The profession's most innovative leadership summit is back—get ready to scale new heights and face the future of AI and beyond!
What Attendees Say
We're excited to share some amazing feedback from last year's event that truly captured the energy and impact of the experience. Take a look at what attendees had to say!
The Future Awaits. Are You Ready?
This March, join 100+ of the profession’s leaders to dive into the forces redefining our field — AI, digital transformation, and the strategies needed to lead in a time driven by intelligent automation. This year’s theme, ‘AI: Show Me the Money,’ gets to the heart of what’s next: not just harnessing AI and technology, and what does that mean for value creation, spend control, and smarter decision-making?
AI: Show Me The Money
AI is the ultimate game-changer, turning data into decisions and insights into action. However, the true power lies not in the technology itself but in how leaders leverage it with vision and purpose. That’s why at Big Ideas Summit London 2026 we’ll dig into the real value behind AI in procurement. Is it worth the investment? How do you build the business case—and secure the funding? We'll explore how procurement teams are actually using AI, what’s working (and what’s not), and whether early adopters are seeing a return.
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Welcome to our 2026 Big Ideas Summit speakers
For a decade, Big Ideas Summit has gathered the crème de la crème from Prime Ministers and sporting legends to some of the world's most influential business leaders and top procurement experts.
Daniel Hulme
Chief AI Officer, WPP
Daniel Hulme (PhD) is a leading AI expert, entrepreneur, and investor. He serves as Chief AI Officer and Co-founder/CEO of Conscium, the first commercial research organisation studying machine consciousness. With a Master’s and PhD in AI from UCL, he holds several academic roles and is a prominent TEDx speaker who advises companies and governments on AI, ethics, innovation, and purposeful technology.
Lucy Harding
Global Head, Procurement & Supply Chain Practice, Odgers
Lucy Harding is a Partner and Global Head of the Procurement & Supply Chain Practice at Odgers based in London. The Practice operates across all industries in both the public and private sector. Lucy has significant experience operating in the procurement and supply chain search environment following 10 years operating in a leading boutique firm. She has successfully completed appointments at mid to director level across a range of leading global companies in both the UK and internationally.
Justin Crump
CEO, Sibylline Ltd
Justin founded Sibylline in 2010, based on his experience as head of intelligence at Stirling Assynt and as an embedded Security Intelligence Analyst with UniCredit. Originally a front-office investment banker at JP Morgan Chase, after 9/11 he volunteered for operational service as a tank commander; this included operational deployments in Iraq, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Bosnia. From 2004-2007 he was also the Aide-de-Camp to the 6th Duke of Westminster, in his tenure as Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff.
John Floyd MA PGCE
Executive Head, Bruern Abbey School
John Floyd MA PGCE is Executive Head of Bruern Abbey School, leading its expansion with a new Senior School in 2022 and its move to co-education in 2026. During his tenure, the school earned multiple accolades, including literacy recognition from ISI (2024), Tatler’s Prep School of the Year, and “Best for SEN” from The Week. John was named Tatler’s “Best Prep Head” in 2023. Formerly Deputy Head and Head of SEND at Westminster Choir School, he began his career with Teach First. Raised across three continents, he studied Geography at Edinburgh and is married with four sons.
Tania Seary
Founder, Procurious
Tania Seary is a leading procurement and supply chain entrepreneur. Throughout her career, she has raised the profile of procurement professionals and connect its leaders on a global scale. She is a regular commentator and host of global webinars and digital events. Tania was also named ‘Influencer of the Year’ and recognised by IBM as a #NewWaytoEngageFuturist.
Andrew MacAskill
Chief Commercial Officer, Fraser Dove International
Andrew has been placing, networking and partnering with the brightest minds in procurement across Australia, Asia and EMEA. Having established himself as a key talent partner and advisor to a number of the leading CPO’s in the region, he is also a specialist in flexible contracting solutions, retaining search and EVP enhancement through social media.
