APM Podcast
Project managers share their stories from the front line of the project and programme management profession. Contact us at apmpodcast@thinkpublishing.co.uk. This podcast is brought to you by APM, the chartered membership organisation for the project profession. For more information on how to join APM, visit apm.org.uk.
Episodes
Game, set, match: managing projects at Wimbledon
Emma chats all things tennis with Stephen Frame, Head of Project Delivery at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, better known as Wimbledon, about project management there, as well as about its ambitious future expansion plans. This episode was recorded in the second week of the 2026 championships, where it wasn’t only the heatwave hotting things up, but also the fact that Briton Arthur Fery was thro
Humans + AI: how project managers can build hybrid intelligence
How can humans and artificial intelligence (AI) applications work together as a hybrid intelligence in a positive way for organisations, projects and individuals? There’s a lot of chatter on the subject and there are many so-called experts, so it pays to be discerning about who you choose to listen to. Joining Emma to help cut through the noise are James Garner, Head of AI at Gleeds, and Stephanie
From Gen Z to Baby Boomers: what makes multigenerational teams work?
Multiple generations are currently working side by side: Gen Z in their mid-20s and 30s, Millennials in their 30s and 40s, Gen X in their late 40s and 50s, and Baby Boomers in their 60s and 70s. Generational stereotypes abound: Baby Boomers supposedly have it all, while digital-native Gen Z are dismissed as ‘snowflakes’. How helpful are these labels? Probably not very. There’s a backlash against t
Building your experience to gain an executive role
Emma talks all things leadership with Dave Corbin ChPP, Chief Project Delivery Officer at Gleeds. Dave started his working life as a gas engineer before switching into project and programme management and working his way up to the top. He shares his career advice on getting ahead, and explains why clarity matters in project leadership. Dave was a finalist for APM's Chartered Project Professional o
Delivering a £3bn water infrastructure resilience programme
Emma is joined by John McNeill ChPP, Head of Programme Delivery at United Utilities, who's helping to lead the £3bn Haweswater Aqueduct Resilience Programme (HARP) in North-West England. What's it like to get a once-in-a-generation critical infrastructure programme off the ground? What's it like to work on a major project in an area, water supply, that is garnering so much public and m
Why storytelling matters in project management
Emma meets Zoë Arden, author of Story-Centred Leadership: Crafting cultures of change. The pair discuss storytelling – why it's a great skill to master as a project professional and how to do it well. Zoë is a fellow at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and was previously Director of Communications at BT, as well as European MD of global communications firm We
From project professional to CEO, with the RSPCA's Joanna Rowland
Emma meets Joanna Rowland, Chief Executive of the RSPCA. Listeners might remember her previous interview with the podcast in 2020 during the pandemic, when she was Director of HMRC’S COVID-19 response unit, responsible for helping mastermind the UK government’s furlough scheme, and where she was also head of the project management profession. A lot has changed for Jo since then. She rose through t
Why psychological safety is not a nice-to-have
Emma meets James Evans, Programme Manager at NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee, who has a deep interest in psychological safety and contributed to the forthcoming APM e-learning module on the topic.James explains what psychological safety actually is (and what it isn’t) and the reasons why it's such a hot topic in project management. Psychological safety is no longer a nice-to-have, he e
Using a systems thinking approach to select successful projects
**The APM book Doing the Right Project: Using a Systems Thinking Approach to Select Successful Projects is available to purchase here: https://www.apm.org.uk/book-shop/doing-the-right-project-using-a-systems-thinking-approach-to-select-successful-projects/**In this episode, Emma is joined by the book’s co-authors – Andrew Wright ChPP FAPM, leader of the APM Systems Thinking Interest Network, Ces
Is data literacy a soft skill?
