The Infrastructure Podcast

Antony Oliver
  • 4.5 (2)
  • BUSINESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

A new regular podcast series which features conversations with some of the key leaders and influencers from across UK infrastructure sector.

  1. 4D AGO

    Explaining infrastructure value with David Porter

    In today’s podcast we explore the power of investment in infrastructure to change and improve people’s lives - every day.   My guest is David Porter, the newly installed 161st President of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a man who throughout his career, has had public service top of mind, top of his agenda and etched throughout everything he does. As a career civil servant in Northern Ireland, he knows better than most how important it is to work with communities  - - and of course how civil engineering and infrastructure shapes almost every aspect of daily life-from the water we drink and the energy that powers our homes, to the transport networks and flood defences that keep the country moving and safe.  And yet, despite its central role, and as David points out, the profession often struggles to explain its value, earn public trust, or influence the decisions that matter most. But we need to meet that challenge. The UK faces ageing assets, a stretched public purse, ambitious net zero targets, rapid technological change and growing public scepticism about long-term investment.  At the same time, the civil engineering profession is grappling with skills shortages, questions of capability, and how best to deploy emerging tools like artificial intelligence responsibly. In his inaugural address last November, David argued that civil engineers need to change how they talk about their work - moving away from technical language and towards a clearer focus on the services infrastructure provides and the societal outcomes it enables.  He has also challenged clients, institutions and engineers themselves to raise their game: to become better communicators, better decision-makers and better stewards of long-term public value. So let’s deep deeper to find out how to ensure civil engineering and infrastructure truly serves society in the decades ahead. Resources David Porter's ICE presidential address November 2025ICE websiteICE President’s Future Leaders initiativeNorthern Ireland Department for Infrastructure Transforming Infrastructure Performance summit London 25Routes to ICE membershipVolunteering with ICE

    36 min

  2. JAN 5

    Rolls Royce SMR realities with Ruth Todd CBE

    We kick off the Infrastructure Podcast for 2026 by talking about nuclear power and taking a close look at the much discussed - and much anticipated - small modular reactor programme being developed by Rolls Royce SMR. My guest today is Ruth Todd CBE, Rolls-Royce SMR’s Operations and Supply Chain Director, the person charged with turning this long-standing ambition into a deliverable reality. And having led the UK’s hugely successful Covid Vaccine Task Force back in 2020/21 and worked on High Speed 2, Ruth is no stranger to a massive challenge. Certainly, delivering new nuclear in the UK is up there in the league table of major challenges. As the recent Fingleton Review put it, the sector is facing strategic failure at a moment of national importance.  We are certainly at a moment of profound transition. The global energy system is under strain from rising prices, geopolitical uncertainty, and the urgent need to decarbonise.  But it is also true that the UK government has responded with one of the most ambitious interventions in its energy history: major investment in Sizewell C, fusion research, and crucially, £2.5bn to accelerate the development and deployment of SMRs. And at the heart of this renewed ambition for a new “golden age of nuclear energy” is the Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactor programme - described as the UK’s first domestic nuclear technology in more than twenty years and designed to provide stable, affordable, emission-free energy for at least six decades.  Rolls-Royce SMR’s approach uses factory-built modules, a standardised design, and a turnkey engineering, manufacture and assembly model which aims to reduce the cost and delivery challenges that have plagued traditional large-scale nuclear projects. And it has the go-ahead to deploy the first three SMRs at Wylfa in Anglesey. Each will capable of powering a million homes, with a design that is up to eighteen months ahead of any competitor in a European regulatory process. Which arguably means Rolls-Royce SMR now sits at the forefront of what could become one of the country’s most significant green export industries and the key to thousands of new skilled jobs and longlasting local legacy. It's certainly an exciting moment - so let’s hear more Resources Rolls Royce SMRUK Government nuclear July announcement UK and Czechia to lead global race on small modular reactorsThe Fingleton ReviewAnnouncement for Wylfa site Ruth Todd CBE

