"The Partnering Ecosystem" - turning dreams into reality...

“I have an aspiration to become the Procurement & Supply Chain Director for the Group.”

A clear statement of intent!

This was my opening gambit when applying to join Costain’s Senior Leadership Programme back in 2018. I quickly recognised that I needed help to pursue my new ambition. As far as statements of intent go, it is not as inspiring as Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream”….. but it was simple and clear, and it gave me clear purpose and direction - something we all need in life.

As part of the application, I proposed to create a 'partnering ecosystem'; a vision of improving supply chain management practices and putting in place new ways to integrate our partners for success. I envisaged this strategy would have prominent central themes of transparency, efficiency and building trust.

Back then, my aspirations were being shaped by my environment, as I simultaneously accepted the position of Head of Procurement and Supply Chain at SCSjv Railways. When you are tasked with leading the team to procure £4B of goods and services, you realise you need all the help you can get!

I sought inspiration from my past experiences, leading academics at UCL, colleagues and family - just about anyone who might spare time. I enjoyed every minute of working at SCSjv, with HS2 and all the talented inspirational leaders in construction to make HS2 a reality. It really is more than just a railway, it is one of the important “engines for economic growth” for the UK economy and I am very proud and grateful to have played my role at the start of the HS2 journey. It's fantastic to now witness the objectives of the partnering ecosystem being delivered with initiatives like The Virtual Enterprise Academy in its forth year of successful operation.

The next phase of my journey led me to create Smart Procurement Group at the start of 2021, where our mission is "to improve construction procurement", and where sustainable procurement has been added as an additional core central theme, alongside integration, transparency and trust.

Follow our journey on LinkedIn as we help our clients improve construction procurement and develop smarter solutions.