In conversation with Construction Minister Chris McDonald

In the latest episode of The Infrastructure Podcast I sit down with Becky Wood FCA, FICE, chief executive of the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) – and the self-proclaimed government’s chief infrastructure nerd - to talk about her reset of the government’s £924bn project portfolio. Have a listen here: or find all 173 episodes wherever you get your podcasts - search “The Infrastructure Podcast” on Spotify, Apple, Google or YouTube. And as Prime Minister Andy Burnham takes up office in Downing Street office her role to keep this massive government investment programme on track, and to reassure the incoming administration that it is being effectively delivered, will never be more important. Last week NISTA published its latest Major Projects Annual Report tracking 189 of the UK’s most complex initiatives. These span a variety of complex investments from nuclear power stations to massive digital transformations. Central to this report is the plan for Project Reset which cuts centralised scrutiny to around just 80 -100 projects and pushes responsibility for their oversight to individual department. So lots to discuss in this extended episode including: - Understanding NISTA’s role and the current progress of the UK's £924bn pipeline. - Project Reset and how NISTA is slashing its central oversight down to 80 core, nationally significant projects to demand sharper accountability and faster delivery. - How a renewed focus aims to reverse lengthening delivery timelines in the major infrastructure sector. - NISTA’s plans to use data and digital systems to salvage failing projects and maximise value for every pound of taxpayer cash.

My guest on The Infrastructure Podcast this week is Milda Manomaityte, the newly appointed Chief Executive at the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) and the Environmental Industries Commission (EIC). Have a listen here: or find all 172 episodes wherever you get your podcasts - search “The Infrastructure Podcast” on Spotify, Apple, Google or YouTube. Milda’s appointment is billed as a major "gear change" for the ACE group, and a critical step in making sure at the organisation underlines its role as the voice of engineering consultancy and ensure that and the expected new Andy Burnham led UK government makes the right decisions on investment in our built and natural environment. She arrives having spent seven years at the Railway Industry Association accelerating innovation and navigating complex government relationships. Milda’s tenure begins as the UK infrastructure landscape is being rapidly reshaped by the rollout of the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) overseeing the 10 year infrastructure strategy, and the delivery of an ambitious £720bn pipeline of work across energy, water, transport and of course housing. But the challenges are huge – project delays due to funding constraints and planning problems, huge challenges meeting our decarbonisation goals, ongoing lack of skills and of course the looming threat of Artificial Intelligence threatening to soak up jobs across the entire engineering design sector.

It’s been three years since Asif Ghafoor, chief executive of EV charging network Be.EV – aka Linked In’s “the Roving CEO” - last joined me on The Infrastructure Podcast . Back in June 2023, the electric vehicle charging landscape felt a bit like the "wild west." Fast forward to today, and the sector is finally growing up. Have a listen here: or find all 171 episodes wherever you get your podcasts - search “The Infrastructure Podcast” on Spotify, Apple, Google or YouTube. Asif has been leading the charge when it comes to creating a truly customer focused approach to EV charging. Known for his brutally honest appraisals of the EV market – and his dislike of lamp post chargers - Asif is fresh off a landmark acquisition of Mer’s UK public charging network, making Be.EV truly national, and securing its spot as the UK’s second top-rated rapid charging network. Backed by Octopus Energy Generation, Be.EV’s philosophy remains fiercely simple: drivers shouldn’t have to become charging experts. So what has changed over the last few years, and how can charging networks truly underpin the UK’s low-carbon future? Asif has the answers!

Here’s the reality: if we want to transition towards low carbon and renewable energy sources and hit our global net-zero targets, the biggest hurdle isn't technology, it’s capital mobilisation. In the latest episode of The Infrastructure Podcast, I sit down with Georgie Skipper, founder of New York-based energy transition consultant Lucetia Group, to discuss how we bridge the massive gap between strategic policy and real-world project bankability. Have a listen here or find all 149 episodes wherever you get your podcasts - search “The Infrastructure Podcast” on Spotify, Apple, Google or YouTube. Georgie brings a fascinating Australian perspective, coming to the energy sector not from finance or engineering, but from foreign policy and geostrategy (including serving as a senior adviser to Australia's Foreign Minister and working on the massive, groundbreaking SunCable project). I loved this conversation, recorded at the fabulous Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) HQ in Westminster, in which we dive deep into: · The $3 Trillion gap: why Southeast Asia alone faces a massive infrastructure investment shortfall by 2040. · First-of-a-kind tech: how to make complex, frontier green projects genuinely bankable for institutional investors. · Global lessons: insights from recent high-level discussions at London Climate Action Week and COP30.

