Darren Thompson
Biography
Darren Thompson returned to DVLA as Commercial Director in 2023.
Education
Darren has a degree in Economics and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Swansea University. He was elected a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) in 2022.
Career
Darren has built his career in the public sector commercial profession. In 2013, he developed and embedded a procurement assurance process within the Department for Transport (DfT) and its agencies. He has delivered several high-profile procurements using competitive dialogue and negotiated procedures, achieving significant savings and supporting new digital ways of working.
More recently, Darren was part of Crown Commercial Service’s senior team, leading the Assisted Procurement team. This team undertakes procurements on behalf of public sector customers across more than 80 commercial agreements. They achieve high levels of customer satisfaction.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Darren’s teams supported the Department for Health and the UK Health Security Agency, awarding more than 300 contracts across facilities management, technology, logistics, contact centres and consultancy.
Commercial Director
The Commercial Director provides commercial, procurement and business development leadership at strategic and operational levels. They work to reduce non-staff costs and identify opportunities to market and develop DVLA services.
Previous roles in government
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Interim Commercial Director