    43 min

  3. 12/22/2025

    Canada's infrastructure ambition with Jennifer McKelvie

    In this last episode of 2025 we once again look at Canada’s infrastructure market to compare and contrast the global scale of investment ambition on that side of the Atlantic. As such, it is my pleasure to welcome Jennifer McKelvie, Member of Parliament for Ajax, Ontario, and former deputy mayor of Toronto who has without question emerged over the last few years as one of the leading voices helping to steer Canada’s infrastructure investment transformation. So first some background: Canada stands at a pivotal moment in its infrastructure journey. From housing shortages and strained transit systems to the growing impacts of climate change, the country faces pressures that span geography, sectors, and generations.  Yet this moment is also one of enormous opportunity. With a renewed federal focus on nation-building, Canada is reshaping how it plans, finances, and delivers the infrastructure that underpins its future prosperity. In her recent address to the Transforming Infrastructure Performance Summit hosted by Bentley Systems in Toronto, Jennifer outlined an ambitious vision for Canada to accelerate delivery of major projects, create of new federal agencies to drive housing supply, and strengthen the public-private partnership ecosystem.  Key initiatives such as the launch of the Major Projects Office, establishment of Build Canada Homes, and support for Canada Infrastructure Bank’s expanding footprint, underline this as a moment defined by scale, speed, and strategic intent.  And, of course, urgency - urgency to build and adapt in the face of an increasingly uncertain political relationship with the United States and to prepare communities for the climate realities already unfolding across the country. Resources Jennifer McKelvie, Member of Parliament for Ajax, OntarioCanada Major Projects OfficeBuild Canada HomesCanada Housing Infrastructure FundBuilding Canada StrongCanada Public Transit FundDisaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund Canada Infrastructure BankTransforming Infrastructure Performance Summit Toronto 2025

    33 min

  4. 12/15/2025

    Hospital 2.0 with Emily King and Doug Baldock

    In this week's episode we’re taking a close look at the New Hospital Programme, a programme which has been described as perhaps the most ambitious National Health Service infrastructure investment in decades. The NHP programme is tasked with delivering a new generation of state-of-the-art hospitals across England. At its core is Hospital 2.0, a standardised, repeatable and industrialised approach to hospital design and delivery that promises greater certainty, faster construction, improved quality, predictable costs, and cutting-edge clinical environments.  To explain the programme and how it will be delivered, I am joined by Doug Baldock, Technical Services Director, and Emily King, Director of Industrialisation at the NHP, two leaders central to shaping the technical, commercial and industrial strategy underpinning Hospital 2.0.  And with a long-term pipeline backed by rolling five-year funding envelopes averaging around £3 billion a year from 2030, the programme aligns with the Government’s wider Industrial Strategy and aims not only to modernise the NHS estate but to boost innovation, strengthen supply chains and support economic growth across the UK. The scale of this challenge is immense: dozens of complex hospital schemes, varied site conditions, urgent RAAC rebuilds – and, of course, the need to rebuild public and industry confidence after years of delay and uncertainty.  Yet with clearer planning assumptions, a 12-year £37bn Hospital 2.0 Alliance procurement, and deep engagement with suppliers, the programme now seeks to unlock the capability and investment needed for a sustainable long-term programme. Well let’s find out what it means in reality.. Resources  New Hospital Programme: Plan for ImplementationGovernment hospital investment press release Supplier Guide.Egan review 1998Latham review 1994

    37 min

  5. 12/08/2025

    Infrastructure's digital transformation with Nathan Marsh

    In this week's episode  we are once again discussing data, digital tools and the use of artificial intelligence and the way that it’s set to transform infrastructure performance. My guest today is Nathan Marsh, Senior Vice President for Europe, Middle East, Africa at software giant Bentley Systems, someone who has, to be honest, been immersed in tech challenges in one shape or another for his entire career in infrastructure.  So Nathan is well placed to shed light on the way – and the pace - technology is shaping the sector. We are chatting today at the Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure 2025 conference in Amsterdam where Nathan has been discussing, amongst other things, the transformative role technology in shaping the future of national infrastructure. There is no question that over the last two decades the use and power of digital systems has evolved from basic 2D drawing tools, through the evolution of Building Information Modelling to give us the kind of software tools that are at last truly changing the way that engineers approach the design, construction and management of infrastructure assets. And as we have heard recently on previous episodes of the Infrastructure Podcast, in the short time since generative AI tools such ChatGPT have emerged and become mainstream, there is absolutely no doubt in anyone’s minds that AI is now taking every aspect of that technology revolution up a notch. Notwithstanding the clear – and potentially well founded – fears around the unintended consequences of accelerating the use of AI technology, few can rule out the potential for change that is around the corner.  Certainly, the use of technology to provide better tools, smarter workflows and more connected data is key to changing and improving the outcomes generated in return for the vast investment planned for infrastructure – but how? So let’s get a bit more practical insight into what this technology might hold for infrastructure design, construction and management sector. Resources  Bentley Systems Year in Infrastructure 2025UK government 10 year Infrastructure StrategyNathan Marsh Linked InBentley Systems website1st Battalion Welsh Guards Birmingham Moseley Rugby ClubLondon Welsh Rugby Football Club

