Spring 2026 Meeting

How to Make Planning Improvements Deliver Measurable Impact

How do you make confident innovation and investment decisions in supply chain planning when uncertainty, stakeholder misalignment and execution risk are often bigger constraints than technology itself?

Apr 29, 2026 8:30
—
17:30
BST
·
Central London, UK
Register interest
For senior practitioners only
How this meeting works
  • Practitioner-led working session
  • No pitches
  • Small-group, facilitated discussion
  • Works best when you can engage actively
  • Chatham House Rule
  • Limited places to preserve quality

Why this meeting exists

Many organisations have invested in planning systems, S&OP/IBP processes, analytics capability or AI pilots — yet inventory volatility, service instability or working capital pressure remain.

Progress is rarely blocked by a lack of ideas.
It is more often slowed by mis-sequenced decisions, stakeholder misalignment and committing to solutions before foundations are ready.

This meeting exists to pressure-test those upstream enablers before further capital or credibility is committed.

What you'll leave with

  • Clearer diagnosis of what is actually limiting planning performance.
  • Greater confidence in whether your current stage of change is appropriate.
  • Insight into upstream enablers that determine whether planning improvements translate into operational impact.
  • Practical next steps before committing further budget, system configuration or organisational change.
Group of four adults engaged in a discussion around a table at a professional event.

Plenary / panel themes

These whole-room sessions focus on the shared operating context — including common innovation blockers and enablers — that shape everyone’s decisions. Their purpose is to establish a common frame of reference, so that the roundtable discussions can focus on specific capability and decision areas with less ambiguity.

09.00 - 09.50

Innovating Operating Models for a Volatile World

11.20 - 12.00

From Data Foundations to AI in Supply Chain: Getting the Sequence Right

14.00 - 14.20

Service Levels, Working Capital or Cost? Making Deliberate Trade-Offs in Planning

15.50 - 16.25

Pressure-Testing Your Planning Transformation Before You Commit

16.25 - 17.00

Making the Business Case: Planning Investment Decisions That Hold Up to Scrutiny

Group of professionals seated around a table with cups and bottles, engaged in discussion during a meeting.

Roundtable discussions

Roundtable discussions run in parallel for 60 minutes at set points during the day (09.50, 12.00 and 14.20), following whole-room sessions that establish shared context. Each roundtable focuses on a specific decision area or challenge and is facilitated to support practical, peer-level exchange rather than passive presentations.

The themes below reflect areas currently being explored based on participant interest and ongoing discussions. Final roundtable topics are confirmed as discussion hosts and participant interest become clearer.

*indicates that this theme is currently under consideration

*

From use case to value: where should you start with AI in your supply chain?

Identifying Supply Chain Use Cases That Actually Create Value

  • Which AI-enabled supply chain use cases are genuinely worth pursuing first? Sales prices optimisation, yield optimisation, improving item master data quality?
  • How leaders distinguish attractive ideas from initiatives that genuinely justify investment, particularly under service, cost and working capital pressure.
  • What data foundations are actually required to make these use cases work in practice, and where ERP, integration or data-quality constraints quietly rule options in or out.
  • How organisations are sequencing initiatives so early projects compound value rather than creating technical debt or implementation bottlenecks later.
  • What signals indicate a team is ready to move from exploration to execution, and what the next practical steps tend to look like.

‍

Hosted by:
Andrew
 
Dalziel
,
Vice-president Industry & Solution Strategy
Infor
Pierre
 
Nortje
,
Senior Account Manager
Infor
CO-Hosted by:
Andy
 
Devlin
,
Fmr Senior Director Supply Chain Solutions, Jabil
Independent / Unaffiliated
*

Supply chain risk that's being mispriced: what are you not seeing?

  • Start by monitoring key suppliers and trade lanes, then connect diverse risk data—financial, geopolitical, and operational—into one shared view.
  • Integrate automated alerts and predictive analytics into planning and procurement cycles for faster, data-driven responses.
  • Scale toward AI-enabled risk orchestration that prevents disruption and converts reliability into competitive advantage.
Hosted by:
David
 
Carney
,
Principal Consultant
Proxima
Karin
 
Strom
,
Logistics Specialist
Proxima
CO-Hosted by:
To be confirmed.
*

Working capital as a strategic lever, not just a constraint

  • Build confidence in inventory and buffer decisions when demand, supply, and cost signals are unstable
  • Translate working-capital pressure into operating-model choices rather than reactive cost cutting
  • Make explicit the trade-offs between service, cash, and resilience in day-to-day planning decisions
  • Stress-test assumptions embedded in current inventory policies before scaling or investing further
  • Create decision hygiene between supply chain and finance without slowing operational momentum
Hosted by:
Tim
 
Richardson
,
Founder and CEO
Iter Consulting
CO-Hosted by:
Chris
 
Bassano
,
Fmr Group Supply Chain Director, Standard Indusries / BMI, Rolls-Royce
Independent / Unaffiliated
*

When your demand signal stops being reliable: what do you actually do?

