Shared opening sessions
Welcome Refreshments and Networking
Session Overview
From Method to Meaning™ - the Secret to Successful Change
Andy Walker - CEO and Partner at Oliver Wight EAME
Session Overview
For years, organisations have invested heavily in applying ‘Method’ across process redesign activity, digital initiatives, transformation programmes and more recently AI projects. Yet independent research consistently shows that these efforts fail up to 80% of the time!
Why? Because ‘Method’ alone doesn’t create successful and sustainable change.
We know from our experience that ‘Meaning’ is what makes the difference. So what is ‘Meaning’? A clear, shared understanding of why change matters, rooted in real, relatable, practical and proven application. This ‘Meaning’ gives leaders and teams the clarity, confidence, motivation and intent to act and sustain change when it gets difficult.
As we open our conference, we will bring to life the shift From Method to Meaning™, and demonstrate how the connection between strategy, decisions, delivery and behaviours is what turns ambition into sustainable and improved business performance.
About the Speaker
I get energised when helping clients rediscover common sense at work. Too often, organisations create complexity when simplicity is where real value lives, leaving people working harder than the impact they create. I’m personally invested in my clients’ success and enjoy seeing the change when work is simplified and focus returns to what truly matters.
By improving the way people work, I help clients deliver sustainable success — creating environments where people feel they’re adding value and organisations can perform at their best, not just today but over the long term.
Don’t Settle for Average – Extracting Value through the Enterprise Business Model
Les Brookes - Partner at Oliver Wight EAME
Monte Maritz - Partner at Oliver Wight EAME
Session Overview
Our experience have shown an undeniable truth – companies and leaders consistently fail to get the full return on their investments and decisions. We will share our latest thought leadership - how you can use the Oliver Wight Enterprise Business Model to identify and resolve the issues inhibiting your performance or unlocking step-change value in your business.
This is not about a new way to plan - it is a new way to think about your business as an integrated model – from strategy to execution, at any level, whether a single investment or a complex, matrix-driven operating model.
About the Speakers
“A problem is only a problem if you don’t see it as an opportunity to improve.”
I have spent 25 years as a consultant at Oliver Wight, helping organisations look beyond problems to create significant business improvements that benefit both the business and the individuals supporting the required change. It’s genuinely a pleasure to see people deliver results that truly matter.
I am a Partner at Oliver Wight, based in Portugal. I am known for inspiring people to deliver exceptional results across all areas of business, from Integrated Business Planning to Supply Chain Management. I have supported business leaders in delivering results for over two decades and continue to work closely with C-suite leaders, some of whom I have known for more than 20 years. I strongly believe in applying continuous improvement thinking across all areas of business in the pursuit of excellence.
I am passionate about helping my clients focus on what is important – delivering value-focused change. I have seen too many organisations waste their time on budgets that are unrealistic, targets that drive negative behaviour, and plans that are simply wrong. And the real impact is on the best people - working in frustration versus delivering an exciting future.
Being part of Oliver Wight has allowed me to inspire people in all parts of the world with a different perspective on their work, and a new way to think about their business - and most importantly, get excited about their own potential. Working in developing markets has shown that volatility and uncertainty is not an inhibitor, but a catalyst for growth. In a world that needs leadership more than ever, developing our future leaders is the best part of my job.
Quick break
Client Case Study: Delivering IBP in the face of Change
Bianca Becker - Director of Integrated Business Planning at Sealed Air Corporation
Lester Barratt FCILT - Vice President EMEA, Automation, Equipment and Technical Services - Food Packaging at Sealed Air Corporation
Session Overview
Lester will share how Sealed Air EMEA navigated the implementation of Integrated Business Planning (IBP) during a period of significant business change against a backdrop of restructures, acquisitions, supply disruption, and competing operational demands.
This session explores the practical steps taken to maintain momentum and focus, drawing on real-world experience. Lester will highlight how breaking down silos, strengthening cross-functional alignment, and embedding the right cultural discipline were critical to success. He will also emphasise the importance of sustained executive sponsorship, clear governance, and accountability structures aligned to long-term strategic priorities.