Ross Mandiwall
Procurement Director of IT: Finance, HR, Procurement, Supply Chain Solutions & ERP, GSK
Ross is a Senior Procurement Leader with 25+ years of global experience delivering major sourcing outcomes across 60+ countries. Known for building trust-based relationships and managing complex commercial partnerships through transformation and change. Ross works closely with senior leaders across Legal, Compliance, IT, HR, Finance, and Operations, operating at both strategic and tactical levels to mitigate risk, support CXO negotiations, and resolve high-value disputes. With a strong record of driving savings and improving cash flow through data-driven strategies, Ross is also passionate about mentoring and developing high-performing teams grounded in psychological safety, curiosity, and continuous growth.
Pascal d'Arc
Procurement Tech Innovator
Pascal d’Arc is a seasoned procurement and supply chain technology executive with over 20 years’ experience driving growth, innovation, and customer success across global enterprises and high-growth start-ups. He has held senior leadership roles at JAGGAER, IBM, and SAP, shaping strategy, expanding market presence, and advancing AI and digital solutions in procurement. Pascal has a proven track record of delivering significant revenue growth by defining target markets, setting strategic direction, and enabling teams to execute at scale.
Lucinda Thomas
Director & Head of Recruitment Strategy, Capability & Branding, National Grid
Lucinda Thomas is Director & Head of Recruitment Strategy, Capability & Branding at National Grid, leading UK and US teams to build future-ready workforces and strengthen employer branding. With over nine years’ experience in talent and HR, she has held senior roles at Kraft Heinz, Treasury Wine Estates, and 7-Eleven. Originally from Australia, she now resides in London and champions human-centric design, exceptional candidate experiences, and positive workplace culture, and is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD.
Rob Nixon
Director of Commercial, Commercial Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Rob is a versatile procurement leader with international public- and private-sector experience, known for solving complex commercial challenges and building high-performing teams. A multi-award winner, he has led teams to 10+ major procurement awards and held key roles at Bombardier and Serco. In government, he developed the Delivery Model Assessment now in the Sourcing Playbook and contributed to COVID-19 sourcing. He is currently Commercial Director at DSIT, overseeing a multibillion-pound portfolio in advanced technologies.
Sam de Frates
VP, Procurement, Mars Wrigley Europe and Central Eurasia
Sam de Frates is Vice President of Procurement for Mars Wrigley Europe and Central Eurasia, with nearly 20 years of experience across consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, financial services, and management consulting. He has led transformation across sourcing, operations, sustainability, and quality functions. Passionate about the future of procurement, Sam champions inclusive leadership and sustainable growth, sponsors Mars UK’s Disability Diversity group, and serves as a Trustee for Dogs for Good.
Rob Turner
Director of Procurement & Supply chain, Deliveroo
Updated bio coming soon.
Matt Watkinson
Co-author, Mastering Uncertainty
Matt is an award-winning author, speaker and consultant. As a speaker has addressed industry leaders at every kind of organization imaginable, from Microsoft to the FBI. His third book, co-authored with the maverick investor and entrepreneur Csaba Konkoly - Mastering Uncertainty: How Great Entrepreneurs, Founders and Business Leaders Thrive in an Unpredictable World - was published worldwide in 2023.
Graham Copeland
Senior Director Services, GEP
Graham has 30 years’ experience in procurement leadership, transformation, and outsourcing. He has held Director-level roles at Co-op Group and Schlumberger, and led procurement transformations for organizations including Castrol, Tesco Bank, LSEG, ABN Amro, and Deutsche Bank through KPMG, Accenture, and as an independent consultant. He also brings extensive experience in BPO and procurement technology. At GEP, he leads Services business development across Europe and is a regular keynote speaker, author, and blogger on procurement topics.
Christine Nguo
Director Consulting, GEP
Christine Nguo is a seasoned procurement and supply chain leader with deep expertise in procurement transformation, strategic cost optimisation, and operating model redesign across UKI, EMEA, and Australia. As Director at GEP Worldwide, Christine partners with global enterprises to reimagine procurement, build resilient supplier ecosystems, and unlock sustainable value through data-driven strategies. Recognised for converting vision into measurable impact, Christine influences industry best practice through thought leadership and executive roundtables on procurement innovation and excellence.
Bob Booth
Founder, AI Ethicals
Bob Booth helps organisations scale responsibly with AI, ensuring growth, governance and ethics go hand in hand. A former chartered accountant turned technology leader, he spent 25 years at Capgemini, Accenture and IBM launching new businesses, leading major programmes and selling over $500m in projects. As founder of AI Ethicals, he advises boards and scale-ups on responsible AI adoption, go-to-market execution and product growth, bringing board-level rigour and hands-on leadership to complex transformations.
