09:00am: Sameena Ali-Khan Opening remarks

Sameena anchors national bulletins for ITV at weekends, and throughout the week on Central Tonight in the Midlands, covering a wide range of stories across daily news and documentaries. After studying physiology and chemistry, Sameena was drawn to journalism. She first started working on radio in Manchester, and first appeared on air on BBC Radio Lancashire. Sameena remained with the BBC, going back to Manchester before stints on the BBC Asian Network, BBC West Midlands, BBC London, and Radio 5 Live. On TV (aside from a debut appearance made whilst living in Nigeria on the country’s equivalent of Blue Peter) Sameena presented and reported for Northwest Today, Inside Out, and Midlands Today before moving to ITV. With a presenting style combining bright and approachable with authoritative, Sameena has won numerous awards during her broadcasting career, including three RTS Midlands Best Screen Personality Awards, for her work on ITV News Central.

09:30am: Lloyd Skinner AI Myth Busting

As the CEO of greyfly.ai for over 6 years, Lloyd J. Skinner MSc (Econs) has been investigating the use of AI in project management. greyfly.ai has developed a suite of Intelligent Project Predictions tools that use AI to provide executives insights to increase project success. He has c30 years’ experience in programme management and has led best in class, full life cycle, multi-year, multi £millions change and transformation projects. He is non-executive director at 3 other companies.

10:15am: Prof Adam Boddison OBE, Lysan Drabon & Ike NwankwoPanel Discussion: Why People Matter Most

Prof. Adam Boddison OBE – Adam has been at the helm of APM since September 2021. With a rich history of leadership roles, including his tenure as CEO of the National Association for Special Educational Needs, Adam brings a wealth of experience to our discussion. His contributions to society were recognized in 2022 when he was awarded the OBE for his services to children with special educational needs. Adam’s diverse non-executive director portfolio underscores his commitment to societal benefit through effective project management.

Lysan Drabon – As the Managing Director for PMI’s Europe region, Lysan is a strategic powerhouse. Her journey from finance and public banking to association management has equipped her with unique insights into scaling PMI’s impact across Europe. Since joining PMI in 2010, Lysan has driven substantial growth, fostering community engagement and operational excellence. Her international perspective and leadership have been pivotal in shaping PMI’s regional strategies.

Ike Nwankwo, MSc, MBA, PMP. PMI Governance Committee Chair. – Since 2021, Ike has been a vital member of PMI’s Global Board of Directors. With over 25 years of experience, he has managed high-stakes projects across multiple sectors in the UK and Africa. Ike is a seasoned professional speaker and co-author of “Developing Global Leaders: Insights from African Case Studies.” His extensive academic background and leadership roles, including his past presidency of the PMI Chapter in Nigeria, make him a formidable voice in project management.

In this dynamic session, these influential leaders from the two largest professional bodies in project management will delve into industry trends and highlight the profound impact project professionals have on our world.

11:00am: Coffee break

11:30am: Jo Dourou, Head of PPMO at Tesco &  Francesca Gualano, Partner at Gate One The Ripple Effect – The Power of Social Intelligence

Jo specialties are: PMO Management, PMO set up, PMO Expansion, Benefits Review, Benefits Realisation, Financial Management, Risks and Issues, Cost-Benefit Analyses, Cost Savings, PPM Tools Implementation, Human Resource Management, Training and Development, Knowledge Management, Business Change Management and Recruitment.

This session will explore how a leader’s behaviour can significantly influence team dynamics through mood contagion. Structured as an interview, the discussion will delve into real-world leadership experiences, complemented by insights from industry expertise and academic research. Discover practical strategies to energise your team and foster a positive work environment. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable perspectives on the power of social intelligence in leadership.

