Conference Agenda
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Opening Keynote
Reflections and Aspirations – The Past, Present, and Future of PMO
To kick off the 10th anniversary of the PMO Conference in style, we bring together three of the most influential voices in the PMO space over the past decade: Eileen Roden, Laura Barnard, and Americo Pinto.
United on stage, these influential leaders will deliver a dynamic keynote that reflects on the evolution of PMO and envisions its bold, transformative future.
Through their unique perspectives and shared passion for PMO, Eileen, Laura, and Americo will dive into what they want to see happen, wish would happen, and dream might happen for PMO. With a format that blends reflection, vision, and inspiration, this session will set the tone for a day of celebration, learning, and forward thinking.
Expect insights that highlight on the progress made by PMOs over the past decade, the challenges and opportunities of today, and the possibilities for tomorrow. From aligning to organisational strategy to leveraging emerging technologies and strengthening PMO leadership, the conversation will be rich, relatable, and packed with takeaways for PMO professionals at every level.
This unmissable opening keynote promises to leave you inspired, energised, and ready to embrace the next era of PMO. Join us as we set the stage for a day of celebrating the journey so far and charting the course for what’s next.
Americo Pinto
Laura Barnard
Eileen J Roden
Closing Keynote
The Therapy of Change – How I Need to Change to Facilitate the Best Change
As we mark the 10th anniversary of the PMO Conference, we’re thrilled to welcome the one and only Professor Eddie Obeng to close the day with a truly unique and inspiring keynote. Eddie, known for his engaging style and boundary-pushing ideas, will take us on a journey through “The Therapy of Change” – a session designed to make us rethink how we as PMO professionals can adapt, thrive, and lead in a world of relentless change.
Expect a fast-paced, interactive session packed with practical takeaways that touch on everything from making AI work for your PMO to creating a culture where delivery shines. Eddie will help us tackle the big questions: How do we align with our internal customers? How do we grow ourselves while managing our PMO brand? And, most importantly, how do we position the PMO to add real, tangible value in a future that’s coming at us faster than ever?
This isn’t just a keynote – it’s a therapy session for the change-makers among us. Eddie’s style will have you laughing, thinking, and scribbling down ideas you can’t wait to try. Plus, he’s leaving us with some goodies: handouts, tools, and pointers to his book All Change!, so the inspiration doesn’t stop when the session does.
Join us for what promises to be the perfect end to a celebratory day – a session that looks back on what we’ve achieved and prepares us to leap forward into what’s next. Let Eddie Obeng help you find the courage and creativity to embrace change and lead the PMO of the future.
Prof. Eddie Obeng
Learning Director | Pentacle
Lead Facilitator | QUBE Campus
Dr. Nick Karamanis
Head of PMO
AlphaPlus
The People-Centric PMO: Redefining Roles and Driving Growth
Join Nick Karamanis, Head of the Project Management Office at AlphaPlus, as he shares the journey that led the education service consultancy to win the APM PMO of the Year Award in 2024.
This session will explore AlphaPlus’s innovative approach to building a people-focused PMO. Discover how a commitment to professional development has created a fulfilling work environment and fostered happiness and engagement among team members. Learn how shifting perceptions of the PMO, particularly by integrating early career graduates and professionals, has strengthened succession planning and future-proofed the organisation.
Key highlights include AlphaPlus’s unique PMO model, featuring the ‘player-manager’ concept—a hybrid PM/PMO role designed to deliver excellence through collaboration and versatility. Witness how this people-first strategy enabled this small business of just 60 to achieve a threefold growth trajectory, delivering results typically expected from much larger organisations—all without extensive financial investment.
This is a story of innovation, empowerment, and high-impact outcomes—proof that a people-centric approach can truly transform a PMO
Nesta Shingler
Project Manager
AlphaPlus
Abi Fielding
Trainee Project Manager
AlphaPlus
Themes for Success – Universal Lessons in PMO Transformation
Join the Senior PMO Director of Universal Studios Florida on an exhilarating journey through the transformative power of “People, Process, and Technology (PPT).” Drawing inspiration from the creative energy and strategic precision that brings world-famous theme parks to life, this session from Mehul Shah reveals how the right themes—innovation, agility, and value—can revolutionise your PMO.
Key themes explored include:
• Building Blocks for a Modern PMO
• Strategic Technology Integration
• Focus on Behaviours and Competencies
• Engagement and Strategic Foundation
This session is a great opportunity to gain unique industry insights from one of the world’s leading entertainment companies and how applying the lessons behind launching blockbuster attractions applies to the building of their world-class PMO.
Mehul Shah
Senior Director, PMO & Operations
Universal Orlando Resort
Growth of the Centre of Excellence
In this session we focus on the growth of a PMO Centre of Excellence with the National Fire Chiefs Council. We’ll start with an overview of the NFCC, comparing its past and present landscapes. By conducting thorough health checks and quality assurance reviews, several key areas were identified and actioned for improvement. A crucial element to boost delivery capability across the organisation led to the creation of various training workshops and masterclasses to boost project management skills. The session details some of the key areas including risk management. Additionally, the session discusses the development of a PPP Network in collaboration with Fire and Rescue Services and highlights how the PMO CoE model can expand its reach with best practice approaches.
Anna Milnes
Change Governance Lead
Pets at Home
Change Governance to PMO – How Pets at Home Made It Work
How do you build a PMO that truly enables business change rather than just governing it? That’s exactly what the PMO at Pets at Home are focusing on, where their team operates at a portfolio level, driving visibility, consistency, and value across the business.