Finally, Lester will conclude with reflections on the tangible business outcomes achieved by Sealed Air EMEA, demonstrating how disciplined IBP adoption can help organisations drive performance even in complex and fast-changing environments.
About the Speakers
Director of Integrated Business Planning at Sealed Air Corporation. I am passionate about connecting people, plans, and data to help teams make clear decision anddeliver the right outcomes for customers.
With 34+ years of experience across Supply Chain, Planning, Master Data and Project Management, leading international SAP rollouts, I’ve built my career around turning complexity into practical, collaborative ways of working. Integrity and Teamwork guides how I lead and collaborate across functions, regions, and cultures.
I am proud to work for a company committed to innovative and more sustainable packaging solutions. I support initiatives that promote women in technology and management.
A Chartered Member and Fellow of the Institute of Logistics and Transport.
I have a background in Engineering, Graphic Design and Business Management. I have served with Sealed Air for the last 22 years and am currently the leader of Cryovac's Equipment, Automation and Technical Services, and am the Vice President for Liquibox EMEA.
I have worked internationally, led supply chain and commercial organisations within the packaging and logistics sectors.
My passion in business is developing people and building winning cultures which drive results.
Morning Break
Three Targeted Tracks
The Future of Planning
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The Cost of Being Confidently Wrong
Natalie Gallagher - Principal Economist and Director of the Foresight Center of Excellence at Board
Session Overview
Many organisations assume they have an extensive understanding of their own operations, yet they consistently overlook the external signals that shape internal outcomes. This session will examine the cost of that blind spot for businesses, quantified in financial loss, elevated risk, and misplaced confidence.
About the Speaker
As Principal Economist and Director of the Foresight Center of Excellence at Board, I lead the integration of macroeconomic intelligence into enterprise planning for global organisations. My work translates hundreds of proprietary forecasts and real-time external signals into the planning assumptions executive teams act on - across capital expenditure, hiring, pricing, and capacity.
I specialise in helping organisations move from reactive forecasting to continuous planning under uncertainty, bridging the gap between macroeconomic conditions and the commercial decisions that drive business performance. I am a regular voice in financial and business media on the macro forces reshaping corporate strategy, bringing an outside-in perspective directly into the IBP process.
I hold an MSc in Economics and International Financial Economics with Distinction from the University of Warwick and is an Executive MBA candidate at Yale School of Management (Class of 2028), where I continue to deepen my focus on the intersection of economics and enterprise strategy.
Roundtable - Why the Future Belongs to Adaptive Organisations
Gary Connors - Partner at Oliver Wight EAME
Session Overview
A highly interactive roundtable where you’ll have the opportunity to explore a key topic through open discussion and shared perspectives with industry peers.
In this session we will explore the way organisations are changing and what we must do to navigate our way though these changes. Gary will introduce thought-provoking ideas about what the modern organisation will look like, and the audience will explore these ideas with peers in facilitated round table discussions.
About the Speaker
“I enjoy implementing Integrated Business Planning because it changes people’s lives.”
For most of my career I have worked with organisations on planning, performance, and transformation. Over time one observation has become increasingly clear to me: organisations perform well when their people are motivated, engaged, and aligned around a common purpose.
My work sits at the intersection of business performance and human engagement. I am fascinated by the deeper drivers behind how organisations behave — the stories leaders tell, the structures they build, and the followings they create. These elements shape the decisions people make every day and ultimately determine whether strategies succeed or fail.
Professionally, my background is rooted in helping organisations design and implement integrated planning and performance processes that connect strategy to execution. But the part of the work I find most meaningful is helping leaders understand the human dynamics inside those systems.
Alongside my consulting work, I enjoy exploring ideas about leadership, change, and organisational behaviour — often drawing on history, literature, and philosophy to illuminate modern management challenges.
Because while tools and methodologies matter, it is people — their motivations, beliefs, and relationships — that ultimately determine how organisations perform.
Keeping me grounded is my horse. There’s nothing that keeps you focused on the present more than being 2 meters off the ground on an animal with a mind of its own.