  • Strengthen forecasting accuracy for critical SKUs before layering in external signals such as POS, weather, and macroeconomic data.
  • Connect demand sensing modules to existing planning systems for quick wins and faster inventory turns.
  • Evolve into AI-driven, continuously learning demand ecosystems that align supply, pricing, and service strategies in real time.
Hosted by:
Dale
 
Edwards
,
Senior Manager, Supply Chain
Bios Management
CO-Hosted by:
To be confirmed.
*

Cost-to-serve transparency & dynamic scenario modelling

  • Build initial visibility into major cost drivers, expanding toward integrated dashboards uniting finance, logistics, and commercial data.
  • Use modular analytics to reveal true product, customer, and channel profitability, driving cross-functional alignment.
  • Progress to dynamic scenario modelling that informs design of profitable, sustainable, and resilient service portfolios.
Hosted by:
Uzair
 
Bawany
,
Chief Executive Officer
Oii.ai
CO-Hosted by:
Jack
 
Dibben
,
Supply Chain Director
VADO
People engaged in multiple group conversations and networking in a well-lit conference room with labeled sections B, C, and D.

Focused 1:1 conversations

Alongside group discussions, each in-person meeting includes time for structured 1-to-1 conversations. These are not open networking slots or random introductions.

Ahead of the meeting, participants share a short context profile covering the decisions they are currently working through, their operating environment, and where they are seeking clarity. This allows us to suggest 1-to-1 conversations between participants who are grappling with similar questions, even if their organisations or industries differ.

The aim of these conversations is to go deeper than is possible in group sessions — comparing how decisions are being framed, what trade-offs are being considered, and what has or hasn’t worked in practice.

Best Practice Leaders

Our session leaders are selected for their direct experience of tackling the challenges addressed in this meeting. They participate fully as peers in the room and remain engaged throughout the discussions, sharing practical experience and lessons learned from real decisions.

Keynotes, Panellists & Invited Experts

Confirmed
Adam
 
Grimwood
 
Technology Director
First Milk
Practitioner
Confirmed
Alex
 
Johnson
 
Chief Supply Chain & Business Transformation Officer
Clinigen
Practitioner
Confirmed
Amy
 
Xue
 
Head of Supply Chain
Dishman Carbogen
Practitioner
Confirmed
Andy
 
Devlin
 
Fmr Senior Director Supply Chain Solutions, Jabil
Independent / Unaffiliated
Practitioner
Confirmed
Aysegul
 
Sabanci
 
Non Executive Director
Independent / Unaffiliated
Practitioner
Bob Rogers
Confirmed
Bob
 
Rogers
 
Co-founder and Chief Product and Technology Officer
Oii.ai
Confirmed
Cameron
 
Roberts
 
Fmr Senior Director Demand Planning EMEA, LEGO
Independent / Unaffiliated
Practitioner
Confirmed
Chris
 
Bassano
 
Fmr Group Supply Chain Director, Standard Indusries / BMI, Rolls-Royce
Standard Industries
Practitioner
Confirmed
Claire
 
Johnson
 
Fmr Head of Network Strategy, Morrisons, M&S
Independent / Unaffiliated
Confirmed
Dan
 
Smith
 
Vice President Supply Chain Go to Market
Orveon
Practitioner
Confirmed
Genevieve
 
Landricombe
 
Fmr Director Business Transformation, The Crown Estate
Independent / Unaffiliated
Practitioner
Confirmed
Hannah
 
