Professor Carl Gavin

Professor of Project Management & Director of Executive Education
University of Liverpool Management School

Carl recently joined the University of Liverpool Management School – as Professor of Project Management and Director of Executive Education - from just over twelve years at Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, where he was Senior Lecturer then Professor of Project Management and Programme Director of custom Executive Education programmes.

In recent years, Carl has built a successful portfolio of executive education programmes delivered across the world for clients including Amazon, AWE, BAE Systems, BP, Cummins, Kraft Heinz, National Trust, NHS, and Syngenta.

Carl has co-authored two project management textbooks and was lead editor of the current edition of the Association of Project Management’s (APM) Body of Knowledge.

Carl has over 35 years’ experience in directing and managing large-scale projects for a diverse range of businesses and public sector organizations – including Amec, Codemasters, DWP, the Home Office, Liverpool Football Club, National Grid, and Sema Group – and prior to joining academia was managing director of a projects-based company in Liverpool.

Session: Defining the critical role of the project sponsor

The project sponsor holds a unique and critical leadership role: creating and sustaining the environment where projects succeed and deliver on their outcomes and benefits.

Academic research and regular surveys and reports by project management professional bodies conclude that active and supportive sponsorship is a critical factor in delivering successful projects – with the project sponsor providing the executive leadership and political influence and support to ensure that the project delivers on its promises. However, there is currently little professional guidance for project sponsors.

This presentation will briefly explore typical challenges and issues with sponsorship competences and behaviours before presenting a simple but practical model for project sponsorship - that was developed with support from the Major Projects Association – that will help with defining the critical role of the project sponsor.