Professor Jane Lynch
(she/her)

: Available for postgraduate supervision

Teams and roles for Jane Lynch

Professor
Logistics And Operations Management

As a Professor of Procurement, I am incredibly passionate about socially responsible procurement. My research is all applied, and these days it is mainly with the public sector, but I am always open to new research opportunities with other sectors. Focus areas include, public procurement, embedding innovation, social value, and structured collaborative working. I have delivered multiple keynotes nationally and globally on these topics.

In 2022, I launched the Centre of Public Value Procurement which aims to grow and support the future talent pool of procurement professionals in public, private and third sectors. The Centre facilitates difficult conversations with key stakeholders and supports skills development through workshops.

I was delighted to receive a prestigious, Individual of the Year (2023) Government Opportunities Award for my contributions to public procurement in Wales.

Research and Engagement

Co-lead IRSPP (International Research Study on Public Procurement). We conduct new research approximately every two years with procurement leaders in government and policy from across the world. More information can be found on the IRSPP website.
Supervise two PhD students
Principal Investigator for a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Social Enterprise, Down to Earth Project (2024-2026)
Project manage a five year MRC funded LINC Multimorbidity project (2020-2026) - involves 7 university partners and a team of 40
Work in partnership with Business Wales, Welsh Government to deliver guidance and support to suppliers on Procurement Reform and the Power of Partnership
Co-author Collaboration Playbook (2026) with the Institute for Collaborative Working https://www.instituteforcollaborativeworking.com/Collaboration-Playbook
Led the design and delivery of the Procurement Lab for Infuse 2023 working with civil servants in the Cardiff Capital Region.
Published 2 Social Value Practitioner Guides

Teaching

Senior Fellow for the Advance Higher Education (SFHEA)
Won awards for personal tutoring and student experience, previously holding roles such as Senior Personal Tutor and Director of Student Experience for the Business School. Received 2 more teaching award nominations for 2026.
Pedagogical research has included personal tutoring and international orientation, attending and presenting at the LTSE Conference.
Director for Help to Grow: Management (available for Micros and SMEs) at Cardiff Business School (2021 - ongoing). In 2025-2026 I am excited to return to some undergraduate teaching in purchasing and supply chain management.

Additional Roles

Branch Chair of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) - South Wales Branch https://www.cips.org/events-networking/branches/south-wales
Non-Executive Director for the Main Board of Institute for Collaborative Working (ICW) https://instituteforcollaborativeworking.com/About-ICW/ICW-Structure/ICW-Team/Jane-Lynch
Member of the Community Benefits Board for the New Velindre Cancer Treatment Centre
Judging Panel member for GOAwards(Wales), GOAwards (UK National), Institute of Directors (IOD) Wales, HCSA Awards, and NASPO (National Association of State Procurement) Annual Awards.
External Examiner - PhD, DBA

Professional Memberships

Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS)
Institute for Collaborative Working (ICW)
IPSERA - International Purchasing and Supply Educators Reseach Association

Date
Type

2019

Lynch, J. 2019. Effective supply chain collaboration. In: Wells, P. ed. Contemporary Operations and Logistics: Achieving Excellence in Turbulent Times. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. , pp.193-218.
Lynch, J. 2019. Leveraging social public procurement to deliver public value through community benefits clauses: An international study. In: Lindgreen, A. et al., Public Value: Deepening, Enriching, and Broadening the Theory and Practice of Creating Public Value. London and New York: Routledge. , pp.122-140.

2015

Lynch, J. 2015. Configuring the strategic orientation of manufacturing firms for economic sustainability: a study of the UK touring caravan industry. PhD Thesis , Cardiff University.
Wontner, K. et al. 2015. Barriers and enablers to "living wage" in public sector contracts. Presented at: 24th Annual IPSERA Conference Amsterdam, The Netherlands 30 March - 2 April 2015.

2014

Marsh, J. et al. 2014. Challenges to sustainable manufacturing resource planning implementation in SMEs: An exploratory study. Presented at: Sustainable Design and Manufacturing 2014 Cardiff, UK 28-30 April 2014.

