Building And Growing

Lucas Calleja

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BUSINESS
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Lucas interviews founders and operators to provide the community with key insights about building and growing during difficult economic times.

MAR 26

#88 - Delivering mega projects across the Middle East

🌍 Kostas Dimitros, a Greek senior professional in the construction industry with over 22 years of experience in the Middle East, shares his journey from Athens to Dubai. Kostas has worked with renowned companies such as Parsons, Bechtel, and Kerzner, delivering mega projects, developing comprehensive growth strategies and cultivating strong client relationships. Some of the large-scale projects include the ALBA Aluminum Smelter Expansion in Bahrain, the MINA Oil Tank Farm in Salalah, Oman and hospitality projects like the Atlantis Hotel and Theme Park on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai and the Ferrari Theme Park on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. Currently, he leads the Strategic Programs and Aviation Programs growth initiatives for Parsons in the EMEA region. 🏗️ The Middle East, particularly the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, has undergone significant transformation through mega projects in the last 30 years. Dubai and Abu Dhabi began by diversifying their economies beyond hydrocarbons, focusing on tourism and infrastructure development. This involved creating a tourist ecosystem with large hotels, residences, and the necessary infrastructure like power plants and water supply systems. Qatar followed suit with its preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, while Saudi Arabia has embarked on groundbreaking giga projects such as NEOM and The Red Sea Project as part of its Vision 2030 initiative, as well as preparing for the 2034 World Cup. 👥 Stakeholder engagement and building trust is crucial in delivering these mega projects. Kostas emphasizes the importance of understanding the needs of various stakeholders, including those who run the cities before, during, and after project implementation. This involves stakeholder mapping, listening to their concerns, and having constructive discussions about their expectations and receptiveness to changes in their environment. Effective stakeholder management throughout the supply chain is essential for the successful delivery of these ambitious projects.

42 min
MAR 3

#87 - Energy transition: rebuilding the grid for renewables

About Paul Stefiszyn Paul Stefiszyn is a partner in ESP Consulting and an expert in electricity markets, energy trading, and risk management, with 25 years’ experience in industry and consulting in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and North America. Paul’s recent work has focused on supporting governments and system operators with market redesign to advance the decarbonisation of electricity systems. He also regularly advises both small and large energy companies on commercial strategy, risk control, performance measurement, and governance. Prior to joining ESP Consulting in 2010, Paul held a number of senior risk management positions with Nuon Energy (now Vattenfall), a vertically-integrated European energy utility. Before joining Nuon in 2005 he was a Vice President at MSCI, where he led the European operations of FEA, MSCI’s commodity analytics business, providing specialist software models for valuation and risk management in the energy industry.

48 min
12/03/2024

#86 - Building an international entrepreneurship hub in Miami

About Etienne Gillard Solutions-focused entrepreneur and investor with over 25 years of experience in the financial services, professional development, and training sectors. Etienne is a well-experienced investor, technology entrepreneur (Founder 3x), and senior business leader (CEO 2x) with extensive experience in Early Stage VC, Platform Business Models, and Application Software. He holds a degree in Political Science with a minor in Law from UCL in Belgium, has completed the Management Development Program (PDD) at IESE Business School in Spain, and mentors Latino entrepreneurs participating in an online course on scaling their business offered in collaboration between LBAN and the Stanford Graduate School of Business executive education program. About Mana Tech Mana Tech is part of billionaire Moishe Mana's project to turn Downtown Miami into the startup hub of the Americas. We provide the programs, events, and workspace to support this. Previously Mana revitalized Wynwood in Miami and has already acquired 80 properties in Downtown Miami.

47 min
10/29/2024

#85 - Digitizing construction in Latin America

About Roberto Arroyo Roberto Arroyo is an Ecuadorian and French entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in the construction industry. As the founder, CEO, and Chairman of Construex, the fastest-growing and largest Construction Marketplace in Latin America boasting over one million subscribed companies, Roberto has showcased his ability to navigate and conquer the challenges inherent in developing economies through visionary leadership. Since 2009, he has initiated both for-profit and non-profit ventures in sustainable mobility, art, and social responsibility, demonstrating his commitment to impactful entrepreneurship. About Construex Construex is a marketplace founded in Ecuador in 2019, dedicated to the construction and architecture sectors in Latin America. Its mission is to digitalize the construction industry, a market valued at more than $1.5 trillion. Construex connects construction product suppliers with the clients who need them, facilitating the management and purchase of materials for projects of all sizes. With more than one million suppliers in its network, the platform covers all areas of the industry, from architecture and engineering to final finishes. The platform currently operates in Ecuador, Mexico, Guatemala and Chile, helping suppliers increase their digital presence and customers find the products they need more efficiently.