Lunch
Stop Managing the Budget. Start Managing the Business.
Lucy Jacobs - Partner at Oliver Wight EAME
Session Overview
Budgeting is built around fixed plans — but today’s organisations must make decisions in real time. This session explores why traditional budgeting-based management is increasingly misaligned with today’s volatile, fast-moving business environment and how leading organisations are embedding financial intelligence directly into integrated planning.
Attendees will leave with a powerful new perspective on the evolving role of finance and how financially intelligent decision systems can enable faster, better business decisions.
About the Speaker
I work with leadership and functional teams who are tired of “feeding the machine” — stuck in cycles of reporting, re-planning and forecasting that consume energy but don’t always improve performance. My focus is on the human side of business planning — creating the conditions for more honest conversations, stronger alignment and better decisions.
I support organisations to move beyond managing optics and being driven by process, towards facing the real issues — supported by data, analytics, and a clear understanding of variation, risk and possible scenarios in an uncertain world.
I’m known for my straightforward and energetic style. I challenge teams to think differently, engage more openly, and take real ownership of outcomes. This is grounded in one belief: when people connect their work to real impact — and have the courage to face the truth — performance follows.
There is No Excuse for Making Slow Decisions
Ruan Van Vuuren - Partner at Oliver Wight EAME
Session Overview
This session reframes the AI conversation by focusing on decision latency — the time between recognising a signal and taking action — as a critical constraint in organisational performance.
While decision latency has traditionally been managed through processes such as Integrated Business Planning (IBP), advances in AI and digital capabilities mean it is increasingly determined by how organisations design their digital decision systems and operating model.
The session explores how AI reduces latency through continuous sensing, rapid analysis, and automated or augmented decision-making, enabling decisions to be redistributed across the planning horizon.
It then introduces a future-state operating model: Governed Digital Decisioning. In this model, digital agents absorb high-volume routine decisions, human attention is focused on the critical few, and governance shifts toward monitoring and improving the performance of the decision system itself.
As a result, IBP evolves from a forum for processing large volumes of operational decisions into a mechanism for strategic alignment, performance oversight, and leadership intervention where it matters most.
In this session we will show you how to think differently about your digital design - by focusing on the value of decisions and the speed at which they are made.
About the Speaker
“The biggest cost in most organisations isn’t inventory or cost — it’s how long it takes to decide.”
I am particularly passionate about the evolving role of technology in planning, and how organisations must adapt their operating models, governance, and leadership approaches to fully realise its potential.
In over a decade of working at the intersection of business process and technology, this has become a defining belief for me — that performance is not limited by a lack of data or capability, but by how effectively organisations turn insight into action.
I specialise in the design and implementation of Integrated Business Planning (IBP) and the digital enablement that supports it. I'm known for challenging conventional thinking, combining structured Class A principles with modern technology approaches to drive faster, more effective decision-making.
My work focuses on helping organisations reduce decision latency — improving how quickly and effectively they respond to change — by aligning process, technology, and leadership behaviours. I work closely with senior teams to move beyond theory and deliver practical, outcome-driven transformation, ensuring that planning becomes a driver of performance rather than a reporting exercise.
I have worked with global organisations across multiple industries, helping them embed robust planning disciplines while unlocking the value of digital capabilities, including advanced analytics, automation, and emerging AI-driven decision systems.
Decision-driven Integration
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Trust the Story
Ben Collins - Partner at Oliver Wight EAME
Session Overview
Transformations succeed when leaders create the belief, courage, and alignment needed to act decisively on the data. This session focusses on how to build effective stories and decision models to drive enterprise value.
In a world of AI, forecasts, and dashboards everywhere, the real advantage goes to leaders who know when to trust the data, and when to step in with human judgment and conviction. Data reveals the opportunity - leadership makes it real.
You will leave this session with a new focus on leadership behaviour in IBP - how sponsors, chairs, and facilitators use narrative, challenge, and role‑modelling to shift mindsets, break old habits, and move organisations from information sharing to commitment.
