News

We are pleased to announce that Sellafield has joined our prestigious group of Ambassadors.

Sellafield is at the forefront of the nuclear industry, creating a clean and safe environment for future generations. They have already been recognised with multiple ICW Collaborative Awards and achieved ISO 44001 certification, reflecting their unwavering commitment to being at the leading edge of collaboration.

Eirini Etoimou, MSc, MBA LS, Head of Corporate Sustainability & Supply Chain Development at Sellafield and Chair of the ICW Nuclear Forum, said: "We are honoured to receive this recognition from the ICW, which highlights our dedication to fostering meaningful collaboration as part of our mission. Collaboration is at the heart of Sellafield's corporate sustainability and social value work. Our success is built on creating mutually beneficial relationships with our partners, our supply chain, and our communities to deliver lasting and positive change. This has been greatly enhanced by the support of the ICW who continue to set the standard for excellence in collaborative practices. We remain committed to supporting and advancing the Institute's principles while promoting its message honouring our Ambassador status."

Frank Lee, ICW's CEO, said: "We are delighted to welcome Sellafield as an Ambassador Member of ICW. Their long-standing leadership in fostering collaboration and their unwavering commitment to driving thought leadership align perfectly with the aspirations and values of ICW Ambassadors. I look forward to working closely with Eirini and the team as we continue to champion collaborative excellence together."

We are pleased to announce that Professor Jane Lynch, renowned expert in supply chain management and collaborative engagement, has joined the ICW Board.

As Professor of Procurement at Cardiff Business School and leader of the Centre for Value Procurement, Jane brings exceptional leadership from both academic and practitioner perspectives. A member of ICW since 2012, she initiated ICW Wales and contributed best practices through The Partner. More recently, Jane has been a key contributor to the Public Procurement SIG and co-author of the forthcoming Collaboration Playbook.

When asked about her aspirations for collaboration, Jane replied, "Innovation needs to be high on the government agenda for the UK, and collaboration is a critical enabler of driving that in practice. I only hope that the pioneering work undertaken by the growing ICW team exemplifies the value of early involvement of key stakeholders and understanding what we mean by mutual benefit. Partnering does not work when the values are imposed by one party; true collaborative working involves mutual benefit where risk and reward are shared, not used as negotiation tactics”.

Having watched the ICW develop since 2012, Jane hopes to bring fresh thinking and strategic direction to ensure the ICW grows its membership sustainably while delivering benefits for members worldwide.

We look forward to her leadership and vision driving ICW's future success.

Read more about Jane »

The Institute of Collaborative Working (ICW) and the Association for Key Account Management (AKAM) have identified a huge amount of synergy in their missions, to show how working together collaboratively with business partners and customers yields better results, than rivalry or adversarial behaviour. So, they have launched a formal collaborative association together, which will demonstrate to members and the wider business world the structure and benefits of businesses and publicly funded organisations working together, rather than scoring off each other. As supply chains evolve into ever more complex business ecosystems, collaboration between suppliers, their key customers and important influencers is more necessary than ever. With AKAM’s focus on key accounts and ICW’s on collaborative working, the pairing expects to publish invaluable approaches for all sectors.

We are pleased to announce that Pegasus Group has joined our Executive Network.

Established in 2003, Pegasus Group is a leading independent multidisciplinary development consultancy that now boasts more than 450 employees offering industry-leading services in 13 locations across the UK. Their expertise spans the entire development lifecycle, and their services include planning, design, environmental, economics, heritage, and transport & infrastructure consultancy.

Douglas McCormick, Pegasus Group CEO said: "As an ICW board member I am delighted that Pegasus Group has become part of the ICW Executive Network. For me collaboration is not just a buzzword, it's fundamental to business success. As individuals and businesses, we don't work in isolation – effective collaboration enables us to maximise our outcomes from day-to-day challenges to complex cross-company and cross-industry projects. I look forward to seeing Henry Courtier and Claire Gayle representing Pegasus on the Executive Network as we work to share ICW principles with Pegasus Group colleagues. Collaborative working will be an essential element in our work to enable business growth and achieve great things for our clients across built environment sectors."

ICW CEO, Frank Lee FICW, said: "t's fantastic to welcome Pegasus as the latest Executive Network member of the ICW! In my recent interactions with the team, I've witnessed their genuine commitment to collaboration and their dedication to delivering top-class service to their clients through a truly collaborative approach. I'm excited to work with Douglas and the team in the future!"