**Find the APM Data Literacy Skills Framework at apm.org.uk/resources/what-is-project-management/what-is-project-data-analytics **Emma meets Rob Lord, Director of Major Programmes at BT International, and Gareth Parkes, architect of the APM Data Literacy Skills Framework, who is Head of Data and Analytics at Sir Robert MacAlpine and one of the founding members of the Project Data Analytics Task Fo
Arts and science: how to manage projects in any sector
Ahead of International Women’s Day later this week, Emma meets two successful women in project management who work in completely different sectors – Josie Harries and Anna Ustynyuk. They explain how core project management skills combined with sector-specific knowledge can give you a career that is highly transferable from one industry to another. Both Josie and Anna are members of the APM Women i
The show must go on! Royal Ballet and Opera’s £40m renewal programme
Emma goes behind the scenes at the Royal Ballet and Opera in London to explore how a £40m technical renewal programme is being delivered without interrupting live performances. From upgrading stage elevators and lighting rigs to replacing critical communications systems, every project must be carefully designed, prototyped and installed around a relentless performance schedule.Hear from the projec
When a project director becomes COO: Heather Walker at Royal Ballet and Opera
Emma meets Heather Walker, Chief Operating Officer at Royal Ballet and Opera (RBO) in London, where she's responsible for planning and coordinating a range of services to support across technical and production estate, visitor experience, technology and administration.A major focus is the renewal of the estate, ensuring that sustainability is at the heart of fabric and plant upgrades, and that
What makes a great project manager? (Part 2)
In this episode, we find out the secrets of being a great project manager. It’s January, the time of year where many of us have New Year's resolutions, or maybe just a vague idea of how we want to change things up. So, listen on for some excellent advice from APM’s Chartered Project Professional of the Year, Tamsin Alli-Balogun, who’s also Associate Director of Transport at AtkinsRéalis; Paul Chap
What the project economy means for your career
Emma welcomes back to the podcast Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, author and Vice President of APM, to talk about his new book, Powered by Projects, which is published by Harvard Business Review Press in January 2026. In it, he argues that CEOs must put projects, not operations, at the centre of how their companies create value. But where does that leave the project managers in that organisation? And how
Why simplicity matters in project management
Emma meets Nathan Hellebrand ChPP, Global Delivery Director at Babcock International Group, and Mike Hudson ChPP, Interim Strategy Management Director at the National Trust, to discuss simplicity. It’s a topic that crops up often when we interview senior project professionals about how they make the delivery of their projects a success. Join us as we get to the bottom of this deceptively complex s
Project leadership in the UK nuclear sector
Professor Adam Boddison OBE welcomes Gareth Taylor to the podcast. Gareth was recently appointed a nuclear sector director at Turner & Townsend, having previously spent over six years at the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. He has over 25 years of experience in the nuclear industry and has held a range of senior leadership roles. At the NDA, he led transformative programmes to improve asset
How to measure anything in project management
Emma is joined by Douglas Hubbard and Andreas Leed to discuss their book How to Measure Anything in Project Management, also co-authored with Alexander Budzier. Be prepared for mind-expanding conversation about project management and how any aspect of it can be measured, including those things you thought might be immeasurable – and why we should all be engaged in the most important project of all
How to boost your self-confidence: tips from the top
We tackle the perennial problem of self-confidence and why many of us need an occasional, or more general, boost to our levels of it.Emma speaks to Dame Inga Beale, ex-CEO of Lloyd’s of London, and a woman who has very much learned how to get ahead in a male-dominated sector. She also hears the advice of leadership coach Muriel Wilkins of Paravis Partners in the US, who has a new book called Leade
The future of nuclear energy in the UK
Emma is joined by Nigel Cann (Sizewell C), Stuart McLaren (WSP) and Carol Tansley (X-energy). They discuss the future of nuclear energy projects in the UK, including new technologies and the government’s wider strategy for clean energy. The guests share why collaboration between various nuclear utilities will be critical in this new world, the necessity for modularisation and standardisation, and
What makes a great project leader?
