I currently work within the PMO team at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), based in Coventry. My time at the MTC started as a Project support officer supporting overall project governance and reporting, I was then promoted to the role of PMO Change Coordinator. As part of this role, during 2020 I was the lead and accountable for a major internal improvement programme relating to the MTC’s Project Management Process’s (PMP). Fundamental aspects to this role included consistently engaging with a wide range of stakeholders across the business as well as leading a team of 20 people who the majority are in more senior roles to me in order to improve MTC’s PMP.

My success in delivering the programme was celebrated when I won the APM Midlands Branch ‘Young Project Professional of the Year’ Award, which I am incredibly proud of. As well as this, our success as a PMO was celebrated in 2020 winning the CEO award where my contribution to the internal project was recognised. More recently, I split my time 50/50 with 50% of my time being responsible for driving and leading PMO improvement initiatives and strategy and the other 50% of my time is spent jointly leading the ‘Projects Domain’, supporting our major business change of implementing an entirely new Microsoft Dynamics 365 system.

My background in Psychology (MSc Psychology Degree & Early Years and Psychology BA (Hons) paired with my experience of project management have developed my ethos to be strongly centred around people, where I believe developing strong healthy communication and relationships can lead to success no matter what the task. I am extremely proud of the journey I have been on so far in project management in such a short space of time, especially as I had no prior experience in project management before joining the MTC. I am enthusiastic and excited for the future and have found my passion in delivering improvements to those around me.

Donna has 15 years of experience as a PMP Qualified Portfolio Manager within the Financial Services sector. She has previously led Portfolio Management and PMO functions responsible for prioritising, overseeing and reporting on the enterprise-wide portfolio of change activity, and providing Delivery Assurance to support the successful delivery of change. Currently, she is Programme Director for a number of overarching Transformation Programmes. Donna is a Trustee for Aching Arms UK and is passionate about improving baby loss bereavement support in the workplace.

Katrina has over 20 years of experience as a project professional working in Ireland, Europe and the US, and has managed large programmes across diverse industries.
She is an active advocate for the practice of project management. She recently served for 2 years as the Director of Events at the Ireland Chapter of PMI, where she has organised and hosted over 40 virtual events.
Outside of the project profession, and when not in lockdown, she enjoys travelling and skiing.
Katrina has a Master’s Degree in Project Management and is both PMP and PgMP Certified.

Nicky Normington is Managing Business Partner at The Green Cross Group NHS Practice dealing with the day to day of a cross-border GP practice. As North Locality Manager of Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), he is involved with the commissioning of local services and supports twenty GP practices in the North of the city to implement schemes that support the commissioning intentions of the CCG.
He is also the director of a company that provides and coordinates General Practitioner (GP) cover outside of normal contractual hours providing around 240 extra hours of primary care capacity every single week.
Nicky placed the practice front and centre of the Covid-19 pandemic. Initially closing one of his sites, transferring the care to another, and re-opening as a “hot “site for COVID positive patients needing acute medical care. Green Cross was one of fifteen designated sites in Sheffield for delivering the COVID vaccine and gave the very first vaccine to a patient in a primary care setting in Sheffield. To date, his team has given over 350,000 vaccines to the population of Sheffield.

Stephen is rated as one of the top 3 lecturers at one of Europe’s top MBA Business Schools; Cranfield. He has a reputation for taking complex management concepts such as Project, Programme Change and Crisis Management and being able to distil them down, into highly informative and fast-moving lectures – often using “storytelling” techniques. His attitude is “if you haven’t done it – you shouldn’t be teaching it!”

Unusually, for an academic, he has actually has spent most of his working life in real business and still runs his own, highly successful, Project Management Company.

Stephen is an unusual blend of Academic, Businessman and Teller of Tales. He has taught across the World and has appeared on National Radio and TV.