We are delighted to welcome Lord John Hannett OBE as the new Chairman of the Institute for Collaborative Working (ICW).

With his extensive leadership experience and a deep commitment to fostering collaboration, Lord Hannett brings a wealth of expertise to guide ICW into its next chapter. His vision aligns perfectly with the ICW mission to promote collaborative working, its ethos and practices, to drive meaningful and positive change across all sectors of the economy.

At the same time, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to Lord David Evans of Watford for his incredible support, leadership, and wise counsel throughout his tenure.

The first part of the Advisory Council elections has been completed and the following 8 candidates have been successfully elected to represent the individual Members:

Jo Potter FICW
Lois Love FICW
Andrew Hopper FICW
Odilon Serrano MICW
Brian Walton FICW
Stuart Fuller MICW
Richard Holm FICW
Mike Woodstock MICW

These members of the Advisory Council will serve for 2 years until December 2026.

Congratulations to you all!

The second part of the election - the Corporate Members - will now take place. We have 4 seats of the 8 on the council that are due for re-election, plus one due to a member leaving. The invitations for nominations of corporate company members to stand will be sent out this week.

In the meantime, congratulations again to the newly elected members of the council.

We are thrilled to announce that Serco has joined the ICW Executive Network.

ICW CEO, Frank Lee FICW, said: "It is a great pleasure to welcome Serco as members of ICW. Serco provides a wide range of services that play a vital role in supporting governments in many areas, including defence, transport, justice, and healthcare. These are all sectors where effective collaboration is crucial for the successful delivery of services and the overall effectiveness of our society. I look forward to working with the Serco Leadership team and supporting them in further enhancing their collaborative capabilities."

Leigh Lawry tutored another successful ISO 44001 Leaders course in Warwick University this last week and Paul Connor the invigilator of the course exam was pleased to report that all 9 candidates reached the pass mark in the course.

We welcome:

Back Row left to right
Khalid Alnasser
Krishan Chavda
Graham Martin
Leigh Lawry
Lisa Martello
Lee Poole
Paul Connor
Front Row Left to right
Stephanie Mitchell
Becky Leonard
Gemma Clarkson
Simon Hayton
As the newest Members of ICW.

"We are delighted to announce that SPL Powerlines UK has joined the ICW Executive Network.

"SPL Powerlines has become a member of the Institute of Collaborative Working to drive efficiency, optimal performance and customer value. We intend to guide engagement and success for our customers and employees through knowledge-sharing, thought-leadership, and training. As a progressive organisation we recognise the benefits and values of collaboration as a fundamental business skill which we will drive as an influencer to being the partner of choice for all our stakeholders."
David Bell, Group Commercial Director

The ultimate objective is to have a positive impact on industry and leave a legacy by:

• Creating the collaborative environment through which to drive change, innovation and deliver on industry wide objectives; and
• Hold industry stakeholders (clients, contractors, and supply chain organisations) to account in driving the right behaviours and setting out the behavioural framework to achieve industry objectives; and
• Deliver optimal industry performance through collaboration – sharing resources, supply chain and best practice between stakeholders.

ICW CEO, Frank Lee FICW, said, "It gives me real pleasure to welcome SPL Powerlines UK to the Institute for Collaborative Working and our Executive Network. I am sure they will make an enormous contribution to our institute, and I look forward to seeing their teams engaging in our thought leadership and networking activities."

23 October 2024 at the House of Lords

The ICW Highways Sector Lunch, held in the Atlee Room at the House of Lords, was a resounding success. ICW Chairman Lord David gave the attendees a warm and humorous welcome to the House or Lords. ICW's CEO Frank Lee was the next to speak, highlighting ICW's connection to the Highways sector and the support ICW can give to it.

Frank Lee then introduced David O'Neil, National Highways Supply Chain Director, who spoke of the opportunities and challenges within the sector and how collaboration is key to realising and addressing them.

The lunch was filled with lively discussions and networking and acted as a brilliant opening to further discussion and exchange of ideas in the sector.

Afterwards, Frank Lee said "It was a pleasure, alongside our Chairman, Lord David Evans, to welcome our members from the Highways sector to our 'inaugural Collaborative Leaders in Highways' lunch at the House of Lords this week. The event fostered active networking and engaging discussions, offering our members a valuable opportunity to contribute insights on key topics that will shape the future of the sector."