Emma meets Dr Paul Chapman, Senior Fellow at Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, and Gordon MacKay, Project Management Capability Lead at Sellafield, who also provided specialist knowledge for a new APM Learning module on leadership of self, which is coming out soon. Gordon and Paul delve deep into their experience and research to pass on their advice on what it takes to be a great p
“The only constant is change”: APM's Chair on project leadership
Emma meets Amy Morley ChPP, APM’s new Chair and a Programme Management Senior Director at AECOM, an industry leader in programme management services for large, complex infrastructure programmes. Amy discusses everything from what the future might hold for APM and the project profession to her career lessons. Contact us: apmpodcast@thinkpublishing.co.uk
Managing stress and avoiding burnout
Managing stress, maintaining work-life balance and avoiding burnout is a modern preoccupation. But let's not forget that the right level of stress can be enjoyable and motivating for many of you working in project management. To unpick these issues, Emma is joined by Dr Clara Cheung (University of Manchester), Veronica Sikombe (Mott MacDonald) and Rochelle Sampson-Clarke (NHS South, Central an
Why do government projects fail?
Emma meets Jonathan Simcock, a highly experienced and respected project leader who has held executive roles in the oil and gas, energy, utilities and telecommunication sectors. In 2007, he took over what became the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (and is now NISTA). Until last year, he was chair of the Submarine Delivery Agency in the MOD. His book, The Delivery Gap: Why government projects
Programme delivery in the defence sector
APM CEO Professor Adam Boddison is joined by Steve Langbridge, Director of Programmes at SEA, a company based in South-west England which specialises in developing and delivering defence solutions to a global customer base. Its business areas include naval ship and fleet protection, and undersea surveillance systems. Steve was appointed to his Director role in July, having previously been Head of
Fixing Our Broken Planet: Natural History Museum’s inspiring call to action
Emma goes behind the scenes at London's Natural History Museum, which is an APM Corporate Partner. The museum will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2031 and has therefore kicked off a programme that includes the creation of six new permanent galleries within the iconic museum building in South Kensington.The first gallery has already opened, and that's where Emma headed. It's called
EastEnders at Elstree Studios: behind the scenes of a project to redevelop the site
Emma visits Elstree Studios, which has been home to TV soap EastEnders since 1985. She goes behind the scenes of a project to create new production and post-production suites from a derelict building and to give actors new dressing rooms and make-up rooms. Get a flavour of what it's like on a construction project in a creative environment with cast and crew filming all around as the project ta
How to work with purpose and find your motivation
Emma meets Anne Marie Purcell, C-Suite Advisor in Transformational Change in Delivery and Transport; Nermeen Latif, Technical Director of Digital Solutions at WSP; and Glen Kelly, Programme Manager at CoStar Live Lab.They discuss finding purpose and meaning in your work. For project professionals, a sense of purpose – that you're doing something not just for the bottom line, but also for the bigge
Sustainability starts with you: lessons from the APM Conference 2025
Sustainability in project management remains a hot topic – but it can be hard to get to grips with. Depending on your specific role and level of seniority, you may feel unable to influence the sustainability of your projects. Perhaps issues like net zero and social inequality feel remote from your day-to-day.In this episode, however, we hear why sustainability isn’t just a top-down directive. It c
Project managers' salary (and job satisfaction) in 2025
The APM Salary and Market Trends Survey 2025 takes a snapshot of life on the frontline of project management, comparing how pay, compensation, job satisfaction, opportunities and challenges have changed since the 2023 survey and giving insights on hot workplace topics, including artificial intelligence, sustainability, government projects, and diversity and inclusion. It also charts the confidence
Projecting for the Future: opportunities and challenges for the project profession
Emma meets Dr Sara Hajikazemi and Professor Eunice Maytorena-Sanchez to discuss APM’s research report Projecting for the Future: Harmonising energy and environment.This latest study provides insights into what the profession sees as the most important future trends that are likely to impact the way project managers practise their profession to identify what might need to change.Read the report her
What skills do project professionals need in 2025?
