Stephen Blakey FRICS, FCinstCES, MICW

Commercial Projects Director, Network Rail

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Stephen is the Commercial Projects Director for Network Rail with accountabilities to strengthening commercial stewardship, benchmarking and supply chain collaboration across the capital works portfolio.

His role also brings a strategic emphasis to cross industry collaboration, with responsibility to lead commercial innovation and market engagement through various forums with industry stakeholders, clients, suppliers and professional bodies.

Examples include leading the award winning Commercial Directors' Forum, representing Network Rail with Build UK, the Institute of Collaborative Working and the Infrastructure Clients Group as well as regular engagement with RIA, CECA, CICES and the RICS Infrastructure Steering Group.

With 21 years of rail experience and over £12bn of major infrastructure works procured and commercially managed under his auspices, he is well versed in commercial dynamics of rail infrastructure delivery.

He is also highly regarded for his collaborative approach to driving industry change through innovation and the promulgation of best practice. Leading examples include the adoption of the rail industry’s Fair Payment Charter, the abolition of retentions and deployment of the Rail Method of Measurement and Dispute Avoidance Panels. In 2018 he led Network Rail’s successful transition from BS11000 to become the first UK client to secure ISO44001, the international accreditation for collaboration.

Known for his thought leadership & zeal in the pursuit of progressive commercial models, in 2015 he received the Collaborative Leadership Award from the Institute for Collaborative Working.

Stephen is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors and an active contributor to cross-industry working groups, conferences and publications.