PRESENTERS

Frans Calje - PD Ports

Frans joined PD Ports in May 2008 as Key Projects Director and member of the Senior Executive Team.

Having started his career at the Port of Rotterdam, Frans brings considerable experience in the development of container terminals throughout Europe and in the USA, gained during a very progressive career within APM Terminals.

As Senior Project Manager Business Development for APM Terminals International, he led the $100 million JV Project between APMT and CMA/CGM to deliver a 30 year concession for the port of Mobile, Alabama. In his last role as General Manager Project Implementation and Business Development, amongst other notable achievements Frans had been instrumental in the successful APMT bid for the first concession at the new Rotterdam Maasvlakte 2 development.

Frans was appointed Chief Executive Officer of PD Ports in 2017.

Frans has been instrumental in the successful strategic transformation of Teesport’s container platform, which has led to consistent positive growth in container volumes through the acquisition of new business; affirming PD Ports’ position as a lead player in UK portcentric logistics.

PD Ports is one of the UK’s major port groups, operating out of 12 key ports and logistics centres nationwide. Headquartered in Middlesbrough and owner and operator of Teesport, the fifth largest port in the UK, PD Ports is currently set to deliver on its 30 year strategic growth plan in which the port operator aims to work with customers and stakeholders to elevate the River Tees to the UK’s most successful port region by 2050’’

Tim Ward - Opportuni
 

Over the last 15 years, Tim has been building his reputation as an expert bid writer and industry thought leader, helping businesses to secure over £10.5 billion worth of contracts and working with Governments to advise on Procurement reform.

In a bid to revolutionise the procurement industry globally, in 2020, Tim established OPPORTUNI, the world’s leading solution for sourcing, reviewing, and bidding for government contracts. Founded with the mission to redirect £225 Billion worth of government contracts to small and medium-sized businesses across the UK, USA, and EU, OPPORTUNI has received significant venture backing support. In 2021 alone, OPPORTUNI has supported over 2 million companies globally to find contract opportunities, helping them win over £700 million worth of government contracts.

OPPORTUNI furthered their mission through the acquisition of BidStats, the UK's most trusted procurement platform and launching websites such as Teesside Tenders to make opportunities more accessible. Starting as a humble team of 2 just nine months ago, OPPORTUNI has since grown to a team of 35. With 72 live vacancies currently available within the company, OPPORTUNI is set to expand their service offering rapidly in the UK whilst launching in the US in 2022.