2012

Lynch, J. et al. 2012. An examination of the role for Business Orientation in an uncertain business environment. International Journal of Production Economics 137 (1), pp.145-156. (10.1016/j.ijpe.2011.11.004)

2010

Lynch, J. et al. 2010. Problems and challenges facing a market orientated supply chain approach. Presented at: 15th International Symposium on Logistics (ISL 2010) Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia 4-7 July 2010. Proceedings of the 15th International Symposium on Logistics (ISL 2010). Nottingham: Nottingham Business School. , pp.67-74.

2009

Lynch, J. et al. 2009. An exploration of the supply chain design and organisation of the UK caravan manufacturing industry. Presented at: 14th International Symposium on Logistics : Global supply chains and inter-firm networks Istanbul, Turkey 5-8 July 2009. Proceedings of the 14th International Symposium on Logistics (ISL 2009) Global supply chains and inter-firm networks Istanbul, Turkey 5-8 July 2009. Nottingham: Nottingham University Business School. , pp.538-546.

Current Research

I am a strong advocate of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) and the way they accelerate innovation through industry and academic collaboration. This helps academics to develop innovative appplied research and for the business it leads to unique business growth opportunities. I am currently leading my third KTP project with a social enterprise, Down to Earth Project. Working with Associate, Hassan Raza Bukhari, and co investigators Professors Jon Gosling and Helen Walker, we are developing an open access people and environment impact calculating tool. This helps to understand the legacy of large construction projects such as new schools, hospitals and social housing, and the ways that vulnerable communities can realise benefits.

We are in the final year of LINC https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/lifespan-multimorbidity-research-collaborative

This has been a fascinating research project working with six other universities. Academic experts and consultants with PPI patient and public involvement are understanding the links between mental and physical illnesses.

External Advisory Board member for Journal of Responsible Production and Consumption https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/jrpc

Past Research

Guest Editor for Special Issue in Journal of Public Procurement https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/issn/1535-0118/vol/21/iss/3

KTP- Adopting Together in collaboration with St. David's Children's Society) Child Adoption where the project won Best of the Best UK Awards for Social Impact https://www.ktp-uk.org/case-study/innovate-uk-ktp-awards-2021-winners/

KTP - Cerebra - helping and supporting families and children with learning difficulties

In addition, I have led many public sector commissions which have quite significant impact on policy and practice.

How we procure well-being in Wales Review - I supported the Future Generations Commissioner (Wales) with the Section 20 Procurement Review which examines the extent to which public bodies are embedding the well-being goals into procurement. https://www.futuregenerations.wales/work/procurement/ How do we procure well-being? – Cardiff Business School blog - Cardiff University

Stakeholder Engagement

In 2024, I led a procurement healthcheck across the Welsh Public sector to understand the extent to which the principles of the Welsh Procurement Policy Statement are being embedded in public sector procurement across Wales. https://www.gov.wales/commercial-and-procurement-directorate-stakeholder-engagement-report

Foundational Economy

In 2024, I led a mapping exercise aligning the five FoEC objectives in Wales with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. I delivered training to advisors and delivered talks at supplier Expos. Published content will soon be available.

Public Procurement of Innovation

InFuSe (Innovation of Future Public Services) 2023 was a collaborative project worth £5.6 million. Funded by the Wales European Funding Office (WEFO), Cardiff Business School with Y Lab Nesta - and Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) to develop InFuSe – Innovation of Future Public Services – led by Monmouthshire Council.

Follow the link for more information https://www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/infuse/

Collaborative Working

ECR Research project - How to utilise collaboration to tackle food waste in retail https://instituteforcollaborativeworking.com/Research-and-Knowledge/Resource-Library/Effective-Collaboration

I further contributed to a leadership report publishd by the Institute for Collaborative Working.

icw_future_report_web.pdf (instituteforcollaborativeworking.com)

I am a regular contributor to the annual ICW publication, The Partner. Institute for Collaborative Working - The Partner

The latest article focuses on the benefits of industry and university collaboration to tackle grand challenges, solving complex problems.