This week’s episode of The Infrastructure Podcast is with Louisa Finlay, Chief Operating Officer and Chief People Officer at Kier Group and is the second in my series recorded live at UKREiiF in Leeds, this week focusing on how major contractors are boosting outputs by embracing the new world of digital tech. Have a listen here or find all 169 episodes wherever you get your podcasts - search “The Infrastructure Podcast” on Spotify, Apple, Google or YouTube. It’s a fascinating conversation with Louisa and builds on a panel session I ran with her to discuss how the sector really is now moving from a digital laggard to embedding cloud platforms, generative AI and digital twins as the core for technical and commercial success. And as we discuss, the true barrier to this digital revolution is rarely the technology itself. So much to unpack: - Why overcoming deeply entrenched cultural resistance is the real challenge. - How to close the widening skills gap to power up infrastructure delivery. - Exploring the commercial structures that actively disincentivize data sharing

The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.It was great to sit down with Peter Hogg, Country Director for the UK and Ireland at Arcadis during my recent visit to the UKREiiF to catch up on his plans for position the Arcadis business at the heart of the nation’s ambitious infrastructure plans. Have a listen to this latest episode of The Infrastructure Podcast here or find all 149 episodes wherever you get your podcasts - search “The Infrastructure Podcast” on Spotify, Apple, Google or YouTube. We covered a lot of ground in the conversation – recorded against the backdrop of buzzing, conversations filled event in Leeds. And having taken on this major role – at the helm of 4,500 staff in the region - Peter has a refreshingly clear plan for the business. He highlighted his four key areas of focus: · Helping to drive sustainable expansion at Heathrow Airport · Supporting the delivery of the UK’s critical infrastructure – flood defence through to resilient power supply. · Driving advanced manufacturing and high tech industries and · Commitment to supporting investment in the water sector So plenty of opportunity there for the business and plent of challenge when it comes to finding the right skills and the right technologies to support this ambition.

For over 150 years, London has relied on the genius of Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s Victorian sewer system to keep the River Thames clean and city safe. All that has changed now that the Tideway Tunnel is up and running. In this week’s episode of The Infrastructure Podcast I chat to Roger Bailey, the long standing (and soon to retire apparently!) Chief Technical Officer at Tideway London and Thomas Kinnear, Director at Amey, who has led the critical Systems Integrator role on the massive £4.5bn super sewer project. Have a listen or find the episode wherever you get your podcasts - search “The Infrastructure Podcast” on Spotify, Apple, Google or watch the video version on YouTube. Now fully operational, this 25km underground engineering marvel runs up to 66 meters beneath the city and officially changing the game, having already prevented 19.7 million tonnes of sewage from reaching the river. Lots to talk about as we discuss: - How the project defied the "megaproject curse" to deliver on time and budget. - The sophisticated digital nervous system that monitors every drop of flow. - The pioneering funding model and its massive social impact. - How this project is rekindling Londoners' love affair with the Thames by creating vibrant new riverside public spaces. - Why Tideway was recently recognized by TIME Magazine as one of the world's most influential businesses.

So is the infrastructure sector finally ready to stop building and start manufacturing? It’s a question I put to Andrew Shepherd, MD for Growth & Innovation at Ibstock Plc in the latest episode of The Infrastructure Podcast. Have a listen here or find the episode wherever you get your podcasts - search “The Infrastructure Podcast” on Spotify, Apple, Google or watch the video version on YouTube. For decades, the UK construction industry has been locked in a battle with stagnating productivity, weather delays, and a dwindling skilled labour force. Meanwhile, other global sectors have undergone a digital revolution. And with a massive infrastructure pipeline, a target of 1.5 million new homes, and a non-negotiable mandate for net-zero, business as usual is no longer an option. We have to change to embrace industrialised construction and firms like Ibstock certainly understand the challenge and the opportunity In this conversation we dive deep into: - How Ibstock Plc, the UK’s largest manufacturer of clay and concrete products, is rethinking traditional materials to unlock speed, quality, and sustainability. - How to move the industry towards Modern Methods of Construction and Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA). - The role of industrialised construction and can initiatives such as the New Hospital Programme’s "Hospital 2.0" set the blueprint for the entire sector.

Heathrow Airport has big plans to grow. My guest on The Infrastructure Podcast is Javier Echave, Chief Operating Officer at Heathrow and the man in charge of delivering the airport’s £10 billion investment plan for the next five years and its long-awaited, £30-40bn+ third runway project. Have a listen here or find the episode wherever you get your podcasts - search “The Infrastructure Podcast” on Spotify, Apple, Google or watch the video version on YouTube. Last year, Heathrow handled a massive 84 million passengers. This year, it’s on track to top 85 million. Managing that kind of growth requires serious infrastructure. In this episode, we discuss: 🛫 Heathrow’s £10bn investment plans for the next 5 years: modern terminal upgrades and digital transformation. 🛫The Third Runway: The reality of the proposed £30-40bn+ expansion to take capacity to 150M passengers by 2036. 🛫The Net-Zero Race: Balancing massive infrastructure growth with critical net zero goals – can airports really be sustainable?