NICOLA STEWART takes up the reins as regional director for the South West Procurement Alliance (SWPA), while Elizabeth Jones shapes the next phase of growth as regional director for the Welsh Procurement Alliance (WPA) – two of LHCPG’s five regional business units.
Based at LHCPG’s head office in Uxbridge, Jon Durant and Giorgio Burani are settling into their roles as the group’s new director of IT and transformation and director of finance respectively.
Nicola Stewart brings more than 25 years’ experience across engineering, construction and major infrastructure. In a previous role, she launched a cross-industry decarbonisation SaaS platform, giving her a strong track record in sustainability.
At SWPA, Nicola aims to strengthen team performance and expand regional reach into sectors such as education, defence and the NHS.
While deepening collaboration with sister regions, including Wales and Scotland, Nicola will also ensure consistent support for SMEs and larger contractors alike.
Nicola said: “I’m keen to build on LHC Procurement Group’s strong foundations in the South West.
“Through SWPA we will grow into new sectors and champion a fair, consistent journey for suppliers of every size. By listening to clients, partnering with industry and simplifying the route to market, we can accelerate delivery and support local growth.”
Elizabeth Jones – who has 25 years’ experience in the public sector and housing – joins WPA at a time when Welsh public procurement is being reshaped by reform and strengthened social value duties.
Over the past four years, Elizabeth has advised Welsh Government and supply chain partners as a consultant on decarbonising asset management, developing a detailed understanding of market challenges.
In her new role Elizabeth will link customers, including local authorities and charities, with suppliers to deliver built environment projects with a focus on value for money and social value.
Her priorities include improving access to WPA frameworks in north, mid and west Wales and creating opportunities for family-run SMEs through collaboration with principal contractors.
Liz said: “I want to help public bodies buy well, create clear routes for Welsh SMEs onto WPA frameworks and build social value into everyday delivery.
“As a team we will continue to listen to local priorities, support energy efficiency for the people of Wales, and partner with principal contractors to mentor smaller firms. This will ensure more organisations can deliver projects on time and within budget.”
Jon Durant has joined LHCPG to lead IT operations, digital strategy and business transformation.
He brings 25 years’ experience in enterprise architecture and change, including senior roles at UCAS and Oxford University Press.
He will oversee day-to-day IT, set the Group’s longer-term technology direction and drive process and culture improvements that free colleagues from low-value admin so they can focus on service delivery and social value.
Jon said: “What attracted me to LHCPG was its public purpose and the opportunity to help the organisation scale its impact.
“IT should solve real problems for real people, and my focus is on practical transformation that does this while making colleagues’ lives easier.”
An ACCA-qualified finance leader, Giorgio Burani joins LHCPG as director of finance. He began his career on Dyson’s finance graduate scheme before moving into finance systems development.
He later held commercial finance roles at International Airlines Group and Reliance Worldwide Corporation, where he led the order-to-cash workstream for a multi-country SAP rollout, and most recently was business controller at International SOS.
At LHCPG he will focus on strengthening finance processes and systems to support the organisation’s transformation and reinvest even more surplus into communities.
Giorgio said: “LHCPG is on a transformation journey, and this role lets me put my end-to-end finance experience to work.
“By strengthening purchasing and finance processes, and building on an already strong team, we can run smarter and reinvest more back into the communities we serve.”
LHCPG provides free-to-use procurement frameworks exclusively for public sector clients.
To find out more, visit the LHCPG website.
