Studies & Knowledge Committee

John is an Executive Director of Devonport Royal Dockyard Ltd, part of Babcock, and has accountability for the Major Infrastructure Projects at Devonport.
On graduation John joined BP plc and worked in a variety of technical and commercial roles before moving to a number of US Energy companies to develop and deliver energy projects in the UK, US and Eastern Europe. He joined BAA as Project Leader on Terminal 5 and on the successful completion of the project moved to BG Group as Global Head of Projects. In 2013 he was seconded to Karachaganak Petroleum Operating Company in Kazakhstan to lead the development of the Karachaganak Field. He joined Sellafield Ltd in 2016, initially as the Director responsible for the High Hazard Retrieval programmes, and latterly as Director of Projects before moving to Babcock in 2020.
John is Chartered Engineer and is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Association for Project Management and the Institute of Directors and is a Freeman of the City of London.

Andy is the Executive Director of the Major Projects Association, prior to which he spent 30 years as a practitioner, consultant and assurer of complex projects and programmes for public, private and third sector organisations both domestically and internationally. He has a focus on project governance, the treatment of inherent project complexity and organisational development of project capability.

Andy is a respected author, having worked with HM Treasury, Cabinet Office, the Association for Project Management (APM) and Axelos to develop best practice guidance on their behalf. Publications include PRINCE2, P3M3, Routemap and the Governance of Co-Owned Projects. He was cited in the Sunday Telegraph’s business supplement as one of the most influential people in project management. He is the Chair of the APM’s Governance Special Interest Group, the Chair of the IPA’s independent project advisory group for the Project Initiation Routemap and is the engagement workstream lead for the Project Data Analytics Task Force.

Andy is a collaborative and inclusive senior leader with a track record of building high-performing teams both within his organisation, across partnerships and with voluntary groups.

Outside of work Andy spends his time mountain biking or helping out Willaston FC (a community football club) as treasurer and manager of the Under 14s team.

Manon is Development Director of the Major Projects Association and has been instrumental in shaping the Association over the past 20 years. She is passionate about equality and diversity in the workplace and promotes this through the work of the Association.

Amongst the many initaitives introduced by Manon is the Gender Balance Initiative which she established in 2015 - this has now developed into our Inclusion Hub. In 2020 she worked with Isabel Linden to set up the Sustainability Ambassadors Network - a group she is still very much involved in.

One of her main responsibilities is to grow the membership by recruiting new members and retaining current members by ensuring the quality of our offerings. Over 90% of current members have been recruited by Manon.

Alan Couzens is currently Capital Portfolio Director for Highways England with responsibility for oversight of its 5 year £21bn capital investment programme. He is a founding member of the Infrastructure Client Group.
After early career in the private sector working in commercial roles on major infrastructure projects he joined CBRE in 1998 supporting rail privatisation, property outsourcing and private finance (PFI) transactions. In 2001 he was invited to join Partnerships UK, a private sector commercial group established by government to support public sector private finance projects and programmes.
After 10 years in PUK he joined HM Treasury in 2010 as part of the newly established Infrastructure UK team. Working with Terry Hill Chairman of Arup and other industry leaders Alan led the Infrastructure Cost View programme, leading to the establishment of the influential Infrastructure Client Group. Following on from this he went on to lead the development of the Project Initiation Routemap, the National Infrastructure Plan, Infrastructure Pipeline and other key IUK (now Infrastructure and Projects Authority) outputs. He also provided commercial support and assurance to major infrastructure projects, including a secondment to HS2 to kick start their efficiency programme. He left his role as Director of Strategy and Delivery in IPA in 2016 to put theory into practice in Highways England.

In addition to being a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers Alan is a member of the Government Construction Board and Infrastructure Client Group. He is also a member of the MPA studies group.

Andrew Fotherby is Divisional Director of Major Programmes in WYG’s Strategic Advisory business. He leads a portfolio of programme and transformation management services with a capital value over £2bn, with teams operating in the UK, Africa, Middle East and Asia.

Andrew has 20 years experience in contract and project management across a diverse range of sectors including Defence, Petro-Chemical, Education, Retail, Nuclear, Residential and Disaster Recovery.

After graduating with a degree from the University of Leeds in Management with Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Andrew spent his early career working on construction projects in mainland Europe and the Far East, before returning to the UK and moving into consultancy. He was the Project Manager for the two major projects in the 4 Mech Bde move from Germany to Catterick Garrison, before moving to WYG in 2010. Andrew now specialises in Defence programmes and leads WYG’s major framework contracts with MoD in the UK and overseas. He has recently been engaged in the initiation of major projects and programmes in the UK, Middle East and Nepal.

He is the WYG Main Rep to the MPA and APM; sits on the ACE Major Projects SIG and APM Yorkshire branch committee; is a member of the Y&H Reserve Forces and Cadets Association Engagement Advisory Board; and is a trustee of the Thackray Medical Museum.

Simon Addyman is an Associate Professor of Project Management at the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, University College London, where he is Director of the MSc Project and Enterprise Management and Director of the Centre for Construction Project Organising. His primary research interests include understanding the nature of temporary organising and routine dynamics in construction, particularly how participants engage in a dialogue together to create value from projects.
In addition to his teaching and research, Simon advises government, professional institutes and private organisations in developing their capabilities in the organisation and management of projects and programmes.

