Founding partners and governance

Tim Cummins serves as the Executive Director of CCM Institute and as the President of World Commerce & Contracting. He has also lectured in Law at the University of Leeds. For 25 years, Tim has led research and the development of standards for the Commercial and Contract Management discipline, an achievement that was recognised by the Financial Times ‘Market Shaper of the Year’ award in 2019.

Over that time, Tim has been instrumental in developing the world’s only international not-for-profit association dedicated to commercial and contract management and continues to work with its 80,000 members in both public and private sector to improve the quality and integrity of trading relationships.

Tim’s inspiration came from a career in Finance and Commercial Management, spanning multiple industries and countries and providing insight to the critical role that commercial innovation plays in delivering business and social value.

Kraig Conrad is CEO of the National Contract Management Association (NCMA) and Chair of the Commerce & Contract Management Institute (CCM Institute). Since 2018, he has led NCMA’s growth and global impact, advancing the Contract Management Standard™ (CMS™) and expanding partnerships, including with WorldCC. He brings over 20 years of association leadership, including as CEO of PRMIA and roles at NIRI, AFP, and the Corporate Executive Board. He holds a BA in Economics from USC and an MBA from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is a Certified Association Executive and serves on several advisory boards in the contracting field.

As the CEO of World Commerce & Contracting (WorldCC), I serve a global community dedicated to commercial and contract management excellence. With over 80,000 members across 180 countries, WorldCC is the developer of global standards for contract management and the only body representing both buyers and suppliers. Our vision is to create a world where all trading relationships deliver social and economic benefit for all.I have over 25 years of experience in the dynamic and disruptive field of commercial and contract management, working with start-ups, corporations, and non-profits in various sectors and regions. I am passionate about using the power of open data, innovation, and collaboration to improve the quality and outcomes of contracts and partnerships. I also serve as the President and CEO of WorldCC Foundation, the Chair of the Board of Open Contracting Partnership, a Professor in Practice at Durham University Business School, and a Fellow at The RSA. These roles allow me to share my expertise, insights, and networks with diverse and influential audiences and stakeholders.

Experienced Vice President of Contract and Commercial Management and Procurement with a demonstrated history of working in the health care industry. Strong business development professional skilled in Leadership, Negotiation, Analytical Skills, Medicare, Medicaid, Team Building, and Pharmacy Benefit Management. Experienced in both Buy-side and Sell-side contracting and Procurement Management

Sir Oliver Hart is currently the Lewis P. and Linda L. Geyser University Professor at Harvard University, where he has taught since 1993. He is the 2016 co-recipient of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. Hart’s research centers on the roles that ownership structure and contractual arrangements play in the governance and boundaries of corporations. His recent work focuses on how parties can write better contracts, and on the social responsibility of business. He has published a book (Firms, Contracts, and Financial Structure, Oxford University Press, 1995) and numerous journal articles. He has used his theoretical work on firms and contracts in several legal cases. He is a Fellow of the Econometric Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the British Academy, and the American Finance Association, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economic Association, and has several honorary degrees. He has been president of the American Law and Economics Association and a vice president of the American Economic Association. He was made a Knight Bachelor in the King’s Birthday Honours List, 2023.

‍

On 15 April 2013, Mr. Kim Denver joined SAIC/Leidos as the Federal Corporate Contracts Director. In July 2014, Mr. Denver was appointed corporate responsibility for Contracts, Procurement and Pricing functions, then in 2016 designated the Chief Corporate Contracts Executive, leading approximately 500 professionals in the execution, compliance, and oversight of federal, commercial, and international contracts, valued at approximately $10B, awarded for missions in national security, health, engineering domains. Mr. Denver brings over 28 years of federal contracting leadership and experience. On 19 June 2011, Mr. Kim Denver, then a member of the Senior Executive Service, was appointed as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Procurement). As DASA(P), he led over 8,000 military/civilian contracting professionals and managed the Army’s procurement mission, including development of policies, processes, and contracting business systems. He directed the evaluation, measurement, and continuous improvement for 270+ Army contracting offices worldwide executing contracts for major weapons systems, base logistics support, construction, and wartime operational contracting in Iraq/Afghanistan. He served as the Army’s Functional Chief Representative for Contracting, overseeing the recruitment, training, certification, and professional development of the Army’s contracting workforce.

Mr. Denver’s career included serving as the Director for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Contracting Organization from 2008 to 2011. He served as the principal contracting advisor to the Chief of Engineers and directly exercised authority over three Regional Principal Assistants Responsible for Contracting, nine Regional Contracting Chiefs, and four Center Contracting Chiefs and a workforce of 1,500 employees. He provided organizational contracting and business solutions, that ensured the development of streamlined standard contracting processes and procedures, and served as a business liaison between USACE and state and local governments, academia, foreign nations, and other agencies.

‍

Arne Byberg has spent most of his 25-year career in the interface between law and technology. He holds a deep fascination for contract law and especially contracts as foundation for international trade. Byberg spent a total of 13 years in-house for US-based Hewlett-Packard and Nordics-based EVRY in leading roles before returning to private practice in Norway in 2018. Byberg is currently Partner in the technology law practice at international law firm Wikborg Rein's. He holds a Cand Jur law degree from the University of Bergen (Norway), an LL.M. in International Trade Law from Bond University (Australia) as well as executive education from Stanford and Oxford in Strategy and AI.