Thank you very much for tuning in this year. 2024 was truly remarkable and my guests shared insights I was able to use and benefit from in my own job. I chatted with professionals from different sectors in academia, automotive, construction, project management, customer experience and manufacturing. 

I hope you enjoyed the podcast. Here are the highlights.

Dr David M Williams is an internationally respected scholar-practitioner of the Science of Improvement. With 25 years of experience in Quality Improvement, he has worked with leaders and teams worldwide to develop people’s abilities to make rigorous, results-driven improvements and adopt quality as an organizational strategy.

Dave coauthored Quality as an Organizational Strategy: Building a System of Improvement. His writing on improvement is also found in many books and published papers.

He was a senior leader at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, where he was responsible for leadership and improvement science and methods. His other past roles include chief quality officer, university faculty member, board leader, consultant, Baldrige examiner, and paramedic.

Dave holds a B.S. in Emergency Medical Services Management from Springfield College, an M.S. in Emergency Health Services Management from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and a PhD in Organizational Systems from Saybrook University.

You can connect with Dave on LinkedIn and check his website here

Martin Spackman is an accomplished Quality Manager with over 16 years of experience in the automotive sector, six of which have been dedicated to leading quality management initiatives for companies such as BMW, Vauxhall, and Faurecia.

Previously, Martin held logistics and quality roles for BMW Mini, and Supplier Quality roles at Vauxhall, overseeing quality operations at key facilities in Ellesmere Port and Luton. As Quality Manager for Tevva, Martin's career focus shifted toward the hydrogen and electric vehicle sectors, as he oversaw the production of 7.5-tonne electric trucks.

As Quality Manager at Hydrogen Vehicle Systems (HVS), Martin maintains high-quality standards, as well as identifying high-value supply chain strengths. His expertise in this area helps to unlock opportunities that align with HVS' mission to decarbonise the Heavy Goods transport industry.

Martin is an active member of the Chartered Quality Institute (Practitioner Level) and the SMMT Quality Network Group.

Steffan Speer joined Morgan Sindall in 2007 and has held a variety of roles within the construction industry including commercial and project management. Through the experience of delivering projects as commercial, project and preconstruction lead, Steffan has gained invaluable experience in helping teams and customers successfully deliver projects in an efficient manner.

Within his role, Steffan is responsible for developing change strategies across our operations to help improve the performance of the construction division. Steffan has a passion for delivering quality, and implementing technology and manufacturing principles to help improve operational efficiency across construction.

Steffan is the chair of the Chartered Quality Institute (CQI) Construction Special Interest Group (SIG), chaired the Constructing Excellence Club in the Yorkshire and Humber Region and is a committee member of the South Yorkshire CIOB Steering Group.

Colin Campbell is an Associate Director in the Improving Project Delivery team with the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT). The Scottish Government established SFT in 2008 to act as an independent centre of expertise to deliver improvements in the public sector’s planning, innovation, delivery and management of infrastructure. Colin’s work within SFT has been focused on improving construction quality since 2018. He is a chartered civil engineer, a member of the Association for Project Management and has over 44 years experience in the construction industry. Prior to joining SFT he was involved in the delivery of projects across the UK and in Singapore, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. He is currently co-chair of the Construction Quality Improvement Collaborative (CQIC), a sector wide campaign for improving construction quality, with a reach across Scotland. 

Megan A. Speight, M.S. has worked in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors in Communications, Culture and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. In her current role as Culture, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion(DE&I) Manager at Project Management Institute, Ms. Speight leads and works with cross functional teams to advance PMI’s work in this space. In this role, Ms. Speight promotes a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture, and positions PMI as a growing force in the DE&I space by integrating it into the different components of the organization, profession and global community.

Megan is a native of Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, USA, but resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is a graduate of Springside School, obtained her B.A. in Communications from George Mason University and her M.S. in Public Communication from Drexel University. Ms. Speight has her Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from eCornell and is the first ever recipient of the DEI Champion Award from Women of Project Management. She is Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for Project 440, Chair of their Marketing Advisory Committee, and is a member of the Junior League of Philadelphia.

Check the podcast page: www.theprojectedit.com