Meet the Founders of Avantis Performance
Tony Purpuri
Tony co-founded Avantis with the vison of helping all organisation improve their performance and increase the value they generate. Graduating from the University of Bristol with a Masters in Aeronautical Engineering, he used his analytical mindset to grow and run a £16m per annum Defence Digital portfolio. The account growth and profitability were significant contributors to VIMA’s high value sale to KBR in 2022.
He has over 17 years’ experience of delivering client facing Defence and engineering projects including: £20bn+ cost estimates into a major defence design & procurement programme, contributing to saving £150m (30%) over 4 years in a defence equipment support programme, establishing and maturing PMOs and redesigning the Governance of a government IT department. He is a Chartered Engineer and a Certified Cost Estimator/Analyst (ICEAA).
Married, with 2 daughters, Tony lives near Bath. He enjoys cycling, astrophotography and watching rugby. He is a Parish Councillor and a Governor of the local primary school.
Sam Crowder
Avantis Co-Founder Sam Crowder is a passionate believer that people are the heart of any business. As the Head of People and Organisational Development at VIMA Group Sam developed and implemented a People Strategy that saw VIMA grow from 10 to over 150 staff in just four years with a staff turnover of less than 7%.
Sam has had an varied and interesting career working on a range of projects including air to air refuelling tankers, complex weapons systems, maritime navigation aids, marketing campaigns, closing down PFI contracts, acquisitions, mergers and growing multi million pound businesses. Working across the public and private sectors for large and small organisations.
Originally from the North West of England Sam studied for a BSc in Astrophysics and then for a MSc in Aerospace Engineering. Since then he has gone onto become a chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) and gain qualifications in Leadership Coaching and Mentoring as well Project and Programme Management. He lives in the South West of England with his family where he enjoys cycling, spending time with his two sons and supporting his local rugby club.
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