I hold over 20 years experience of teaching at undergraduate, postgraduate and executive levels.

I curently lead the Year 2 undergraduate module: Purchasing and Suppy Chain Management BS2001.

I moderate other undergraduate and postgraduate modules, and led the design and moderate assessment for Enterprise in Chemistry.

I continue my role as Director of Help to Grow: Management, a flagship small business growth programme heavily subsidised by UK Government. https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/business-school/courses/executive-education/help-to-grow

This year, I have been nominated for 2 Teaching Awards:

Learning and Teaching Collaboration of the Year in the Enriching Student Life Awards 2026
Most Outstanding Use of the Learning Environment in the Enriching Student Life Awards 2026

Education

PhD 2015 - Configuring the Strategic Orientation of Manufacturing Firms for Economic Sustainability - Cardiff University
Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (FCIPS)
Senior Fellow Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) 2021, Cardiff University
PGCert (HEA) 2006, University of Wales, Newport
MBA 2001 - Nothing is for Nothing - University of Wales, Newport
Higher National Certificate (HNC) 2000 - University of Wales, Newport
Higher National Diploma (HND)Fashion Design 1987 - Newport College of Fashion

I joined Cardiff Business School in September, 2006 invited to lead the two undergraduate modules in purchasing and supply management.

My early career was a buyer in the retail sector while supporting a family business. The frustrations of managing supply chain partnerships led to me pursuing a part time MBA in 2000. The title of my thesis was 'Nothing is for Nothing' which examined the changing perception of value due to the rising trends in discounting in the 1990s. This led to opportunities in teaching at Open University, and University of Wales, Newport.

I studied my PhD at Cardiff University. The research examined the configuration of strategic orientation approaches for manufacturing firms during a period of hyper-turbulence (e.g., the financial crash in 2008). I wanted to understand the critical success factors and importance of leadership that keeps a business afloat during challenging times. I further wanted to understand the role of purchasing or procurement during these times. The research examined the corporate strategy, structure and I identified 9 behaviours that influenced the effectiveness of internal collaboration and strategic integration - this is conceptualised as supply chain orientation.

I have since followed an academic career but my greatest moments have been leading projects that implement policy and help to transform behaviours and mindsets.

I am highly experienced in chairing meetings, convening workshops, and facilitating multi stakeholder discussions on complex topics.

I have an active profile on Linkedin and invite likeminded professionals to connect.

Honours and awards

I am very proud to have received multiple awards over the years for contributions to teaching and in supporting students.

Individual of the Year Award, Government Procurement Opportunities (Wales) 2023
Students Union Nomination - "Enriching Student Life" Award - Student Rep Coordinator 2019 - 2020
LTSE - Recommended Standout Session (Round table discussion on international student orientation support) 2019
CARBS Enhancing Student Employability, 2018
CARBS Exceptional Student Support Award 2017
Students Union Nomination for "Enriching Student Life" Award (Most uplifting staff member; Student Rep coordinator, 2018)
Outstanding Contribution Award 2016
Developing Student Employability Award 2015
Nominated for Exceptional Enhancement of the Student Experience Award 2015
Outstanding Contribution Award 2014.

Professional memberships

Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (FCIPS)
Institute for Collaborative Working (MICW)
IPSERA (International Purchasing and Supply Educator's Research Association)

Speaking engagements

There are too many to list, as I am frequently invited to speak at Procurex, Westminster Insight, Westminster Business Forum and other high profile events. Later this year, I look forward to speaking at Procurement Act Live in London and Procurex, Scotland.

Building on my global connections, in January 2025, I was invited to speak at University of Chiang Mai, Thailand and University of Melbourne, Australia. In 2023, I was invited speaker at NRF (National Research Foundation) Innovation in Public Procurement Conference, Pretoria, South Africa.

One of the most recent engagement projects was in response to the new procurement legislation, delivering supplier roadshows across Wales, working in partnership with Business Wales. Over 700 suppliers registered for six roadshows where I shared insights on finding, bidding and [how to stand a better chance at] winning public contracts. I have also written a supplier guide which should be published soon.