Successful Commissioning panellists
Akhil Patel, Audit Manager, Third Sector and
Commissioning, National Audit Office (Chair)
Akhil Patel has worked at the National Audit Office since 2003
in a variety of roles. He gained experience auditing PFI
projects, large-scale regeneration schemes and the governance of
state-owned enterprises. More recently, he has managed the
Third Sector & Commissioning team which has published reports
on the Public Funding of Large National Charities (2007), Full Cost
Recovery (2007), Building the Capacity of the Third Sector (2009)
as well as best practice guidance including the Decision Support
Tool (2006) and Intelligent Monitoring (2009).
In his spare time, Akhil advises the Board of
Carbon Descent, an independent social enterprise with the
experience, expertise and commitment to create strategies and
deliver solutions that measurably reduce carbon footprints,
creating a sustainable and equitable future for all.
Bonnie Royal, Principle Community Support Officer,
Southwark Council
Bonnie Royal has over 15 years experience as a
senior manager in the voluntary sector for both local and national
organisations. Since 1997 Bonnie has worked as a local government
officer for two London Boroughs formerly as a Funding Advisory
Officer and at present as Commissioning & voluntary sector
Support manager at the London Borough of Southwark, within the
Community Engagement Unit of the Communities, Law & Governance
Department. Bonnie is lead officer for the council in
relation to the voluntary sector in Southwark and commissioning.
She is currently studying for a Masters degree in Public Leadership
& Management with a specialism in commissioning at Warwick
University. Bonnie is also an Emergency Planning officer for the
borough.
Clare Gilhooly, Chief Executive,
Cambridge House
Clare Gilhooly has been the CEO of Cambridge
House for 6 years and has overseen its growth and repositioning as
one of the leading Community Anchor organisations in England. The
White Paper "Real People, Real Power: Communities in Control" was
launched at Cambridge House. Cambridge House delivers its own
direct services predominantly in the London Borough of Southwark
and also supports smaller community organisations. Broadgate
Estates, a Corporate Social Responsibility Partner of Cambridge
House, has recently won a prestigious City of London Dragon Award
(Social Inclusion Category) for the innovative work they have been
undertaking together. Clare is a member of the Southwark Alliance
(the Local Strategic Partnership,) a Trustee of bassac and the
International Federation of Settlements, and is also an independent
member of the Office of the Third Sector Advisory Body.
Chris Sanford, Chief Executive,
Community Action Southwark
Chris Sanford is Chief Executive at Community
Action Southwark, which is the umbrella body for charities and
community groups in Southwark providing support and representation.
His background is in leading charities for disabled children,
including most recently a charity that provides services for
disabled children to get involved in mainstream out of school
activities. He is currently a member of Southwark Alliance on
behalf of the voluntary sector, and chairs Southwark Voice, the
main representative body for the voluntary sector in the
borough.
Dawn Gaukroger, Involving People Manager, Calderdale
PCT
Dawn Gaukroger currently manages the contract
for Voluntary Action Calderdale and has worked on a number of third
sector initiatives, including the delivery of a local grant scheme
linked to commissioning. Dawn has worked for the NHS since 2003 and
has a background in the voluntary sector at a national and local
level.
Martin McGroarty, Partnership Strategy &
Commissioning Manager – Drugs & Alcohol, Calderdale
PCT
Martin McGroarty has responsibility for
management of all activities relating to and supporting the
commissioning cycle in relation to drug and alcohol provision for
adults and young people at Calderdale Primary care Trust. Drugs and
alcohol is a classic cross cutting issue and therefore there is a
major interface with other areas of health and social care notably
mental health, housing and safeguarding. The drug and alcohol
"industry" has a well developed third sector market that provides
health and social care services.
Dr Alistair Brandon-Jones, Lecturer in Operations &
Supply Management, Bath
University
Dr Alistair Brandon-Jones is a Lecturer in the
Information, Decision and Operations (IDO) group at Bath University
School of Management. He is also a visiting lecturer at Warwick
Business School, Warwick Medical School, SDA Bocconi, and
University College Dublin. Dr Brandon-Jones has worked with a wide
range of public sector organisations in both a research and
executive development capacity. With the Improvement and
Development Agency (IDeA), he carried out a 3-year research project
exploring e-procurement implementation in local authorities across
England. Alistair has also worked with IDeA more recently, as
course director for a Bath’s "Procuring and Commissioning in the
Third Sector" programme. He also has executive development
experience with NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency, Bournemouth NHS,
Dorset County Council, and Essex County Council. Finally, Alistair
is the principal investigator for current research for the Welsh
Assembly Government, exploring complex service provision.