Pagoda Consulting

I engaged Paul as the Programme Management Advisor at the Glasgow 2018 European Championships. The event budget was circa £100M, with 6 sports, and an operational footprint of 12 competition and 15 non-competition venues. Paul led the end-to-end design and implementation of the Programme Management processes including Project Planning and Tracking, Status Reporting, and Risks and Issues Management. Paul had broad responsibility for Programme and Operational Risk Management, and led the design and implementation of the Risk Management system, Covalent. Paul also had responsibility for ensuring Operational Planning was integrated: he planned, organised and ran fortnightly Operational Delivery Forums which provided direction to all teams and partners on Championships-wide planning activities.

Closer to the Championships, Paul implemented and operated a regular series of structured problem solving sessions which accelerated resolution of issues facing the programme. Paul became a regular attendee at the Senior Management Team meetings along with the three Heads of Department and the Championships Director. He provided significant direct support to this team, assisting them in making the right decisions based on the significant risks and issues faced by the project.

Paul made a significant positive impact on the programme, providing expertise, structure and leadership to a complex, first time event.

Colin Hartley, Championships Director. G2018 European Championships, Glasgow

I have commissioned specialist Internal Audit support from Paul on three occasions: once at British Energy whilst he was with EY, and twice at Clydesdale & Yorkshire Banking Group (CYBG, now Virgin Money), after he started his independent consulting company.

At British Energy, Paul reviewed a sample of major projects in order to assess the effectiveness of risk management and project controls. The projects reviewed had budgets in the tens of millions and ranged from major capital works to business and IT change. At CYBG Paul provided Internal Audit services across a number of major programmes including the agile development of a new Current Account product, the separation from the previous parent company, National Australia Group, and more recently the merger with Virgin Money.  These were complex programmes, each with budgets in excess of £100M.

Paul’s broad experience of Programme Management and PMOs meant he could offer deep insights into the effectiveness of programme risk and control arrangements.  This knowledge, coupled with Paul’s understanding of risk management and the audit process, enabled Paul to add significant value to my in-house audit teams by enabling us to provide assurance and recommend control improvements.

I am happy to recommend Paul as a capable and proven internal auditor of major portfolios and programmes.

Robert Beattie, Former Group Director Internal Audit, Virgin Money & CYBG

I’ve worked with Paul on four major event programmes. At each of these events Paul led the design and set up Programme Management processes, systems and reporting. Other than Glasgow 2014, he also led the design and implementation of end to end Risk Management processes and systems. Additionally, he played a leading role in Integrated Planning, helping ensure that programme and operational planning across the entire programme was ‘joined up’.

Paul brings a structured and systematic approach to programme planning and management. He provides value by helping Senior Management and Governance bodies understand  plans, progress, risks and issues, enabling them to focus on the areas most requiring action. He tells it as he sees it and offers options to help solve issues.

I would recommend Paul as an experienced and capable advisor to programme and event teams.

Neil Devenny, Experienced Events Industry Programme Manager