Data creates shared truth, stories create meaning, and leaders create the conditions for decisions to stick.
About the Speaker
I love helping organisations turn good ideas into something that actually works in the real world.
The bit I really enjoy is helping leaders and teams step back, make sense of what’s really going on to jointly find a simpler, more joined-up way forward.
A big part of my work is helping leaders navigate change - not just launching it, but making it stick. But the biggest buzz I get is seeing individuals and teams see things differently, try a new approach and be better today than they were yesterday.
And ultimately, it's about seeing people at the end of that journey with a smile on their face – knowing they have figured something out, improved and made a real difference.
Empowering the Next Generation to support your AI journey
Nick Marton - Global Sales & Operations Manager, Evergreen Garden Care
Session Overview
Technology alone doesn't drive transformation. People do. By empowering students to become AI catalysts inside Evergreen, we help our community discover what's possible.
Lunch
Panel Discussion: Why Simplicity Wins - From Complexity to Clarity
Neil Hill - Partner at Oliver Wight EAME
Session Overview
A candid look at what it takes to make IBP work in practice — from reconciliation challenges to cross-functional governance and executive reviews.
About the Speaker
“Thanks for giving me my husband back, and my children their father!”
If you have ever wondered about the life-changing power of Integrated Business Planning then look no further. This was a direct quote from one of my Business Leadership Team members' wives at a family open day, after they had successfully delivered Class A Integrated Business Planning whilst growing the business by nearly 10-fold, over an 18-month period.
The quote related to the calm and considered way the team were now able to run and steer the business, using their IBP process and culture, meaning firefighting and out of hours issue management had virtually disappeared. It is change of this nature that ultimately led me to join Oliver Wight 8 years ago and focus on bringing similar benefits to a wide range of clients and their families.
I'm known for my ability to work across all layers of the business from Shopfloor to C-Suite, driving meaningful and sustained change. My belief is that people are a business' biggest asset and if you can engage them in change from the outset then you will create deep and lasting change, based on a foundation of understanding and ownership.
Customer Story - Delivering Maturity
Monte Maritz - Partner at Oliver Wight EAME
Session Overview
An in-depth client case study showcasing real-world planning transformation, the obstacles encountered, and the tangible business impact achieved.
About the Speaker
I am passionate about helping my clients focus on what is important – delivering value-focused change. I have seen too many organisations waste their time on budgets that are unrealistic, targets that drive negative behaviour, and plans that are simply wrong. And the real impact is on the best people - working in frustration versus delivering an exciting future.
Being part of Oliver Wight has allowed me to inspire people in all parts of the world with a different perspective on their work, and a new way to think about their business - and most importantly, get excited about their own potential. Working in developing markets has shown that volatility and uncertainty is not an inhibitor, but a catalyst for growth. In a world that needs leadership more than ever, developing our future leaders is the best part of my job.
Value-focused Execution
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The Hidden Behaviours That Sabotage Performance
Dawn Howarth - Partner at Oliver Wight EAME
Session Overview
Recognise how the behaviours and culture within an organisation are often the biggest saboteurs to successful execution of your business plans.
Good processes are necessary, but not sufficient to protect you from the self-inflicted wounds of weak leadership and silo mentality which often lead to continual firefighting or lack of trust and empowerment.
Identify what you need to do to unlock the value of your internal teams to make that step-change in performance.
About the Speaker
"It’s amazing how many unplanned events you can actually plan for!"
In my 15 years at Oliver Wight, this remains my most memorable quote from a client achieving Class A performance — a philosophy that underpins my belief that ultimately, you are responsible for everything that happens to you.
I am a Partner at Oliver Wight based in the UK. I’m known for my practical, no-nonsense approach to driving performance improvement, helping organisations build resilience, accountability, and a strong planning discipline. I work closely with clients to embed ownership and continuous improvement into everyday business practices, enabling sustainable results.