In this engaging session, we will hear about the PMO transformation journey – from getting started with portfolio reporting to embedding a Change Delivery Lifecycle (CDLC) that works for the business, not against it. Sharing the lessons learned from launching a PPM tool, evolving just-enough governance, and tackling resource management in a way that’s pragmatic, not prescriptive.
Looking to the future, exploring the role of AI in PMO, how Power BI dashboards are changing decision-making, and how they’re taking benefits management and sustainability to the next level. Expect practical insights, real-world stories, and honest reflections on what it takes to build a PMO that really adds value.
Whether you’re setting up a new PMO, driving a maturity journey, or simply looking for inspiration on how to make your PMO a strategic enabler, this is a session you won’t want to miss!
Niamh King
Senior PMO Analyst
Pets at Home
The Power of the Triple Set: Mindset, Skillset, Toolset for Data – Driven Project Management
Dave Turnbull
EDF Energy
Libby Stockel
Enterprise Portfolio Director
AWE
The PMO Ecosystem – Changing and Evolving to Deliver your Business Needs.
To be sustainable, a Portfolio Management Office must be able to evolve and change in response to the delivery and business environment. There is no ‘one size fits all’ model. Reflective practice is a key attribute for any PMO leader designing their PMO, and we collectively need the confidence to design PMOs with roots in best practices that are the right fit for our organizations at any given point.
This presentation will outline AWE’s organisational ecosystem for PMOs and discuss how this has evolved in line with the functional and organizational understanding and maturity in Portfolio Management. It will consider what prompts the need for a shift in the PMO model and emphasise the importance of reflective practice for PMO leaders to ensure continuous improvement and adaptability.
Yash Desai
Head of Innovation
Movar Group
Implementing a Digital PMO: Strategies, Challenges, and Successes
In an era of rapid digital transformation, PMOs must evolve to remain effective. This session explores how Severn Trent Water, in partnership with Movar, successfully developed and implemented a Digital PMO, revolutionising project delivery through data analytics, automation, and AI-driven insights. By integrating Microsoft technologies and cutting-edge reporting solutions, this initiative enhanced project visibility, governance, and decision-making across capital delivery projects.
The success of this Digital PMO was recognised with the Global Innovation of the Year award at the Project Controls Expo UK. This session will provide insights into the journey, challenges faced, and the practical strategies that led to the transformation.
Kashan Ratyal
Delivery Business Lead
Severn Trent Water
Adapting Skills for the Future: My Journey from QS to AI Leadership
Change is inevitable, but how we adapt defines our success. In this session, I will take you through my personal journey—from starting as a Quantity Surveyor to becoming Head of AI and Data at Gleeds.
I will share how I navigated the evolving skills landscape, the barriers I encountered, and the pivotal moments that shaped my career shift. We’ll explore the widening skills gap, the transformative impact of AI on organisations, and how companies can proactively upskill their teams to stay ahead. Through real-world case studies, I’ll illustrate how AI is reshaping project delivery, PMOs, and the broader construction and consultancy industries. Finally, we’ll look at what’s next—how rapid technological advancements will redefine project management and what this means for PMO professionals. Whether you’re a PMO leader or practitioner, this session will equip you with the insights and strategies needed to future-proof your career in an AI-driven world.
James Garner
Chair, Project Data Analytics Taskforce
Founder, Project Flux
Martin Parr
Co-Founder
Guided Systems Solutions
From Stuck to Flow: Navigating People Complexity with Systems Thinking
People are our most valuable asset and helping them learn and adapt is the key to getting any change made. Learning is hard when the situation feels like a tangled mess. Systems thinking helps us all to see through complexity, to make sense of what’s really going on, and to find leverage for change. Today I will show you how a couple of systems approaches work and how systems thinking offers a powerful way to navigate all six complexity types, especially when people are at the heart of the challenge.
How PMOs can Own the Business Strategy through Strategic Portfolio Management
In this session, we’ll explore how Strategic Portfolio Management empowers PMOs to evolve from administrative order-takers into strategic partners and business co-creators.
PMOs stuck in old habits will be left behind. Only by ruthlessly prioritizing, tying every investment to real outcomes, and embracing AI-powered decision-making can they break out of the admin box, drive enterprise-wide impact, and lead in a world that won’t wait.
The future doesn’t reward project managers – it rewards strategy owners. Are you ready to lead, or just manage?
Veijo Hytti
Keto Software
Eileen J Roden
Director and Co-Founder
House of PMO
Chaos to Control – Steering the Resource Management Rollercoaster
Resource management remains one of the biggest challenges for PMOs, with shifting priorities, unforeseen constraints, and competing demands across projects, business as usual, and product development. These factors can turn resource management into a rollercoaster ride for PMOs, delivery teams, and decision-makers alike. But while the ride may be unavoidable, it doesn’t have to be chaotic or painful.
In this session, we’ll share key insights from our latest Inside PMO report, bringing together perspectives from PMO practitioners, industry experts, and research. We’ll explore why resource management so often feels out of control—and, more importantly, what can be done about it. By unpacking the emotional, political, and operational complexities, we’ll discuss how the PMO can facilitate, challenge, and enable better decision-making to bring greater stability and control to the process.
IMPACT-Driven PMOs: How High-Performing PMOs Prove Their Value
In this high-impact session, you’ll discover how the IMPACT Engine Framework addresses the root causes holding most PMOs back and provides practical steps to own the narrative around your value and drive outcome-focused success. You’ll unlock the secrets that successful PMOs have used to fast-track their success by eliminating change resistance, solving the right problems, and creating a continuous value delivery model. Drawing on decades of real-world lessons from PMO transformations globally, you’ll see how leaders have transitioned from overworked and overlooked to indispensable business partners driving executive decision-making.