New members join SUMS Group Management Committee

Between them Lizzie Colden and Stuart Higgins bring a wealth of consulting and procurement experience from a wide range of sectors including retail, government, FMCG and financial services. These additions will further strengthen the challenge and support provided by its board by adding innovation and commercial perspectives from beyond the HE sector.

Their appointment is aligned with the SUMS Group’s ambitious plans for growth as it seeks to further support the needs of its members and clients.

Lizzie Colden is an experienced procurement and transformation leader, with a strong track record of driving strategic business development and growth. She has designed and delivered procurement and technology strategies for clients from sectors including insurance, financial services, healthcare and government. Her experience includes designing and delivering within governance frameworks and supporting clients to proceed with robust contracts. Currently an associate partner at Wavestone, she has also spent time as a consultant at KPMG and Mason Advisory.

Stuart Higgins is a senior global supply chain leader and consulting partner, with a wealth of experience in management of significant change projects. His career has spanned logistics, distribution and supply chain management across commercial sectors including FMCG, retail and consulting, moving from Thresher Group into consultancy practice in 2008. He is currently a partner at BearingPoint, a technology and management consultancy. He leads the business’ procurement and sustainability practice, as well as being the sponsoring partner for diversity and inclusion. Stuart’s proven track record of strategic growth, performance improvement and process re-engineering has given him valuable insights.

The SUMS Group is delighted that Lizzie and Stuart will add their innovative perspectives alongside the board’s existing HE strengths, for the benefit of its members.

Lizzie and Stuart’s appointment to the SUMS Management Committee builds on recent investment in the core teams of both SUPC and SUMS Consulting. The SUMS Group is committed to recruiting high-calibre talent with the expertise, commercial awareness, and skills to support its members through the unprecedented challenges faced by the sector.

To find out more about how SUMS Group can support your institution email consulting@sums.ac.uk