    31 min

  6. 12/01/2025

    Ground monitoring technology with Daniel Scott

    In this week's episode we’re diving into the world of digital ground movement monitoring – a rapidly evolving field that’s quietly transforming how we manage, maintain, and future-proof our critical infrastructure. Emerging into this market is Osprey Measurement Systems, a high-tech business spun out of University College London that’s using cutting-edge digital tools to bring greater precision, speed, and insight into ground movement – something that affects everything from railways and tunnels to utilities and city infrastructure. To help us understand the technology, the market, and the broader implications, I’m joined by Daniel Scott, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Osprey.  Daniel’s background is nothing if not broad – he’s a former lecturer at UCL in civil and geomatic engineering and has worked on major UK infrastructure projects including Crossrail and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. He's also a serving member of the 507 Specialist Team Royal Engineers focusing on railway infrastructure – more about that later, I’m sure! In this conversation, we explore the journey of OMS as a spin-out company, the power of reality capture and digital measurement to transform infrastructure delivery and monitoring, and what it takes to bring genuinely disruptive technology to a traditionally risk-averse sector – and how technology like this can shift the performance, efficiency, and safety of infrastructure assets. Resources Osprey Measurement SystemsDaniel Scott Linked InUniversity College London ground engineeringCrossrail lessons learned Channel Tunnel High Speed Rail 507 Specialist Team Royal Engineers

    35 min

  7. 11/24/2025

    Canadian investment innovation with Divya Shah

    This episode was recorded live at the recent Transforming Infrastructure Performance summit held in Toronto, Canada in October and hosted by Bentley Systems.  I’m joined by Divya Shah, Managing Director of the Trade & Transportation sector at the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB), an organisation at the forefront of this mission to deliver the infrastructure Canada needs to stay competitive and resilient. Infrastructure has always been central to Canada’s story — a vast country knitted together by railways, ports, roads, and power grids that enabled economic growth and connected communities. Today, the stakes are even higher. As Canada accelerates its transition to a low-carbon, resilient, and inclusive economy, infrastructure has never been more critical — or more political. The Canada Infrastructure Bank was created to act as a catalyst: unlocking private capital, supporting transformative projects, and enabling the kind of nation-building investment needed to meet 21st-century challenges. With more than $16.8 billion invested in 102 projects across the country, from clean power and green infrastructure to transit, broadband, and trade corridors, the CIB is reshaping the way Canada builds. But challenges remain. Canada faces shifting geopolitics, urgent climate targets, rising costs, and the need for stronger coordination between federal, provincial, and Indigenous partners. The question is not just how we build, but how we build faster, smarter, and more inclusively. Resources Canada Infrastructure BankDivya ShahTransforming Infrastructure Performance TIPLive TorontoBentley Systems websiteFor the video version of this podcast visit the Infrastructure Podcast YouTube

    27 min

  8. 11/17/2025

    Luton’s community-led airport with Nick Platts

    In this week's episode  we take a look at airport development and specifically how, contrary to popular believe, it can actually positively benefit local communities. To do this we are going to focus on Luton Rising, the community-owned owner of London Luton Airport and the driving force behind one of the UK’s most ambitious aviation expansion projects — a £2.4 billion investment that will increase capacity from 19 to 32 million passengers per year through the development of a second terminal.  And at the heart of the plan is Nick Platts, Managing Director of Luton Rising. For the last two and a half years he has been immersed in this vast and ambitious project and used his experience from working in aviation and logistic around the world and last April successfully achieved a Design Consent Order – DCO for this important piece of Nationally Significant Infrastructure. But this is far more than a transport or infrastructure story. As the UK’s only 100% community-owned airport, Luton Rising channels its profits directly back into local services and community projects — over half a billion pounds since 1997. As such, the project represents not only a major boost for the regional economy — contributing an estimated £1.5 billion annually to GDP and creating thousands of jobs — but also a pioneering example of how growth, sustainability, and social value can align under public ownership. So lots to talk about as we explore what makes the Luton Rising model so distinctive, and how it navigated the complex Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project process, to get to the starting blocks ready to turn ambition into reality. Resources Luton Rising expansion plansLuton Rising websiteLondon Luton AirportLuton Rising DCO for expansionLuton Borough Council UK Government policy on airport expansion

    37 min
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About

A new regular podcast series which features conversations with some of the key leaders and influencers from across UK infrastructure sector.

Information

  • Creator
    Antony Oliver
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    147
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Infrastructure Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Infrastructure Podcast

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