Biographies

Professor Jan Godsell joined WMG in October 2013 from her prior position of Senior Lecturer at Cranfield University School of Management.

Professor Godsell's career has been split between both industry and academia. She joined the faculty of Cranfield in 2001, following the completion of her Executive MBA there. She also completed her PhD at Cranfield, researching the development of a customer responsive supply chain.

Prior to her return to academia, Professor Godsell developed a successful career within industry, beginning at ICI/Zeneca Pharmaceuticals. Following this, she worked up to senior management level at Dyson, in both Supply Chain and Operations Management functions. At Dyson, she undertook a number of operational and process improvement roles within R&D, customer logistics, purchasing and manufacturing.

Professor Godsell is a Chartered Engineer and Member of the IMechE. She is on the board and scientific committee of EurOMA (European Operations Management Association), the cabinet of the UK roundtable of CSCMP (Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals) and the manufacturing steering committee of the IMechE.She is on the editorial board of 3 journals, including the International Journal of Operations and Production Management, and she is an advocate for improving the uptake of STEM subjects by school children.

Helen Dawson leads Digital Transformation for Shell’s Retail business. Shell is the world’s largest fuels retailer serving fuel, food, coffee and other convenience goods to more than 30 million people every day via over 44000 branded outlets.

Having studied Chemical Engineering at the University of Cambridge, Helen started her career at ExxonMobil with roles in Manufacturing, Supply and Distribution. A career in management consulting followed helping industrial companies create more customer focused supply chains and improve performance and optimise cost in their operations. In 2011, Helen returned to industry joining Shell’s Downstream business redesigning supply chains in the Lubricants business and most recently, joining the Retail team with a remit to leverage new technologies to transform existing operations and develop new revenue streams.

James Hamilton is a Chartered Engineer with a background in Manufacturing Systems, Supply Chain and Business Transformation. Since graduating in Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering he has delivered significant transformation programmes for multinationals across Aerospace, Automotive, Mining and FMCG. James’ achievements include the Rolls-Royce’s global production system (RRPS), Rolls-Royce’s Manufacturing Systems Centre of Competence, and Rio Tinto’s Capital Project Delivery system.

Len Pannett is Managing Partner with the operations consultancy Visagio and the President of the CSCMP UK Roundtable.

Over his 16 year career in consultancy, he has helped companies to solve their operational challenges, particularly those regarding supply chain, technology-led change and complex programme management. Those clients have included leading companies in a wide range of sectors, and include Rolls-Royce, Nokia, Clarks Shoes, BG Group, Shell, Platinum Equity, Vertiv, the UK government and the European Commission. Before he moved into consultancy, Len was a submarine Engineering Officer in the UK Royal Navy.

A Fellow of the UK’s Institution of Engineering and Technology, Len is a frequent conference speaker and he has recently focused on the impact of 3D printing on supply chains. His book on that topic, Supercharg3d, was published in March this year.