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Join us for "Honouring Our Communities: Celebrating Impact, Legacy, and Leadership in Project Delivery", a Black History Month event dedicated to recognising the achievements, contributions, and lasting impact of Black professionals within the project profession and wider community.

This event will bring together project professionals, leaders, and change-makers to celebrate the strength, resilience, and influence of Black communities while exploring the role of leadership, inclusion, and representation in shaping the future of project management. Through engaging discussions and shared experiences, attendees will gain valuable insights, build meaningful connections, and be inspired to drive positive change within their organisations and the profession.

Whether you are looking to develop your career, expand your network, or contribute to creating more inclusive project environments, this event offers an opportunity to learn, reflect, and be part of an important conversation that honours our communities and celebrates their impact and legacy.

Why Attend?

This event will bring together a diverse panel speaker, thought leaders, and change-makers who will:

1. Share lived experiences and career journeys that inspire the next generation while demonstrating pathways for skills growth and expanded career opportunities, honouring the communities that have shaped their success and celebrating the strength found in our diverse communities.

2. Explore how community, culture, and identity shape leadership and delivery excellence.

3. Highlight the importance of representation, equity, and belonging in project environments, championing inclusive talent recruitment practices that create opportunities for all communities

4. Provide accessible, actionable insights on how organisations and individuals can actively support and uplift underrepresented voices, equipping attendees with practical tools to advance inclusive excellence while recognising the vital contributions of Black communities to our industry and society

Join the Conversation

Celebrate the achievements of Black professionals, honour the communities that have shaped success, and be part of an important conversation about leadership, inclusion, and the future of project management.

Together, we can recognise the impact of the past, celebrate the achievements of the present, and inspire the next generation of project leaders.

Organiser:  APM London Network

CPD:  2.00

Ticket prices:

Student member: Free

Associate member: Free

Member: Free

Non-member: £20

Corporate Partner/Affiliate employee: £10

Agenda - delete / edit

Programme subject to change

17:00 – Registration and refreshments

18:00 – Presentations

20:30 – Networking

20:00 – Close

Speakers:

Dr Yvonne Thompson CBE DL, FRSA, FKCL, FSGCW, FRA Global Business Leader | Entrepreneur | Board Advisor | Speaker | Diversity & Inclusion Pioneer

Dr Yvonne Thompson CBE DL is one of the UK’s most respected voices in entrepreneurship, inclusive leadership, women’s advancement, and global business partnerships. A pioneering entrepreneur, broadcaster, board advisor, and advocate for equality, she has spent more than four decades breaking barriers and creating pathways for underrepresented communities in business and leadership. Honoured with a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2003 for services to minorities and small businesses, Dr Thompson has dedicated her career to championing entrepreneurship, supplier diversity, women’s leadership, and economic inclusion. She also serves by Royal Appointment as Deputy Lieutenant for Greater London, representing the Crown across civic and ceremonial duties. Dr Thompson is the Founder and President of Wintrade Global Women in Business Network, one of the UK’s most established and influential networks supporting women entrepreneurs, founders, executives, and corporate leaders. Originally founded nearly three decades ago as the European Federation of Black Women Business Owners, the organisation has evolved into a global platform connecting women across business, leadership, trade, and investment. A recognised authority in supplier diversity and inclusive procurement, Dr Thompson has worked extensively with both SMEs and major corporations to help diverse businesses successfully access corporate supply chains. Through Wintrade’s flagship Ready2Supply programme, delivered in partnership with leading organisations including HSBC, she continues to equip small businesses with the knowledge, capability, and confidence to secure larger contracts and scale sustainably. Dr Thompson is also the Founder of the FLAIR Summit (First Ladies of Africa Impact & Resilience Summit), a high-level global platform convening African First Ladies, policymakers, investors, business leaders, academics, and changemakers to accelerate leadership, strategic partnerships, trade, investment, and inclusive development across Africa and the diaspora. The inaugural summit in London brought together influential global leaders and positioned FLAIR as a powerful platform for international collaboration and impact. Her influence extends across corporate governance and public service. Dr Thompson currently serves as President of the Association for Project Management (APM) and as a Court Governor of Glasgow Caledonian University, contributing strategic leadership and governance expertise across education, business, and public institutions. She also chairs OKRE.org, an innovative organisation focused on transforming mental health outcomes through entertainment and storytelling. Dr Thompson’s governance and advisory experience spans more than 22 boards and public appointments. She has served on significant national committees including the Parker Review Committee, focused on ethnic diversity in UK boardrooms, and the Economics Honours Committee, helping shape recognition of 1 national achievement. Her advisory work has influenced policy and practice across both public and private sectors. An accomplished broadcaster, Dr Thompson was a Founding Director of Choice FM, the UK’s first legal Black-owned radio station, now known as Capital XTRA. She later became Chair of the Radio Academy, where she championed greater representation and inclusion across the broadcasting industry. As an author, Dr Thompson wrote the Amazon bestselling book 7 Traits of Highly Successful Women on Boards, based on interviews with high-achieving women leaders. The book has become a practical guide for women aspiring to board and executive leadership, reflecting her longstanding commitment to increasing representation at senior levels. Her contributions have earned her widespread recognition, including two Honorary Doctorates, multiple Fellowships, and the honour of becoming a Freeman of the City of London. She is widely sought after as a keynote speaker, moderator, facilitator, judge, and executive coach, speaking nationally and internationally for organisations including Google, LinkedIn, EY, Deloitte, Meta, universities, government bodies, and global conferences. Known for her dynamic presence, authenticity, and ability to challenge thinking while inspiring action, Dr Thompson speaks on: Leadership and governance, Women on boards and executive leadership, Entrepreneurship and business growth, Supplier diversity and inclusive procurement, Diversity, equity and inclusion, Trade and investment between Africa and the diaspora, Personal branding, influence and public speaking. 

