Designing Client Organisations and Corporate Strategies [Short course]

Andrew Davies

Andrew Davies is the RM Phillips Freeman Chair and Professor of Innovation Management in SPRU University of Sussex Business School. Andrew's research focuses on the management and organisation of large, complex infrastructure megaprojects. His published research has focused on how innovation occurs in complex product systems, project-based firms and organisations, systems integration, and integrated solutions business models. Andrew is Honorary Professor at the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction at University College London.

John Pelton

John is a Programme Director at Jacobs. He is currently the Programme Partner Director for the East West Rail programme. Prior to that he was the MD of Parliament Estate having been the Programme Partner Director for the Palace of Westminster Restoration and Renewal Programme.

John has also led the Highways England Major Projects transformation programme, the Crossrail Programme Partner Transcend, a JV between CH2M, AECOM and Nichols, the HS2 Efficiency Challenge Programme and prior to joining CH2M/Jacobs spent many years leading complex programmes with the British military.

Mark Thurston

Mark is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of High Speed Two (HS2). With more than 25 years’ experience in project and programme management, Mark has worked in both the public and private sectors on some of the UK’s largest infrastructure projects.

Previously, Mark was Managing Director for Europe at CH2M and was with the company from June 2008. During his career with CH2M Mark spent a significant amount of time in leadership roles on major programmes, including three years as Strategic Projects Director on Crossrail, leading the Programme Partner joint venture Transcend.

Mark is a Visiting Professor at the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction at University College London and is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Association for Project Management.

Nick Smallwood

Nick Smallwood is the Chief Executive Officer of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority and Head of Government’s Project Delivery Function.

Nick is the former Vice President for Projects Engineering and Chief Projects Engineer at Shell. Nick has 40 years experience of managing complex project portfolios and having developed Shell’s Global Project Academy. At Shell, Nick was accountable for managing how projects were delivered and a variety of significant improvement programmes.

Nick was also a trustee of the board of the Association for Project Management (APM) until November 2019, where he contributed to the overall development of the UK’s project management profession.

Shira Johnson

Having proudly led the transformation and development of organisational capability to prepare HS2 Ltd for delivery, Shira joined HS2 Ltd’s Executive Committee in October 2021 as Human Resources Director (Interim).

Shira is an experienced people leader with a track record designing and delivering effective people strategies across private and public sectors. She started her career in the global mining industry leading organisational development, change and culture programmes across Australia, Asia and Canada.

Since relocating to the UK in 2013, Shira’s been responsible for delivering significant people programmes across government, telecommunications, and major infrastructure sectors – working as a people and transformation consultant, before joining HS2 Ltd as Organisation Development & Capability Director in 2019.

Drew Jeter

Drew is the Chief Executive of AECOM’s Global Programme Management business. He has more than 35 years of experience leading the development and delivery of technically complex, multi-billion-dollar facilities and infrastructure.

Previously he had global program management leadership roles at Hill International, Jacobs and CH2M where he oversaw the delivery of more than $300 billion of capital infrastructure programs.

Prior to his private-sector work, Drew served as a civil engineering officer in U.S. Air Force, retiring as a colonel after 23 years. His distinguished military career included serving as commander of four different organizations, including as base commander of the 2nd largest Air Force base.

Rob Jones

Rob currently leads Arup’s Advisory business in UK, India, Middle East and Africa in addition to being the global leader of the People & Organisation business. He is a recognised expert in the organisation design and development of megaproject and temporary organisations.

He has provided strategic advice and delivered significant outcomes for clients in Aviation, Rail, Energy, Major Events and Water on questions of design, development, strategy and governance in the UK, Europe and America.

Prior to joining Arup, Rob was Capability Development Director and Interim HR Director at High Speed Two (HS2) and Head of Organisational Effectiveness at Crossrail following several OD roles in the private sector. Rob holds a MSc in Organisational Behaviour and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

Nuno Gil 

Nuno Gil is Professor of New Infrastructure Development, at the Alliance Manchester Business School. Nuno focuses his research on the design of structures and processes can bring the best of people in consensus-oriented (pluralistic) settings.

Nuno is completing his book for MIT Press, Megaprojects and Society: A Theory of Purpose, Value Creation and Value Distribution. In it, Nuno asks; How come megaprojects, a phenomena so central to economic production and social welfare is still so poorly understood?

To further, the debate in practice and theory, Nuno’s argument draws from insights from two decades working or doing research with various capital-intensive organizations including Intel, Rolls Royce, BAA (now Heathrow Ltd), BP, London2012, Crossrail, High speed 2; Larsen &Toubro and DFCCIL (India), World Bank, UN Habitat (Egypt); JICA (Japan); LAMATA (Nigeria); and UNRA and KCCA (Uganda).