Stephen is the Commercial Projects Director for Network Rail’s Infrastructure Projects division. His accountabilities include strengthening Network Rail’s capabilities in Cost Planning, Commercial Management and supply chain Collaboration.

His role also brings a strategic emphasis to cross industry collaboration with responsibility to lead commercial innovation and market engagement through various forums with industry stakeholders, clients, suppliers and professional bodies. Examples include the award winning Commercial Directors’ Forum (CDF), the Institute of Collaborative Working (ICW), RIA, CECA, CICES and the RICS Infrastructure Steering Group.

Recognised for his zeal in the pursuit of progressive commercial techniques and effective partnerships, Stephen was a driving force in the development and adoption the rail industry’s Fair Payment Charter, an industry first. Two further charters and jointly developed industry guidance to commercial practitioners have followed.

With 20 years of rail experience and over £12bn of major infrastructure works procured and commercially managed under his auspices, he has well versed in commercial dynamics of rail infrastructure delivery. He is highly regarded for his collaborative approach to driving industry change through innovation and the promulgation of best practice initiatives. Industry leading examples include adoption of the Rail Method of Measurement (RMM), Network Rail’s successful transition from BS11000 to become the first UK client to secure the international accreditation for collaboration (ISO44001) and the commitment to abolish retentions and fix supply chain payment terms in Network Rail’s head contracts.

Stephen is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors and an active contributor to cross-industry working groups, conferences and publications. 

In 2012 he was identified by the National Specialist Contractors Council as one of 14 Fair Payment Champions, drawn from across the UK construction industry. More recently, he received the 2015 Individual Contribution to Industry Award from the Institute for Collaborative Working.