Dr Yvonne Thompson’s career is defined by impact, legacy, and service. She continues to inspire the next generation of leaders by opening doors, shifting systems, and proving that meaningful change happens when courage, vision, and action come together.

Ahson Reza - Civil Engineer, HS2 Align Project

Ahson Reza is a Civil Engineer working on the HS2 Align project, one of the UK's largest and most significant infrastructure programmes. He has gained experience across design, construction assurance, site engineering, and design coordination, supporting the delivery of complex civil engineering works on the Colne Valley Viaduct, an award-winning structure that most recently received the BCIA Rail Bridge Project of the Year award, as well as wider HS2 infrastructure. 

Prior to working in the UK, Ahson gained engineering experience on projects across Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia, giving him a broad international perspective on project delivery, collaboration, and the challenges of delivering infrastructure in diverse environments and cultures. 

Currently working within multidisciplinary design coordination, Ahson plays a key role in connecting designers, contractors, and stakeholders to support the successful delivery of complex engineering projects. Alongside his technical responsibilities, he is actively pursuing Chartered Engineer status and is passionate about continuous professional development, collaboration, and creating opportunities for future generations of engineers from diverse backgrounds. 

As an engineer from an ethnic minority background, Ahson values the role that representation, mentorship, and inclusive leadership play in helping people thrive within the profession. At the Black History Month event, he looks forward to sharing his experiences and perspectives on leadership, community, and the importance of creating pathways for future talent in project delivery. 

James Nash - Senior Vice President, Energy & Power for Europe and Middle East, Jacobs

James Nash is Senior Vice President, Energy & Power for Europe and Middle East at Jacobs, where he leads a multidisciplinary consulting and engineering business supporting clients across the energy sector. With more than 20 years of experience in infrastructure, energy and transportation, he has held a variety of leadership roles spanning business growth, project delivery and operational management. James has worked with major utilities, public sector organisations and industrial clients across the UK, Europe and the Middle East, helping to deliver complex programmes and navigate periods of significant change and investment. His experience covers power transmission and distribution, industrial decarbonisation, major infrastructure and the practical challenges of growing and leading professional services businesses.

Rebecca Scott - Strategic Workforce & Project Professional, Facilitator and Inclusion Advocate, Boeing Global Services

Rebecca Scott is a strategic workforce and project professional, facilitator and inclusion advocate, currently working with Boeing Global Services, supporting workforce and resource planning across complex engineering programmes. 

Prior to joining Boeing, Rebecca spent eight years at Jacobs, working across major programmes and global environments including HS2, NEOM and critical infrastructure. During her time at Jacobs, she was an active leader within Harambee, Jacobs' Black Employee Network, and the Jacobs Women's Network, championing representation, belonging and more inclusive organisational cultures. 

Rebecca's career has centred on a deceptively simple question: how do we create organisations and projects in which people can genuinely contribute, belong and thrive? 

Her work extends beyond project environments. She is a long standing judge for the UK Black Talent Awards and an advanced Nonviolent Communication practitioner and trained mediator. She has facilitated more than 40 Courageous Conversations exploring race, identity, belonging and inequality, bringing people together to engage with subjects that are often difficult to discuss openly. 

Most recently, Rebecca led a large scale Courageous Conversation on Reparations at Medicine Festival, creating dialogue between descendants of enslaved people, communities affected by the continuing legacy of enslavement, and others seeking to understand what responsibility, repair and meaningful dialogue across difference might look like. 

Drawing on her own lived experience alongside more than two decades working with people and talent across complex organisations, Rebecca is passionate about moving inclusion beyond intention and into the everyday decisions, relationships and systems that determine who gets heard, who gets opportunities, who progresses and who gets to lead.

Host:

Keon Simms - Project Management Associate with commercial specialization, Jacobs

Keon is a Project Management Associate with commercial specialization at Jacobs, working towards PM chartership. He is a member of the Association of Project Managers (APM) and The Association of Chartered Accountants (ACA). 

Professionally, Keon has built a diverse career across the USA, UK, Ireland, and his home country of Jamaica. He rejoined Jacobs in 2022 as part of the Engineering Delivery Partner Management team supporting HS2, Europe's largest infrastructure project. In this role, he contributed to contract administration, undertook project management responsibilities, and supported and led various civils integration tasks to drive efficiencies across the design and build process. 

Keon then transitioned to the Palace of Westminster Restoration and Renewal Project, where he managed and coordinated design work packages, mitigated risks, and monitored progress to support the Programme Business Case. Following this, he is now leading handover of major assets of a MWCC, Align, managing thousands of deliverables, and coordinating subcontractors, technical teams, and stakeholders. He also developed Earned Value Management systems to monitor costs and progress throughout the handover process. 

Beyond his project work, Keon has an extensive history of local and international volunteering, including emergency relief and shelter management, supporting children and homeless charities, and co-founding a Cadets Foundation for youth development. Within Jacobs, he serves as a London Ambassador for Harambee, the employee network focused on positively impacting the Black employee experience, where he champions inclusivity. 

Outside of work, Keon enjoys the outdoors through travelling, hiking, snorkelling, and socializing. He is also passionate about martial arts and Latin dancing.