Fiona currently plays an advisory role within the Government Projects Academy, part of the Infrastructure of Projects Authority (IPA), following three years as Head of the Government Project Delivery Profession, leading work on developing project delivery standards and capability across the UK Government. 
She was previously Chief Portfolio Officer for the Home Office, leading work on strategic investment, overseeing delivery of the departmental project portfolio, and building skills and capability as departmental head of profession for project delivery.
Over her career, Fiona has led a range of major government projects in technology, shared service development and business transformation in the home affairs, criminal justice and mental health arenas. 
Fiona graduated from the UK government's Major Projects Leadership Academy in 2014 and is accredited to mastery level under the government accreditation scheme for project delivery professionals. A Fellow of the Association for Project Management, she is currently completing a part-time M.Phil on project transition with the University of Manchester. 

Dr Christine Unterhitzenberger ChPP is an Associate Professor of Project Management at the University of Leeds and Director of the Leeds Centre for Projects. Her research is focused on behavioural and organisational aspects in projects incl. organisational justice and governance. She has successfully secured funding from the EU Horizon 2020 RISE, the ESRC, the Association for Project Management (APM) and the World University Network (WUN). She is Associate Editor for the International Journal of Project Management, former Department Editor for the Project Management Journal, Founder and Chair of the Project Experiences SIG at the British Academy of Management and Chair Elect of the Project Organising SIG at the European Academy of Management. She is also a member of the Studies and Knowledge Committee of the Major Projects Association and the former Chair of the APM Research Advisory Group. Prior to her academic career she worked for almost ten years as a project manager in the construction industry.

Richard Zavitz is an experienced project professional working in the sponsorship of major capital investment projects through the full investment lifecycle. He is a trusted leader who proactively works to ensure business investment outcomes are realised through collaboration, challenge and support of the business management and project teams.

Richard is currently the Lead Sponsor for a number of Transport for London's major projects. He has been at Transport for London since 2014 when he joined as Sponsor of the Future Station Capacity Programme.

Richard has extensive knowledge of the major project sector and is the Chair of the Sponsorship Network hosted by the Major Projects Association.

Myrna is responsible for maintaining and developing the Major Projects Association’s website, managing the member newsletters, commissioning, editing and publishing blogs and podcasts, and overseeing the knowledge repository. Her work ensures that insights, learning and resources are well-curated, accessible and valuable across the major projects community.

She also serves as Secretary to the Studies & Knowledge Committee, which helps shape the Association’s research and knowledge programme. The Committee brings together perspectives from across sectors to examine themes that influence the initiation and delivery of major projects, ensuring the work reflects the breadth and diversity of our membership.

Myrna joined the Association in June 2023 and brings over 20 years of combined experience in digital marketing, content development and website management across publishing, education and small business. She has founded and run two successful businesses, built and managed multiple websites, and mentored small business owners on digital strategy and growth.

She is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Tom Chick is an Associate Director at ResoLex, where has worked since June 2023 providing strategic advice for organisations and teams in complex environments. He works across several projects, with the majority of his time currently spent advising the New Hospital Programme (NHP) on how to build effective working relationships to enable the programme of work. Tom is a Chartered Civil Engineer and project professional with over a decade of experience in delivering major projects and programmes across transport, energy, and health, as contractor, client and consultant.

Prior to ResoLex, Tom worked as a Senior Strategy Manager for Ofgem, defining the energy regulator’s long-term visions and working with stakeholders across the business to develop a comprehensive, integrated roadmap.
During University and upon graduation Tom worked as a shift engineer on Tottenham Court Road and Crossrail Farringdon Station, delivering Sprayed Concrete Lining (SCL) and secondary lining tunnelling works at the head of a gang of operatives. He then joined Transport for London where he worked for 7 years in various roles from design engineering to operational maintenance. This included sponsoring major infrastructure schemes such as the Rotherhithe – Canary Wharf Crossing and building a new team to develop and run a comprehensive programme covering London Underground’s technology and data needs.

Isaac is a senior level manager currently in AtkinsRéalis overseeing new strategic opportunities within the energy and defence sector. One of these includes the new £350m Construction Partner bid for the STEP Programme with UKAEA. Sitting within the Project Delivery Practice, his team also run a number of major programmes within Sizewell C, AWE and Devonport Royal Dockyard.

Isaac has over 15 years of high profile national and international; operational, project and technical management experience. This includes leading multi-disciplinary teams within the whole asset life cycle.
Projects and clients include; electrical substations (National Grid), new nuclear new builds (Horizon Nuclear Power and EDF), new build metro (Qatar Rail), highways (Highways England), nuclear generation and decommissioning (EDF), defence (MOD - DE&S and Babcock).

Francesca is a Senior Consultant at Gardiner and Theobald LLP, a commercially focused professional with experience in market intelligence, supplier engagement, and procurement across Defence, Infrastructure, and FMCG. She has supported the establishment of new commercial functions within government, producing in-depth supplier analysis, market sector assessments, and insights to inform executive decision-making.

She is an effective communicator who builds confidence with stakeholders at all levels, Fran works at pace to deliver results on complex transformation projects.