Escaping the Firefighting Cycle
Dick Heldoorn - Partner at Oliver Wight EAME
Willem Vesters - Partner at Oliver Wight EAME
Session Overview
Chronic firefighting erodes performance, capacity and leadership credibility. Using a clear, end‑to‑end real‑world case, this session reveals how misaligned commitments and poorly managed handovers push planning into a reactive cycle.
Executives will leave with a clear message: sustainable results come from aligning business promises with operational capability—restoring flow so the process works, rather than pushing back.
About the Speakers
I am a Partner at Oliver Wight and a passionate advocate for turning strategy into sustained results. With my experience and approach, I support and challenge leaders and teams to move beyond alignment and into action, delivering customer satisfaction and profitable growth.
Known for my pragmatic, can-do mindset, I inspire organisations to achieve meaningful change, develop people, and execute with discipline and clarity. Some of the global companies I’ve worked with include Amgen, Emirates Global Aluminium, Essity, Flora, Johnson Matthey, JTI, and Olympus.
“You can only be successful when you work as a team — winning and losing together.”
This belief has been shaped by years of working with leadership teams operating in complex, high‑pressure environments. I have seen time and again that sustainable performance is not driven by reacting to every disruption, but by making deliberate choices about what truly matters. The teams that perform best are those that focus their energy on what they can control — and refuse to be distracted or discouraged by what they cannot.
I'm an Oliver Wight Partner, known for my pragmatic, people‑centred approach to business performance. I am passionate about helping organisations move beyond siloed decision‑making and short‑term firefighting toward disciplined teamwork, shared ownership, and clarity of priorities. For me, strong teams succeed not because everything goes to plan, but because they stay aligned, accountable, and resilient when it doesn’t.
Working closely with executive teams across manufacturing, wholesale, and complex supply chains, I help organisations build confidence in their plans, their people, and their decisions. My focus is on creating environments where teams commit together, adapt together, and take responsibility together — using the positives within their control to drive performance, even in uncertain conditions.
Lunch
A Brain for Planning - Using Agents in ITP
Les Brookes - Partner at Oliver Wight EAME
Session Overview
A practical session on how technology can embed planning disciplines, enforce governance standards, and drive consistent behaviour across the organisation.
About the Speaker
“A problem is only a problem if you don’t see it as an opportunity to improve.”
I have spent 25 years as a consultant at Oliver Wight, helping organisations look beyond problems to create significant business improvements that benefit both the business and the individuals supporting the required change. It’s genuinely a pleasure to see people deliver results that truly matter.
I am a Partner at Oliver Wight, based in Portugal. I am known for inspiring people to deliver exceptional results across all areas of business, from Integrated Business Planning to Supply Chain Management. I have supported business leaders in delivering results for over two decades and continue to work closely with C-suite leaders, some of whom I have known for more than 20 years. I strongly believe in applying continuous improvement thinking across all areas of business in the pursuit of excellence.
Roundtable: Measuring Success
Bas Kersten - Partner at Oliver Wight EAME
Session Overview
This session will be in the form of an interactive round-table discussion, where business leaders will share their own experiences and thoughts on the topic – providing an opportunity to learn from peers and share their thoughts. Sessions will be formally facilitated and outcomes shared with the broader group later in the day.
About the Speaker
I’m passionate about making life easier, not just for myself but for those around me. I believe in being prepared, as it avoids the stress of last-minute surprises and unnecessary rework. This forward-thinking approach allows me to free up more time to focus on long-term goals, which is where true impact is made.
I’m driven by the desire to create lasting change with less effort, so that the improvements we make today can benefit us well into the future. Whether in my work or personal life, I’m always looking for ways to simplify processes and make a meaningful difference.
Shared closing sessions
Afternoon Break
Roundtable Take-Aways
Bas Kersten - Partner at Oliver Wight EAME
Gary Connors - Partner at Oliver Wight EAME
Neil Hill - Partner at Oliver Wight EAME
Session Overview
In this 15‑minute takeaway session, roundtable leaders will bring the conversation back to the room, sharing the main themes and standout insights from their group discussions.
