The PMO Conference celebrated a major milestone last June, its 10th anniversary, and what a celebration it was!
Over three packed days in London, PMO professionals from around the world gathered for learning, sharing, laughing, and networking.
The PMO conference wasn’t just a reflection on how far the PMO profession has come, it was a powerful signal of where it’s headed next.
Here’s our roundup of what went down and what people thought at this year’s standout event.
PMOLearn! – Deep Dives and Practical Takeaways
The conference kicked off with PMOLearn!, a hands-on learning day filled with focused sessions on subjects we rarely see full training courses for – like the Cynefin model, systems thinking, benefits profiling, and PMO service catalogues.
The verdict? Incredibly valuable.
🔸 “It was one continuous learning experience,” said Aaron West, praising how the sessions flowed naturally from one to the next.
🔸 Delegates shared how techniques like systems thinking brilliantly introduced through practical exercises have since become part of their PMO toolkit.
🔸 “Not something I knew much about,” said Lindsay Scott, “but I could see the connections straight away.”
Speakers like Martin Parr, Zoe O’Toole, Jess Richardson, Steve Blades, and Sarah Hazeldine turned their sessions into hands-on explorations. Delegates shared how techniques like the Cynefin model and service catalogue development weren’t just thought-provoking, they were instantly transferable back to their roles.
The PMO Conference Day – Inspiration, Insight and PMO Pride
The main event brought together familiar favourites and fresh new voices for a day of keynotes, case studies, and breakout sessions.
We opened with a brilliant past-present-future keynote from Laura Barnard, Americo Pinto, and Eileen Roden, who spoke about the evolution of the PMO from back-office support to a truly strategic business function.
Eileen reminded us that while we’ve come a long way, “we’re still working to make PMO seen as a mandatory business function – and we’re getting there.”
Other highlights included:
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Pets at Home’s transformation journey, which wowed attendees with how quickly they established a value-driving PMO.
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EDF Energy’s session on AI and data, a crowd favourite for its clarity and actionable insight (“this one’s going out free to everyone”, Lindsay promised).
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Libby’s session on portfolio management and Eileen’s talk on the latest Inside PMO report, which both earned plenty of positive feedback.
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Even a late-afternoon session on agile metrics saw strong engagement – because, as Lindsay joked, “this is a room full of geeks – of course they’re up for it!”
But perhaps most powerful was the sense of community.
“It felt like home,” said John McIntyre. “People came in nervous and left energised, validated, and with something tangible to take back.”
Final Day: IMPACT Engine Workshop with Laura Barnard
The third day offered something new, a hands-on workshop on the IMPACT Engine System with Laura Barnard. Delegates were given Laura’s book and tasked with reframing their PMO mindsets. The American-style high-energy exercises and high-fives gave the day a unique flavour.
“It was the first time I’ve seen delegates high-fiving each other after a feedback session,” said Eileen, laughing. “It just worked perfectly.”
Final Reflections and What’s Next?
What made the 10th anniversary PMO Conference so special wasn’t just the content (which was excellent) or the logistics, it was the people.
🔹 People who showed up to learn, to share, to challenge.
🔹 People who said “I thought it was just me – turns out others feel the same.”
🔹 People who left not just informed, but inspired.
We’re already looking ahead to the next one. If you’d like to speak, get involved, or volunteer behind the scenes, let us know. And if you missed this year, don’t worry: the recordings and materials will be available in the House of PMO Members’ Library soon.
Until then, thank you to everyone who made this event such a success.
Here’s to the next 10 years of PMO!