54 min
10/08/2024

#84 - Branding unwrapped: diving into audience-driven marketing and brand strategy

About Becky Matheson With two decades of digital performance expertise, Becky is now the CEO and partner at Wrapped Agency. She collaborates with CEOs and senior leaders to unlock new opportunities for business growth. Leading the Wrapped team, Becky ensures that all performance work is results-driven, placing clients front and center of their target audiences while delivering a strong return on investment. About Kate Eady With over 30 years of experience as a business owner and brand strategist, Kate works with CEOs, senior leaders, and stakeholders to build brand equity through effective brand strategy. Her expertise lies in brand architecture and structure, helping businesses expand, launch new products, grow globally, or prepare for acquisition. About Wrapped Wrapped is a full-service brand marketing agency known for delivering exceptional results. The agency takes a deep dive into understanding each business, using insights, consumer behavior, and strategic consultation to develop impactful brand and digital strategies. Specializing in multiple sectors, including healthcare, fintech, technology, and property, Wrapped uses an audience-led approach to target ideal customers. Their strategies are designed to deliver the right message, at the right time, on the right platforms, ensuring maximum engagement and results. Their expertise includes profiling key decision-makers, understanding their pain points, and crafting solutions that resonate emotionally throughout the buying journey. They use a funnel approach to guide audiences from awareness to consideration and purchase, employing retargeting and lead generation to boost engagement.

51 min
09/26/2024

#83 - Improving health and safety and risk management outcomes through the downstream model

About Adam Wilkinson Adam Wilkinson has spent the last 15 years working across a range of industries in Health, Safety and Environmental HSE Management. After 10 years with the world’s biggest real-estate firm, CBRE, he is currently in post as the group Quality, Health, Safety and Environmental (QHSE) Director for their Facilities Management (FM) business, Global Workplace Solutions (GWS), in the UK. He holds an MSc in Environmental Management for business, as well as a BSc (Hons) in Oceanography with Physical Geography. Outside of work he can be found balancing family life with a passion for endurance sport. About CBRE CBRE is the world’s largest commercial real-estate services and investment company, with the #1 global market position in leasing, property sales, outsourcing, property management and valuation. CBRE's Global Workplace Solutions (GWS) business provides integrated facilities management (IFM), project management, and workplace consulting services to corporate occupiers. In the UK, the GWS Local business serves over 850 clients, across all industry verticals, at tens of thousands of physical locations.

54 min
09/10/2024

#82 - ConstructionTech: investing to solve problems in Sustainability, Productivity and Urbanization

About Juan Nieto Juan Nieto is Founder & General Partner at Zacua Ventures. Juan previously worked as a ConTech investor for CEMEX CVC unit since 2018, where he developed Asia Pacific investment strategy, and set up the Shanghai Office in 2019. Prior to this, Juan worked as an alternative asset manager for Altamar CAM Partners, one of Europe largest private managers, in Madrid, and as a Consultant for Techedge Group in Chicago (USA). Juan holds a BSc in Civil Engineering from the Technical University of Madrid and Tongji University of Shanghai. About Zacua Ventures Zacua Ventures is a global early stage fund, focused on the Built Environment. The fund invests from the Pre-Seed to the Series A stages in the three themes of Sustainability, Productivity and Urbanization (within the Built Environment). Zacua was established in 2022 by a team of venture capital, technology, and construction experts with experience at Cemex Ventures, McKinsey and Company and Hilti Corporation and a combined 30 years of industry experience. Main office is in Silicon Valley, and with team members in every continent.

53 min
08/13/2024

#81 - Accelerating learning and development in the health and safety industry

About Paul Clark As the Founder and Chairman of HSE Global Series, Paul is passionate about creating and delivering high-quality content and engagement services for the health, safety, and environment (HSE) industry. With over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, and leadership, Paul has a proven track record of consistently winning and retaining business within a competitive marketplace, as well as establishing credibility with senior decision-makers across various sectors and regions. About HSE Global Series HSE Global Series connects experiences between virtual communities and live events across the UK, Europe, North America, and MENA, establishing itself as the leading events platform for HSE and Operations leaders aiming to accelerate their learning and development as industry change-makers. HSE Global Series' mission is straightforward: to champion cognitive diversity and bring together cross-industry HSE and Operations thinkers and doers, providing the sector’s leaders with a forum to share insights, shape new perspectives, and create a safer world for all. Rather than focusing on large audiences and echo chambers, HSE Global Series emphasizes intimate discussions with open dialogue, designed to explore challenges and uncover what’s truly happening in the world of HSE. This approach builds year-long communities that transform insights into action. Guided by expert Advisory Councils who help steer each event’s agenda, and featuring world-class speakers delivering human-centric sessions, HSE Global Series fosters a community of 60-100 strong delegations, including Heads, Directors, VPs, and Chiefs of HSE and Operations, all connected by passion and driven by change.

49 min

See All (87)

Lucas interviews founders and operators to provide the community with key insights about building and growing during difficult economic times.

Creator

Lucas Calleja
Years Active

2022 - 2025
Episodes

87
Rating

Clean
Show Website

Building And Growing

Building And Growing

Episodes

#88 - Delivering mega projects across the Middle East

#87 - Energy transition: rebuilding the grid for renewables

#86 - Building an international entrepreneurship hub in Miami

#85 - Digitizing construction in Latin America

#84 - Branding unwrapped: diving into audience-driven marketing and brand strategy

#83 - Improving health and safety and risk management outcomes through the downstream model

#82 - ConstructionTech: investing to solve problems in Sustainability, Productivity and Urbanization

#81 - Accelerating learning and development in the health and safety industry

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