Speakers' Bios

Nina Abbassi; B.Sc. Hons, CQP, FCQI, IRCA Certified Principal Auditor; founder and Director of Abbassi Ltd since 1993; is a Consultant, Trainer and Auditor. She brings over 3 decades of innovative and result-driven expertise in business quality, performance improvement, social responsibility, and sustainable development across various industries. Her voluntary contributions include serving on the CQI Board of Trustees, judge at the International Quality Awards, expert member on several British and International Standard committees, including the ISO Working Group WG29 for the revision of ISO 9001:2015; representing the CQI.

Rashid Adam has been at Findlay Park in 2011 and is the firm’s Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining Findlay Park, Rashid was a Senior Financial Services Consultant managing the IT infrastructure of various Funds in London. Between 2001 and 2008, Rashid worked in a variety of Support, Project Management and Consultancy roles at organisations such as CYIENT and IBM.

Tony Blanch is the Quality and Business Improvement Director with Network Rail. Tony started his career as a Civil Engineer. He has over 35 years of experience in the construction industry across various sectors. He has knowledge of continuous improvement (Lean and EFQM), IT, commercial and management systems, information security, business continuity, collaborative working and asset management. Tony is particularly passionate about collaborative working and how, when linked with Lean, it brings about benefits and added value for those involved.

Tony’s current work at Network Rail is about improving how business is managed to give clarity and confidence that they are doing the right things in the best possible way, with the least chance of things going wrong. Tony’s work aims to enable the organisation to operate efficiently and effectively, learn as a business, improve safety, become more agile and responsive, and, in turn, deliver increased value for their passengers.

Simon leads Stephenson Harwood’s international technology sector group, and his practice focuses on IT transactions and emerging technologies. He has significant experience advising on complex IT and managed services arrangements, BPO/IT outsourcings, cloud services, and system integration and digital transformation projects. Simon also advises on software licensing, data protection compliance, cybersecurity, and new disruptive technologies, such as AI and machine learning.

Simon has gained industry experience from a number of client secondments, including to the technology contracting team of a Big Four accountancy firms and the group legal team of a global telecommunications provider.

Dr Pauline Bremner, Associate Professor, lectures in Retail and Fashion Management at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. As part of her remit, she leads institutional projects on educational research and has presented and published on educational topics at many conferences. One of her key teaching and research areas is the embedding of the Sustainable Development Goals in her omnichannel module. This module draws on supply chain practices and environmental sustainability requirements while utilising innovative teaching practices to engage students.

Samantha Canham CMgr FCMI is an operations and CI leader with 7 years’ experience delivering transformation across service, supply chain, and repair environments. A Lean Six Sigma MBB and Chartered Fellow in Management, she recently developed a GPT-powered CI enablement tool to simplify access to improvement methodologies and support frontline decision-making through AI. Samantha has delivered revenue in the millions through targeted initiatives and is known for a fast-paced, delivery-focused approach. Her work is grounded in practical, real-time improvement and designed to equip teams to adapt and perform in volatile, uncertain, and fast-changing operational environments.

Richard Corderoy is Managing Director of The Oakland Group, a data consultancy that helps organisations find the true value in their data by bringing together analytics, process, and governance. Clients include Network Rail, Yorkshire Water, UKPN, Severn Trent, Channel 4, and Vodafone. Richard is a passionate technologist who is both a sceptic and an optimist with a strong belief in data having the potential to build a better world. Prior to The Oakland Group, Richard began his earlier career with the Royal Navy and Lloyds Banking Group in both operational and commercial roles.

John Paul has 30+ years of business experience combining marketing, performance improvement, and automation across sectors, including technology, media, manufacturing, and banking internationally (UK, Australia, US, Europe, etc.), in established and early-stage companies.

His Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation and technology experience in improving and automating repetitive and cognitive human processes whether through AI, automation or improvement includes more than a decade between equitably.ai, AI First Trading, HSBC and NCR Corporation. For more see: https://equitably.ai/team/cojohn-paul-danaee/

Rashad is a senior business leader, strategy specialist and an operational quality, governance and assurance expert. He guides the development and delivery of robust operational strategies for ambitious, growing businesses. Rashad is the Quality & Business Improvement Lead at the Baltic Exchange, and a Trustee and Fellow of the CQI. He served two years on the board of Project Management Institute (PMI) UKand is currently a global volunteer leader for the diversity, equity and inclusion initiative with PMI.

Rashad is a Podcaster and a Blogger, shedding light on the value that the profession brings to businesses, and the success stories of quality leaders from around the world.

Dan Kent CQP FCQI MIET leads Quality, Operational Excellence and SHE for Element, a global testing, inspection and certification business with over 270 laboratories around the globe. Element supports businesses across a diverse range of Aerospace, Defence, Space, Energy, Built Environment, Connected Technologies and Life Sciences sectors. With over 1000 accreditations and approvals, Element provides certainty to industries where failure in service is not an option. Dan’s expertise and current accountability span Quality, Operational Excellence, & SHE, and he’s led these functions is a diverse range of companies, including Toshiba, NATS, Network Rail and Lloyd’s Register.

As Quality Director for the BAE Systems Group, Andy leads a team with a large geographic reach with facilities in over one hundred and fifty locations; providing products and services across Air, Land, Sea, Space and Cyber. Andy is accountable for the development and deployment of the quality strategy, management system and resources across the group and is the accountable person for quality. Andy holds a number of degrees including a Master of Business Administration. He also holds Technical committee leadership positions for the British Standards Institute (BSI) is the Chair of the UK Aviation, Defence and Space Quality Board and has previously held committee leadership positions in the European Aviation Space & Defence Standards organization (ASD-Stan).

Professor Michael Mainelli is a renowned economist and business leader, Michael served as Lord Mayor of London from 2023-24 and as an international ambassador for the UK’s professional & financial services sector. In 1994 he co-founded Z/Yen, a leading commercial think tank known for its work in promoting innovation and green finance via its Global Financial Centres, Smart Centres, and Global Green Finance indices. Michael has advised governments worldwide and held senior roles at BDO Binder Hamlyn, Deutsche Morgan Grenfell, and the UK Ministry of Defence. He is President of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). He is an Honorary Bencher of Middle Temple and a non-executive director at the United Kingdom Accreditation Service. A dedicated civic leader, Michael serves as Alderman for Broad Street Ward and is also an award-winning author. His charitable work focuses on sustainability, education, and social care.

Anar Malikov CQP FCQI, FIIRSM, CMIOSH, PhD Researcher & Industry Leader brings over 30 years of experience in quality and safety. As CEO of TCS, he leads advancements in industrial inspection and competency development. His research focuses on quality management in developing countries, and he is a frequent
speaker and thought leader on quality culture and certification standards.

Tina started her career in audit and assurance, later accumulating significant leadership and transformation expertise within regulated industries. Her experience spans operational excellence, risk and assurance and finance across both private and, more recently, public sectors. Holding credentials as a Chartered Quality Professional, a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Tina's firm grounding has been instrumental in her achievements and greatly shapes her approach to enhancing organisational performance. Notable accomplishments include designing and implementing new operating models, spearheading cultural change and establishing and embedding continuous improvement frameworks. Presently, as the Head of Policy and Oversight at Defence Equipment and Support, Tina is leading on the development and implementation of a management operating system to underpin delivery of operational excellence within the organisation.

Tim McGarr is the AI Market Development Lead in BSI responsible for investigating new AI markets and delivering new AI assessment services. Prior to this Tim was the Sector Lead for BSI with responsibility for the direction and development of key digital standards areas, including Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Security. Tim has been working at BSI since 2009. Before joining BSI, Tim spent five years working in the strategy department for legal publisher LexisNexis. Tim has also worked as a management consultant and an internal consultant. Tim has an MBA from HEC in Paris, France.

