commissioning Board, is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health and Social Care. It oversees the budget, planning, delivery and day-to-day operation of the commissioning side of the National Health Service in England as set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2012. It directly commissions NHS general practitioners, dentists, optometrists and some specialist services.

Delta’s eSourcing solution is used and trusted by over 500 UK public sector organisations and by approximately 100,000 active suppliers. Delta offers insightful advice for using the e-tendering portal and consistently supports customers. The fully managed and supported service is based on the core principles of community building, collaboration and transparency for the enablement of supply chains, commissioning, needs analysis and the management of competitive tender exercises.

The team at LDN Apprenticeships is on a mission to create opportunities for diverse talent to realise their potential. We care deeply about our apprentices and the companies that support them. Everything we do revolves around improving the experience that they have with us.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) is the largest health board in Scotland and spends £660 million each year with third-party providers. The work with the Supplier Development Programme aims to encourage a wider pool of suppliers, including more local SMEs, to become a part of its supply chain.

Sarah is the NHS England policy lead for the Provider Selection Regime. For the last two years Sarah has worked at NHS England supporting providers to work more collaboratively and understand their responsibilities since the introduction of the Health and Care Act 2022. Sarah’s background is in hospital pharmacy and she has previously worked in a range of healthcare roles, including oncology, mental health and regulation, and has completed her MSc in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety. Sarah will be offering insight into the PSR policy at NHSE.

Lucy specialises in advising healthcare organisations on complex contractual arrangements, including in respect of collaboration, outsourcing and public procurement. She has particular experience in advising on all manner of contractual arrangements for services, supplies and works. Her procurement practice includes developing procurement processes and preparing a wide range of procurement documents including SQs, ITTs, ITNs, draft contracts, framework agreements and dynamic purchasing systems. In addition, she has provided advice and support in relation to scoring and evaluation processes, award procedures and in relation to potential procurement challenges. Lucy also has extensive experience in advising in relation to complex, long term, multi-party contractual arrangements (including PFI) and has good knowledge of NHS standard form contracting.

Gill has delivered supply chain solutions across many industries globally and is now responsible for NHS Supply Chains’ In Hospital Services Business Unit. The IHS is working across the NHS to implement inventory management capabilities and supply chain best practice to improve supply chain resilience, improve patient safety and realise efficiencies while enabling key NHS England programmes such as Scan4Safety, Medical Devices Outcomes Registry and the Federated Data Platform.

Emma is the Director for Market Management within the New Hospital Programme and with her team, tracks, builds and nurtures a strong, confident, and competitive market of suppliers and partners for the New Hospital Programme, creating an environment for the supply chain to invest with confidence and allowing the market to collaborate and innovate. As a Chartered Civil Engineer and having over 20 years in engineering and infrastructure major programmes, Emma joined the New Hospital Programme from HS2, where she was Head of Change & Collaboration and prior to that was the Alliance Relationship Manager for East West Rail. In each of these roles Emma has focused on creating positive change within the sector achieved through a combination of; creating and implementing delivery models; effective strategic relationship, cultural and market development; a comprehensive understanding of the sector, organisation, system, and people; supported by the technical understanding of change, transformation, programme, and project management. Using this experience, Emma and her team are preparing to ensure that the market is ready to deliver the Programme’s new hospitals that will integrate innovative national standards for NHS England’s healthcare infrastructure, delivering improved value for money and enhanced social value.

As Executive Commercial Director for The New Hospital Programme (NHP) in NHS England, Rick is a passionate industry executive, experienced in leading complex programmes and commercial models. The NHP is designed to transform how we deliver major healthcare projects in England, building hospitals that will revolutionise the healthcare sector and set a new standard for the way in which we build future social infrastructure. He has had a long-spanning career delivering major infrastructure programmes from before joining NHS England where Rick spent 18 years in the nuclear sector at Sellafield Ltd, delivering one of the largest portfolios of complex major projects in the UK which was achieved by harnessing the power of collaboration with the supply chain and partnership working. As a chartered MCIPS member his leadership has successfully delivered several high profile multi-billion-pound procurements. As a part of his commitment to infrastructure growth, he is a member of the UK’s Infrastructure Client Group and an executive member of Project 13, where he co-chairs the Adopters community looking at new business models for delivery. The opportunity to build better through collaboration is on a scale rarely seen in the UK, to do it with something that touches the lives of so many and is so important to the country makes it even more important for Rick to play a part in it.

Richard works for the Department of Health and Social Care and was the lead policy official presiding over the development of the legislation underpinning the Provider Selection Regime (PSR). Richard worked across multiple Government departments in Whitehall before pursuing a career in healthcare policy specifically. He will offer insight into the aims behind the development and implementation of the PSR

Cicely is Policy and Strategy Manager in the System Architecture Team at NHS England. For the last two years she has been supporting the establishment and development of integrated care systems (ICSs), following them becoming legally established through the Health and Social Care Act 2022. She is currently studying for a MSc in Health Policy at Imperial College London and prior to her current role she worked in the VCSE sector. Cicely will be offering insight into the PSR policy at NHS England.

Nick was part of the team responsible for shaping Greiner’s global sustainability strategy, known as Blue Plan. His Greiner Bio-One role encompasses not only the strategic delivery of Greiner’s sustainability initiatives within the UK, but also the successful implementation and management of the ISO14001 (Environmental Management System) certification at Greiner Bio-One’s facility in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire.

Health Contracts International (HCI) is a full-service, market-leading healthcare contract solution fuelled by artificial intelligence and industry expertise from BiP Solutions. HCI’s unique suite of precision intelligence, technology, and trend data facilitates businesses to find and win more opportunities in both the public and private sector healthcare environments. A fully encompassing package of business-to-government marketing services aligned with bid support, and procurement consultations mean that businesses have never been better placed to succeed.

Karl Redmond is currently working for NHSE as a Estates Delivery Lead and on full-time Secondment with the New Hospital Programme (NHP) (Digital Estates & Smart Buildings). Karl has delivered international Healthcare and real estate ecosystem conference talks in Dubai, Lisbon, Hamburg, Stockholm, Dublin and the UK, and has published a number of academic papers and articles regarding negotiation and influencing; real estate strategies; digital asset management; smart buildings and sustainability; healthcare estates and patient flows; digital innovation and transformation strategies.