Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 29/09/2026 - 10:33
Earlier this week, the launch of the new Contracts Community of Practice (CoP) was held on Wednesday 23 September at the Hauser Forum.
The event introduced the vision and objectives of the CoP and there were a number of interactive sessions for members to get involved in, including creating vision boards to explore what members would like to learn and receive, from joining the CoP.
The event was opened by COP Co-Leads, Mitali Gupta, Contracts & Compliance Officer at IfM Engage and Natcha Searle, Senior Contracts Manager in the School of Technology.
Mitali shared the vision of the CoP, which is: "To create an open connected and knowledgeable community of individuals working with contracts across the University community one that promotes collaboration, knowledge-exchange and commercial awareness, enabling delivery at effective and informed contract support in aid of the University's mission."
Katherine Souter, Deputy Director of Legal Services also shared that her team supports the CoP, saying: "On behalf of Legal Services, thank you for being here, thank you to everyone who has made this happen, and thank you in advance for helping shape what comes next.
"Some of the most useful things I’ve learned in my career haven’t come from textbooks, guidance notes or legal updates. They’ve come from conversations with colleagues. Having a trusted network of peers makes a huge difference. Some people in this room deal with contracts every day. Others may only come across them occasionally.
"I hope the COP becomes a place where people build relationships, grow their confidence, develop their skills and help create a more connected, commercially aware and collaborative contracts culture across the University."
There are now 5,832 members across the 14 CoPs, representing 3,220 unique members. Katherine Lawrence Learning and Organisational Development Partner, who supports all CoP’s across the University, shared the value of joining one "What an inspiring event. The buzz in the room reflected the passion, commitment and collaborative spirit that make Communities of Practice so powerful. It was a fantastic example of people coming together to build new connections, and I am excited to see the Contracts Community continue to grow, innovate and achieve."
If you're interested in joining the Contracts Community of Practice complete the Contracts CoP Member Registration Form or would like to find out more view the COP SharePoint.