Ian Mitchell is Co-Founder and CEO of DeepFathom, a technology company reimagining how organizations understand and improve performance through next generation auditing techniques. With over 25 years’ experience in system thinking, audit, and service innovation, and business process outsourcing Ian has worked with global brands to design quality, risk, and compliance systems that go beyond box-ticking. At DeepFathom, he leads the development of digital tools that integrate behavioral science and data analytics to transform audit from a backward-looking compliance activity into a forward-focused performance driver. Ian explores the future of quality in the age of AI, ESG, and agile organizations. At Quality Live, he will be sharing insights on “Rethinking Audit: Compliance to Performance,” challenging traditional audit mindsets and offering a vision for how quality professionals can create greater value in complex, fast-changing environments.

Professor Oakland is Chair of The Oakland Group and Head of its Research and Education Division, The Oakland Institute. He is also Emeritus Professor of Business Excellence and Quality Management at Leeds University Business School.

For over 40 years he has taught and consulted in all aspects of quality management to thousands of organisations. His research work on the quality management requirements of industry and commerce has been widely acknowledged and published.

He is the author of several bestselling books including: Total Quality Management & Operational Excellence, 5ed; Total Organisational Excellence, and Statistical Process Control, 7ed. He has written hundreds of papers, articles and reports on various topics in these fields.

John is a Fellow of the CQI and was the first winner of the CQI Outstanding Contribution to Quality Management Practice in 2017. In addition to being a Chartered Quality Professional, he is also a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, Honorary Life Fellow of the Research Quality Association and Member of the American Society for Quality.

Nigel is a dedicated and passionate leader and coach, committed to helping others adapt to an increasingly uncertain future that creates risk, but also opportunity. He collaborates with leaders to bridge the gap between current and aspirational performance at individual, team and organisational levels.

With a unique blend of psychology and business process expertise, Nigel aids leaders in developing effective innovation and execution built on a foundation of human performance.

Matt Sims is a multi-award-winning global leader in leadership, transformation, and operational excellence, with over 25 years’ experience at organisations like Royal Mail and Amazon. Known for his people-first approach, he helps teams unlock their full potential, drive meaningful change, and create high-performance cultures. As the creator of the Ever-So-Lean Learning Series and Rising Stars™ programme, and host of the acclaimed Ever-So-Lean Podcast, Matt makes complex concepts accessible and actionable for audiences around the world. A dynamic speaker, coach, and author of two influential books, he brings authenticity, energy, and practical insights to every talk, workshop, and coaching session, empowering individuals and organisations to thrive.

Adam Leon Smith is Deputy Chair of the UK’s national AI standards committee. In ISO/IEC SC42 he is Convenor of JWG 2 (Testing of AI systems). He is active in CEN-CENELEC JTC21, where he is Project Leader for two projects - the Quality Management System for EU AI Act Regulatory Purposes, and AI System Logging. He is Chair of the BCS Fellows Technical Advisory group, and Chair of the AIQI Consortium, a global initiative to promote the use of the quality infrastructure for AI.

In 2024, the University of Bath awarded Adam an honorary doctorate in recognition of his work.

Stephen has over 25 years in the medical device industry with positions ranging from QA Auditor to Quality and Regulatory Director. He is now running a Quality and Regulatory consultancy for the medical device industry. Previously he has worked with many devices in large and small organisations from medical disinfectants to surgical robots. Stephen has PhD in Quality Management, MSc in Medical Diagnostics, an MSc and BSc in Geography and Environmental Science and is a Fellow of CQI and on the CQI Content Advisory Panel.

Benedikt Sommerhoff is Head “Quality & Innovation” at DGQ – the German Quality Association. Over the past 25 years, he has held various expert and leadership roles within the organization. He analyzes current challenges and future trends, driving initiatives to reimagine quality management for an increasingly digitalized economy. A prolific author, he publishes widely on all aspects of quality. Since summer 2024, he also serves as editor of QZ – Qualität und Zuverlässigkeit, Germany’s leading quality management magazine, published by the renowned Carl Hanser Verlag.
Benedikt studied Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Quality Management at RWTH Aachen University and earned his doctorate from the University of Wuppertal. He began his professional career as a Quality Engineer in the automotive supply industry.