Lawlor
 
Group S&OP Lead
Inchcape plc
Practitioner
Confirmed
Iain
 
Port
 
Chief Operations Officer
Gunnebo
Practitioner
Confirmed
James
 
Moffatt
 
Practice Leader
Baringa
SP / Consultant
Confirmed
Maeolissa
 
Rogers
 
Senior Group Supply Chain Project Manager
AS Watson
Practitioner
Confirmed
Simon
 
Geale
 
Executive Vice President, Procurement
Proxima
SP / Consultant
Confirmed
Uzair
 
Bawany
 
Chief Executive Officer
Oii.ai
SP / Consultant
Confirmed
Will
 
Lovatt
 
Chief Revenue Officer (CRO)
Kallikor
SP / Consultant

Discussion Hosts

Confirmed
Andrew
 
Dalziel
 
Vice-president Industry & Solution Strategy
Infor
SP / Consultant
Confirmed
Dale
 
Edwards
 
Senior Manager, Supply Chain
Bios Management
SP / Consultant
Confirmed
David
 
Carney
 
Principal Consultant
Proxima
SP / Consultant
Confirmed
Karin
 
Strom
 
Logistics Specialist
Proxima
SP / Consultant
Pierre
 
Nortje
 
Senior Account Manager
Infor
SP / Consultant
Tim
 
Richardson
 
Founder and CEO
Iter Consulting
SP / Consultant
Confirmed
Uzair
 
Bawany
 
Chief Executive Officer
Oii.ai
SP / Consultant

Discussion Co-Hosts

Brian
 
McConville
 
Lead Global Process Expert – Supply Chain
BAT
Practitioner
Confirmed
Chris
 
Bassano
 
Fmr Group Supply Chain Director, Standard Indusries / BMI, Rolls-Royce
Standard Industries
Practitioner
Confirmed
Genevieve
 
Landricombe
 
Fmr Director Business Transformation, The Crown Estate
Independent / Unaffiliated
Practitioner
Confirmed
Jack
 
Dibben
 
Supply Chain Director
VADO
Practitioner

How the day works

The day is designed to balance shared context with focused peer discussion, with time built in for informal exchange and follow-up conversations.

Arrival & informal coffee

Settle in, meet other participants, and establish the context for the day.

Whole-room context setting

Shared discussion exploring the operating context, including common innovation blockers and enablers shaping current decisions.

Parallel roundtable discussions

Focused peer discussion around specific decision areas, with groups re-forming across the day to explore different perspectives.

Focused 1:1 exchanges

Time built in throughout the day to follow up conversations, explore overlaps, and connect around shared challenges.

Reflection and next steps

A closing discussion to surface insights, identify areas for follow-up, and explore how ideas move forward beyond the room.

Who this meeting is for

This meeting is designed for people working through real operational and innovation decisions, rather than those seeking presentations or general inspiration.

Who for

This meeting is for you if:

  • You are leading or materially influencing a planning, S&OP, IBP, forecasting, inventory or analytics transformation.
  • You are accountable for delivering measurable operational or financial impact.
  • You are uncertain whether your current sequencing of change is right.
  • You want peer challenge before committing further capital or credibility.

Who not for

This format may not be a good fit if your primary objective or organisational context looks very different:

  • You are primarily looking to pitch products or services
  • You are seeking a traditional conference with formal presentations
  • You are not in a position to engage openly with peers
  • You are attending mainly to gather leads or contacts

This meeting may also be less useful if:

  • You are looking for a ready-made solution rather than working through a decision
  • Your organisation has extensive internal transformation, data, or innovation capability and you are primarily seeking implementation support rather than peer sense-making
  • You are attending mainly to validate an already-decided course of action rather than to test and refine thinking

What happens next

Participation is confirmed through a short, staged process designed to ensure a good fit and a productive discussion for everyone in the room.

Step 1: Register interest

Start by registering your interest. This includes a short set of questions to help us understand the decisions on your radar and help shape the final agenda.

Step 2: Confirming fit

We review each request to confirm that the meeting is a good fit, based on role, context, and the focus of the discussion. If it is, we’ll confirm your place by email.

Step 3: Shaping the discussion

In advance of the meeting, we may invite you to indicate which discussion areas are most relevant to you and to share any specific questions or challenges you’d like to explore. This helps us finalise the agenda and prepare the sessions so they reflect what participants are actually working through.

Step 4: Final confirmation and preparation

Once the agenda is confirmed, we’ll ask you to reconfirm your participation by selecting your roundtable preferences and providing a little more context. This step helps us balance the groups and ensure the discussions are as useful as possible.

Step 5: Your personalised agenda

Ahead of the day, you’ll receive a personalised agenda showing which roundtables you’ll be joining and suggested one-to-one conversations, along with visibility of who else will be attending.

At each stage, we aim to keep the process lightweight and transparent, while protecting the quality of the discussion for everyone involved.

‍

Register interest
For senior practitioners only

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