Madison Hunt
Technical Manager, Dole PLC
Madison is a Technical Manager with extensive experience in the fast-paced fresh produce industry. At Dole PLC, she supports major UK retailers by delivering high technical standards, quality, and compliance while strengthening supplier and retailer relationships. Combining strong technical expertise with commercial awareness, Madison takes a proactive, solutions-focused approach to driving operational excellence, continuous improvement, and ethical, sustainable, and resilient supply chains.
Elspeth Finch
Founder and CEO, IAND
Elspeth Finch is an entrepreneur and engineer who combines user-centred design with advanced technology to create products and environments that work for people. She founded Intelligent Space Partnership at 24 and sold it to Atkins in 2007, where she later led innovation and Future Cities initiatives. In 2016, she founded IAND to unlock the power of business ecosystems. Elspeth advises government and industry on engineering innovation and diversity, and is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, Royal Academy of Engineering Silver Medallist, and MBE recipient.
Adrian Hanley
Enterprise Account Manager, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Adrian is an Enterprise Account Manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS), where he works with enterprise organisations to reduce costs, increase agility, and accelerate innovation through cloud technology. He partners closely with customers to align AWS’s broad portfolio of cloud services with their business and transformation goals.
Lizzie O'Mahony
Senior Strategic Account Manager, Europe, Amazon
Lizzie O’Mahony is Senior Strategic Account Manager for Europe at Amazon, where she partners with global corporate and healthcare organisations to drive product innovation and process optimisation. With deep experience across the medical and pharmaceutical sectors, she delivers customer-obsessed solutions for multinational pharma companies, healthcare organisations, and biotech startups. Lizzie specialises in bridging technical complexity with commercial impact, with expertise in process optimisation, strategic procurement, MedTech go-to-market strategies, and building scalable solutions that deliver measurable outcomes.
Suraj Naik
Chief Procurement Officer, Capita
Siraj Naik is Chief Procurement Officer at Capita and an accomplished executive with a distinctive blend of transformation, technology, and finance operations experience. He has a proven track record of delivering complex, strategic cost transformation across global organisations. A strong and collaborative leader, Siraj is passionate about building and leading high-performing teams that deliver sustainable commercial and operational outcomes.
Linda Reddy
Global Supply Chain Executive, Nando’s, Supply Chain Executive of the Year
Linda Reddy is a results-driven global executive with over 20 years’ experience leading transformation and growth across FMCG, banking, and hospitality. She has built and led end-to-end global supply chains, multi-country P&Ls, and high-performance teams across 27 countries, delivering significant revenue, EBITDA, and shareholder returns. Linda’s work focuses on translating strategy into execution at scale, informed by her Invisible Cages lens on systems, power, and performance. She is an award-winning leader, global mentor, and advocate for inclusive, responsible leadership.
James Marland
Drawing Conclusions
James has deep experience of the Procurement space, joining Ariba at its inception in 1998 and rising to Global VP of Solutions. After the acquisition by SAP, he became VP in the Procurement Centre of Excellence: developing his unique way of explaining the complexities of procurement and supply chain through sketches and stories. On leaving SAP he set up a business called Drawing Conclusions™ which offers story-telling coaching to SAP customers and partners and his famous event wrap-ups which you will be able to see and share today.
Jim Ridgwick
Director, Procurement & Supplier Sustainability, Save the Children International
Jim Ridgwick is Director of Procurement & Supplier Sustainability at Save the Children International, bringing extensive global experience across consulting, corporates and the international development sector. He began his career with Arthur Andersen/Deloitte (including several years in China), later joining SABMiller in Switzerland before becoming CPO at Save the Children. Jim focuses on operational excellence, transformation, sustainability and digitisation, and also serves on several boards, including as Chair of One Water’s corporate foundation.
Seize The Future
As we look ahead, the future of procurement is brimming with possibilities, and the Big Ideas Summit is your gateway to navigating this exciting landscape. This is your opportunity to connect with industry trailblazers, gain actionable insights, and discover innovative strategies that will empower you to thrive in an AI-driven world.