David Straker, CQP, MCIM, MSc (business), MSc (psychology) is a former quality manager, having worked in commercial and government organisations, both large and small. He has served the CQI over many years, including writing many practical articles for Quality World, working as a trustee and running workshops on psychology and quality. Since retirement he has taken a close interest in ancient and modern history including its cycles of power and politics.

Luisa Swanston is a chemical engineer with 32 years of experience in Shell. Her diverse career spans commercial sales, marketing and business roles in Chemicals, Lubricants, and Contracting and Procurement. Since 2018,Luisa has focused her career on quality management, currently overseeing global vendor approval process and quality standards for supply chain contracts. With an unique perspective from local to global roles, Luisa is passionate about sharing her extensive knowledge in quality management to drive industry-wide excellence.

Mike is an experienced quality and operations professional with 40 years’ experience in business and consulting. After graduating from university, Mike began a career in operations and general management, gaining experience in a number of UK and US-based multinational organisations.

During this period, Mike led the implementation of organisational change, Lean Six Sigma continuous improvement, and business process improvement programmes.

Latterly, he served as Managing Director of Oakland Group, a leading quality and operations consulting service provider, where he oversaw the transformation of the organisation and saw the introduction of data and analytics capabilities to augment the consulting offers.

As an expert in quality and operations management, Mike has run long-term assignments in a range of large global manufacturing, service and public sector organisations. He is a regular speaker on management issues, and an author of e-books, print books, papers and articles. He has a first degree in Engineering and a postgraduate MBA. Mike is also proud to be a Chartered Quality Professional and has served on the Board of Trustees of the CQI. He was a founder member of the Oakland Institute for Business Research and Education and has won an award for his research work.

An influential and respected senior technology and innovation leader and Chief Architect with proven capability in identifying, developing and implementing state of the art solutions at a strategic (CXO) level within complex, multinational organisations. I have demonstrated an ability to deliver results on time, to standard and within budget. Skilled at leading cross-functional teams across multiple sectors including Life Sciences, Aerospace, Energy & Utilities and Rail. I cultivate robust relationships with customers and businesses internationally. Uniquely, I have an extensive knowledge in engineering, manufacturing operations, Industry 4.0, digital advances with lean and agile methodologies that allows me to successfully deliver key change projects whilst leading technological advances in capability acquisition and continuous improvement. I regularly present at keynote conferences and am known for my extensive experience in Research & Development.

Judith is a Programme Director with over 25 years’ experience in various industry sectors including infrastructure, defence, nuclear, heavy and light rail, highways, transportation, construction, utilities, local authority, and consultancy. She was awarded Quality Professional of the Year 2024. Having sat on several steering groups, Judith has provided industry improvements and advice to central government policy. She also has a proven track record in QHSE management both as stand-alone and integrated disciplines. Judith is an EFQM Master Practitioner and has led assessment teams through the BQF awards. As a registered lead auditor across QHSE disciplines, Judith was also a technical reviewer whilst at LRQA, providing assurance for quality of service provision to UKAS as well as a registered team member for high risk projects for Infrastructure Projects Authority.

Gerhard is an award-winning Strategic Portfolio Execution and Quality Assurance Specialist in multiple sectors including Construction, Mining, Finance and Healthcare. With more than 20 Years of experience on Mega Project Initiatives in England, Wales, Scotland and South Africa, he is able to leverage multiple dimensional approaches to transform business ideas into business assets.

For the last 7 Years Gerhard has successfully Directed the Group’s Digitisation Strategy Execution inclusive of 118 Projects and the Implementation of CareOn, a world class bespoke Electronic Medical Records System across the entire group of hospitals. CareOn and Netcare won the Digital Innovation award at the CQI International Quality Awards 2024.