Unlocking UK potential

When I asked Sir John Armitt , my guest on The Infrastructure Podcast this week, about how politicians can accelerate their infrastructure aspirations he answered simply that they should “be more honest, be more open about the challenge. Don't kid people that you're going to do something because it sounds good.” I couldn’t agree more. Have a listen here or find all 173 episodes wherever you get your podcasts - search “The Infrastructure Podcast” on Spotify, Apple, Google or YouTube. As the former longstanding chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, a past president of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and leader of many major projects including the 2012 London Olympic Games, a conversation with Sir John is always enlightening and mind expanding. In his latest role as chairman of the Public Private Partnership Commission, a new body set up with consultant Bradshaw Advisory, Sir John proposes a new Office for Budget Responsibility to oversee the nation’s infrastructure plans. This would, as he puts it, shield major investments from political interference and move decisions away from the so-called "Treasury brain". So much to chat through as always with Sir John as he takes us through his thinking around how new prime minister Andy Burnham can use his No.10 North and devolution plans to accelerate the vital infrastructure visions, the role of National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) and why it is so critical that the value of long term investment in decent infrastructure is understood by politicians.

Are mega projects actually delivering for the communities they serve; or do we continue to simply measure success solely by hitting budgets and deadlines? I discussed this issue with Victoria Johnson, Vice President at HDR En gineering on my recent trip to New York. She reckons the true measure of infrastructure is the human return on investment: the carbon reduction, economic equity, and lasting community benefit that investment creates Have a listen here or find all 175 episodes wherever you get your podcasts - search “The Infrastructure Podcast” on Spotify, Apple, Google or YouTube. I caught up with Victoria after she had led the discussion on this critical topic at the Bentley Systems Transforming Infrastructure Performance Summit in New York. And having advised the Biden-Harris administration on the $1.2T Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and led mega-transformations across NY's major airports, Victoria has no shortage of experience of the kind of high-level policy and street-level impact that we need to embrace. Her recent mega project work includes transformation of JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports in New York and the planning of Olympic legacies at Milano Cortina 2026 and LA 2028 Olympic games - about which many deep insights will be shared in an upcoming white paper she is co-authoring in collaboration Bentley Systems and Bocconi University in Italy. So much to get stuck into in this conversation: - Lessons in legacy planning from the upcoming LA 2028 Olympics. - How to balance immediate transit needs with 21st-century climate goals. - Why "social scaffolding" matters more than concrete assets. - How the recent Milan Cortina winter Olympic Games provides lessons about the way we plan major infrastructure

The UK hasn’t built a major new reservoir in over 30 years. Yet, according to Ofwat, England faces a potential water shortfall of up to 5 billion litres a day by 2055. In the latest episode of The Infrastructure Podcast, I sit down with Nevil Muncaster, Strategic Water Resources Director at Thames Water. Nevil is leading the proposed £7.5 billion White Horse Reservoir in Oxfordshire, a 12 km² mega-project designed to hold 150 billion litres of water and secure drought resilience for 15 million people across London and the South East. Have a listen here: or find all 173 episodes wherever you get your podcasts - search “The Infrastructure Podcast” on Spotify, Apple, Google or YouTube. As debt laden Thames Water announces new regional hosepipe bans, the tension is clear: fixing leaks is critical, but without major new storage, long-term water security remains out of reach. While supporters call it a non-negotiable insurance policy against climate change and population growth, the path to a 2040 opening is complex with major issues such as: - Community and environmental pushback over its ecological footprint, carbon cost, and disruption to local livelihoods. - Financial headwinds, with Thames Water balancing a major debt load alongside an autumn cash-flow bottleneck. - Planning milestones, with the Development Consent Order (DCO) application targeted for this year.

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.