About the Speakers
I’m passionate about making life easier, not just for myself but for those around me. I believe in being prepared, as it avoids the stress of last-minute surprises and unnecessary rework. This forward-thinking approach allows me to free up more time to focus on long-term goals, which is where true impact is made.
I’m driven by the desire to create lasting change with less effort, so that the improvements we make today can benefit us well into the future. Whether in my work or personal life, I’m always looking for ways to simplify processes and make a meaningful difference.
“I enjoy implementing Integrated Business Planning because it changes people’s lives.”
For most of my career I have worked with organisations on planning, performance, and transformation. Over time one observation has become increasingly clear to me: organisations perform well when their people are motivated, engaged, and aligned around a common purpose.
My work sits at the intersection of business performance and human engagement. I am fascinated by the deeper drivers behind how organisations behave — the stories leaders tell, the structures they build, and the followings they create. These elements shape the decisions people make every day and ultimately determine whether strategies succeed or fail.
Professionally, my background is rooted in helping organisations design and implement integrated planning and performance processes that connect strategy to execution. But the part of the work I find most meaningful is helping leaders understand the human dynamics inside those systems.
Alongside my consulting work, I enjoy exploring ideas about leadership, change, and organisational behaviour — often drawing on history, literature, and philosophy to illuminate modern management challenges.
Because while tools and methodologies matter, it is people — their motivations, beliefs, and relationships — that ultimately determine how organisations perform.
Keeping me grounded is my horse. There’s nothing that keeps you focused on the present more than being 2 meters off the ground on an animal with a mind of its own.
“Thanks for giving me my husband back, and my children their father!”
If you have ever wondered about the life-changing power of Integrated Business Planning then look no further. This was a direct quote from one of my Business Leadership Team members' wives at a family open day, after they had successfully delivered Class A Integrated Business Planning whilst growing the business by nearly 10-fold, over an 18-month period.
The quote related to the calm and considered way the team were now able to run and steer the business, using their IBP process and culture, meaning firefighting and out of hours issue management had virtually disappeared. It is change of this nature that ultimately led me to join Oliver Wight 8 years ago and focus on bringing similar benefits to a wide range of clients and their families.
I'm known for my ability to work across all layers of the business from Shopfloor to C-Suite, driving meaningful and sustained change. My belief is that people are a business' biggest asset and if you can engage them in change from the outset then you will create deep and lasting change, based on a foundation of understanding and ownership.
More Than a Title: Who You Choose to Be in Uncertain Times
Martin Zarian - Full-Stack Brand Builder
Session Overview
How to Show Up When the Rules Keep Changing
AI, economic pressure, and a world that feels increasingly unstable are putting all of us, regardless of title or seniority, in a state of constant tension, where fear can quietly shape the way we think, decide, and lead.
The real danger is not change itself. It’s what uncertainty does to us when we stop trusting our ability to respond to it.
In this closing keynote, Martin Zarian steps away from the usual frameworks and processes to focus on the person behind the job title. This is a session about how to think, act, and show up when the ground keeps shifting beneath you.
From fear, to vision to opportunities.
You’ll leave with fresh perspective, practical takeaways for Monday morning, and a stronger sense of how to cut through the noise, make better decisions, and lead with intention when it matters most.
Because your influence starts from the stories you tell yourself.
About the Speaker
Martin Zarian is a full-stack brand builder, award-winning strategist and designer, recovering perfectionist, keynote speaker, podcast host… and a few other things he can’t even remember. He helps ambitious businesses in complex, saturated markets stand out, stay ahead and build brands that sell more… because a good product gets you in the game, but a great brand is how you win it.
Martin has worked with global names like FIFA, eBay, Dr. Oetker, BT, Muskita, BBF, HFM and Sharp, as well as scale-ups across Tech, Finance, and SaaS.
His motto? Stop hiding. Start branding.
Oh, and he likes pickle juice.
Refreshments and Networking
Session Overview
Please stay on after the conference to enjoy refreshments, continue the conversation, and connect with fellow delegates in our networking area.
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15 September 2026
Secure your place at the The Oliver Wight Conference and be part of the conversation shaping the future of planning.
Tickets €750
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