12:00pm: Nick Fewings The Journey To High-Performance Teamwork

Nick has spent the last two decades plus, pursuing his passion for teamwork, by facilitating individual and team development programmes, worldwide, often with well-known brands. Nick is the creator of the Team DyNAmics Model, the only model in the world, that measures overall team effectiveness and effectiveness across 16 areas of teamwork, used by teams to help them achieve high-performance teamwork. In March 2022, he published Team Lead Succeed, recognised as a book of national interest, which has also become a best seller on Amazon and achieved No.1 on Kindle in Leadership & Management, and each month since publication, has been in the Top 20 for Professional Development. He is known on the speaker circuit as “Mr. Infotainment,” for his ability to provide valuable learning and information, in an interactive and entertaining way.

12:45pm: Lunch (provided)

1:45pm: Frank P. Saladis Founder, International Project Management Day

Frank P. Saladis, PMP, PMI Fellow is the Owner/Founder of Blue Marble Enterprizes Inc. and Project Imaginers. Frank is an accomplished leader and contributor in the discipline of project management. He is the author of 12 published books, the past editor of the All PM Newsletter (an IIL publication) and the author of over 180 published project management articles. Frank provides training and consulting services internationally and has educated and entertained countless audiences with a special blend of project management knowledge and tasteful humor. Mr. Saladis’s 40 year career includes 28.5 years with AT&T, 3 years with Cisco Systems, and many years in a parallel track as a Board member of PMI NYC Chapter, professional trainer, facilitator, mentor, and keynote speaker. Frank was PMI’s 2006 Person of the Year. He is a Project Management Professional, a graduate from the PMI Leadership Institute Master’s class, and has contributed significantly to the organizations growth and knowledge base for more than 33 years.

Frank’s presentation will address the importance of the professional project manager in today’s business environment and the need for the project manager to continually enhance existing skills, adapt to a changing environment, and become a “go to” person in the organization.  Emphasis is placed on understanding the business needs of an organization, clearly and visibly creating value from a client and supplier view point, and continually developing and managing personal brand.

2:30pm: Priya Lakhani OBE AI Everything everywhere all at once

Priya is the founder and CEO of CENTURY Tech, an award-winning education company that aids the implementation of AI and machine learning in classrooms.  Now operating in over sixty countries, CENTURY personalises learning for both students and educators, using AI to enhance student performance through offering real-time insights that aid their educational needs being met. Beyond entrepreneurship, Priya co-founded the Institute for Ethical AI and served as a Non-Executive Board Member at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and on the UK governments AI Council. Priya also worked with Sir Patrick Vallance and the Chancellor’s team on the Government’s review of AI regulation. As a recognised authority in AI and education, she has been honoured with prestigious business and entrepreneur awards, including an OBE, the Mayor’s Fund Award, World Economic Forum Tech Pioneer, National Economic Innovator of the Year by the Spectator, and awarded an honorary doctorate by Coventry University’s engineering faculty.

3:15pm: Coffee break

3:45pm: Susie Palmer-Trew How to win at change

Susie is mum to Harry, wife to Nicky and outdoor adventurer. She is also the Chief Change Brain, behind Everyday Change. Choosing to work with brilliant people and organisations to make change experiences and outcomes, better. A champion of the simple and a lover of the obvious, Susie challenges organisations to make the changes they need, in the best way they can. She spends most of her time working across sectors that are designed to do good. With organisations who are making changes for their people and futures.

4:30pm: Prof Sir Jonathan Van-Tam MBE

Jonathan Van-Tam is a public health specialist with a clinical background in emergency medicine, anaesthesia, and infectious diseases. He is an expert on respiratory viruses and pandemics and is currently Pro Vice-Chancellor, Faculty of Medicine, and Health Sciences, at the University of Nottingham. His career has also taken him to Public Health England, the World Health Organization. He is well known for his leadership role during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly his straight, no-nonsense, communication style from the podium at number ten Downing Street, and for the acquisition and rollout of vaccines and antiviral drugs in the UK. He returned to the University of Nottingham as its Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Medicine & Health Sciences. He has also taken on a part time role advising vaccine manufacturer Moderna. Jonathan received a knighthood from Her Majesty the Queen in her New Year’s Honours List, for services to public health. He has also been awarded the Royal Society’s Attenborough Award and Lecture for outstanding public engagement in science.

5:15pm: Sameena Ali-Khan Closing remarks

5:30pm: Close