Throughout the year, supply partners from across the UK are invited to meet with CMAC and key guests at our brand-new Partner Forum Events.
The first event took place in Kent last month, where we met with over 30 of our supply partners alongside Southeastern Railway, one of our largest clients in the Kent and East Sussex region, and our new partner, CheckedSafe.
The purpose of these events is to encourage collaborative ways of working, whilst providing the opportunity to discuss key industry issues and understand how we can support one another during challenging times.
During the evening, our keynote speaker, Tim Woodford, Head of Procurement at Southeastern Railways, walked us through a presentation providing insight into the challenges facing the rail industry.
Tim highlighted the importance of reliable, high-quality service delivery and on-time performance in helping Southeastern Railways safely transport passengers, particularly during disruptions.
We then heard from CheckedSafe’s co-founder, Gary Hawthorne, who discussed their innovative and award-winning digital system which reduces the time, cost and complexity involved in vehicle defect reporting and effective fleet management.
The event was co-hosted by CMAC’s Head of Procurement and Supply, Matt Hanson, CMAC’s Head of Account Management, Jason Hilton, and our local expert, Mike Carty, Head of Supplier Relations for the Kent region.
We rounded off the evening with an informative Q&A session, followed by the opportunity to network and enjoy a free-flowing bar.
Thinking of attending a CMAC Partner Forum in your area? Attendance is free, and both new and existing suppliers are welcome!
Take a look at some of the feedback we received from our first event!
Tom Veitch, Director at Apollo Private Hire commented:
"The evening was informative and really worthwhile getting to know how CMAC were making improvements to their service and what they expected in return. The added impact from hearing from CMAC’s client, Southeastern Railways, gave the night far more purpose and it’s always great to hear first-hand from the customer about their challenges.
It also presented a fantastic opportunity to network and discuss how we could work collaboratively with others moving forward.
CMAC’s Partner Forum was all in all a fantastic evening that was very well presented and well worth the attending. A massive thank you to CMAC and everyone else involved."
Paul Coombes, Commbes Cars commented:
“CMAC provided very insightful information on how different departments work, how we can further our relationship as suppliers, and how future plans in the pipeline could enhance that.
It was also invaluable to have representatives from one of their customers present, hearing their needs and what we can do to better supply our services to Southeastern Railways.
Looking forward to meeting again at the next Forum.
We have more events taking place across the country this year. We will communicate further details and key dates in your area once the plans are finalised.