John Yard is an acknowledged authority on outsourcing and relationship management.

He is currently operating as a freelance consultant concentrating on outsourcing and change management with a particular focus on finding mutually acceptable solutions when the relationship hits problems. He has a wide portfolio of clients, including the NHS, Defra and the Bank of England.

Most of John’s career has been spent in the public sector, working at Board level, with extensive experience of managing business change across the spectrum from defining strategy and direction, through to the delivery and operation of large-scale Departmental IS systems.

As CIO at the Inland Revenue, John oversaw the original outsourcing of its IT to EDS. He also managed the merger of the Inland Revenue’s IT with that of the Contributions Agency. He later managed the recompetition which led to a move to Cap Gemini as the Revenue’s IT provider.