The experts behind the judging

Grahame joined BiP Solutions in 2003 and has held the positions of Senior Executive Officer, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Sales and Marketing Director, MD for Media and Marketing Solutions and Director of Business Intelligence and eSourcing, Now, as Director of Public Policy, Research and Communications, Grahame is responsible for driving the growth of the business through the creation and delivery of the most accurate, relevant and actionable data, content and insight available.

Nikki has worked in a number of private and public sector senior procurement and programme management roles since graduating in 1990 with a BA(Hons) in Business Economics and Marketing. With IBM, Hewlett-Packard and Agilent she gained extensive experience in leading national and international procurement and system transformation programmes. Since joining the Scottish Government in 2005 she has played a key role in driving and enabling public procurement reform in Scotland, with a particular focus on building Scottish Government’s Procurement, Commercial and Project Delivery skills.

An FCIPS Chartered Procurement & Supply professional, Nikki currently sits on the CIPS Foundation Steering Group and is an ex-trustee of their Global Board of Trustees. With specific interests in developing the capability of individuals, organisations, supply chains and our Procurement People of Tomorrow, Nikki also plays an active role in encouraging diversity (in all its forms) within senior procurement and supply chain roles.

Julie Welsh provides leadership and strategic direction to Scotland Excel to ensure the organisation's activities and services are aligned with customer needs and that performance meets objectives.

She works closely with stakeholders to maximise the benefits of collaboration and champion the role of public procurement as a driver of policy, service innovation and community wealth building.

Julie has more than 20 years experience in the public and private sectors and worked at Renfrewshire Council before Scotland Excel. Before she joined Renfrewshire Council as Head of Procurement, she held senior roles at Glasgow Housing Association and Scottish Power, and has previously worked in the manufacturing, higher education and transport sectors.

Julie holds an MBA from Glasgow University and has been a Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply since 2001.

Government Commercial Agency plays an important role helping the UK public sector save money when buying common goods and services. Paul has been with GCA for more than 13 years, and leads the Government Commercial Agency Devolved Administrations and Nuclear Team. Prior to that Paul held commercial roles in organisations such as the Ministry of Defence and Scottish Procurement & Property Directorate and has worked in the profession for more than 30 years.

Alistair Kerr is the Chair of the Community Wealth Advocacy Forum, Director & Chair of BASE Scotland, and Partnerships and Development Manager for Scotland at PeoplePlus, with a strong focus on creating sustained and inclusive employment opportunities for disadvantaged people or groups in our local communities. Utilising Sustainable Procurement legislation, Community Wealth Building & Social Value Policy drivers to transform lives of Disabled or Disadvantaged people across the UK, Alistair has held various Executive, Board & Chair positions since 2002 representing Disabled Peoples rights and advocating a Socially just society. He is recognised by Scottish Government as a Champion of Scotland’s Supported Businesses.

APUC is a Centre of Expertise for the Higher and Further Education Sector in Scotland and was formed in 2007. APUC is owned by Scotland’s Universities and Colleges and operates entirely in the interests of these institutional stakeholders. Claire has been with APUC for over 4 years and is responsible for Operational Procurement to ensure that compliant collaborative Framework Agreements are delivered under a Category Management structure to meet the needs of the sector driving benefits and efficiencies in line with the relevant Regulations.

Nick spent eight years as Head of Commercial and Procurement at the Department for International Development.

Following over 25 years within the private sector specialising in procurement, commercial and project management in roles across the UK, USA, Australia, and Spain, Nick joined the public sector as part of HMG’s Commercial Functional Leadership Group.

Nick is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) and a Chartered Global Management Accountant. Previously a CIPS Regional Chair and regular keynote speaker at conferences, Nick is also an active mentor for Procurement and Commercial professionals.

Joining Scottish Government as Scotland’s first ever Procurement Modern Apprentice, Rachael now has over ten years of public procurement experience, which includes leading and supporting critical procurements through periods of significant economic and supply chain instability. Rachael is MCIPS and degree qualified and has been an active member of the Procurement People of Tomorrow community, helping to promote procurement as a profession of choice and mentoring new entrants based on her own career journey. Rachael has had a breadth of roles from commercial capability, contract management, buying and now leads the Communications and Strategic Engagement Team.

Stevie joined NHS Scotland in 2009 from a supply chain and procurement background within the private sector. A chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply and holder of a Masters Degree in Supply Chain Management from The University of Strathclyde, he is currently the Head of Governance within NHS NSS National Procurement, the Health Procurement Centre of Expertise, which holds the responsibility for the sourcing, supply chain management and logistics services under a contract portfolio of £1.4bn per annum.

A passionate supported of continuous professional development and procurement professionalism, Stevie is of the strong belief that great procurement and supply management from a strong supply base can deliver huge value for the NHS. Not just from a cost saving perspective but also through delivering innovation, social value and environmental benefits.