Emma meets Mike Bourne, professor of Business Performance at Cranfield University and Managing Editor of the APM Body of Knowledge 8th edition.Mike says a lot has changed in the five years since the previous edition of the APM Body of Knowledge was published. The conversation focuses on what makes for a great project professional in 2025, how to get your head around systems thinking, how to approa
Back to school: project management in the education sector
Adam meets Dhruv Patel, an APM Honorary Fellow and Chief Executive and Founder of the Nisai Group. His company specialises in the delivery of online education services to learners around the world, particularly what it calls ‘non-traditional students’. Dhruv shares his experience of project delivery in the education sector, as well as the role of technology and some leadership lessons, too.Contact
Project controls: data, leadership and communication
Emma meets Paul Kidston and Carolyn Browning to discuss project controls. The pair are co-authors, along with others, of the new APM book, Project Controls in the 21st Century, available at apm.org.uk/book-shop/project-controls-in-the-21st-century/Listen on to find out why project controllers should actually be called ‘truth tellers’ and how, in project controls, you need to have both an eye for t
Redefining project success and the value that project professionals deliver, with PMI CEO Pierre Le Manh
APM Chief Executive Professor Adam Boddison OBE is joined in conversation by Pierre Le Manh, President and CEO at the Project Management Institute (PMI). Headquartered in the US, PMI is a worldwide professional organisation representing the project profession.Pierre is an experienced CEO who has worked across several sectors. He was born in France into a “family of entrepreneurs” and moved to the
Charity sector focus: growing project management’s maturity (and getting stuff done)
Emma meets Ashleigh Hargrave, Interim Head of Strategy Projects and Management at the King Edward VI Foundation in Birmingham, and David Kitchiner, Head of the Portfolio Office at the RSPB, to find out what it’s like to be leading project management within these two charities, both of which are APM Corporate Partners. They provide a behind-the-scenes look at how project management is woven into th
How to tackle the urgent need for gender balance: experiences from the built environment
Emma meets Frances Palmer, Associate Director at Gleeds; Dave Corbin FAPM, Head of Client Accounts at Gleeds; and leadership and culture coach Anita Phagura, who previously worked in infrastructure project management.Frances and Dave helped set up APM’s Built Environment Interest Network last year. With a special focus on diversity and inclusion for the week of International Women’s Day, our guest
Work, health and introducing project management: a scientist's perspective
Emma meets Dr Miranda Loh, Director of Scientific Growth, Engagement and Innovation at the Institute of Occupational Medicine, which is dedicated to enhancing health in workplaces.Miranda develops the institute’s research capabilities in hazardous substances, exposure assessment, health and wellbeing at work, air pollution and the built environment’s impact on health. While not formally qualified
How to delegate effectively
Emma speaks to leadership and management expert Jo Owen and Andy Alder, Managing Director of Major Infrastructure Delivery at Anglian Water, about how to delegate. It’s something every project manager or leader needs to understand and practise successfully if they want their teams to achieve things. So, Jo and Andy give us their insider dos and don’ts so that you can hone your mindset and learn ho
What makes a great project manager?
As we often hear on this podcast, being an effective project professional is about more than just managing timelines and budgets. It's also about creating a space where teams can thrive and achieve goals together. But isn't that easier said than done? And how can project managers strike the right balance between technical skills and the emotional intelligence needed to manage teams? Throug
From project to programme management: how to make the move successfully
Emma meets Suzanne Moreland, Vice President of Programme Management Practice at AECOM, about how to step up from being a project manager to being a programme manager.
Suzanne draws on her vast experience of leading megaprojects and shares her behind-the-scenes lessons from working on some truly mind-blowing programmes. If you are thinking of entering the world of programme management or want to ho
5 things we learned in 2024
2024 is drawing to a close, and with a new year just around the corner, here at the APM Podcast we’re in a reflective mood. In this episode, we’re going to look back at what we’ve learned from the 25 episodes we’ve published this year. We’ve covered everything from managing radioactive waste to making documentaries for the BBC. But what have been the standout lessons? Don’t forget to share yours!
How AI is changing projects right now
Emma meets Daniel Armanios, BT Professor of Major Programme Management at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, and Zack Swafford, co-founder of Dart, a San Francisco-based start-up whose project management tool uses artificial intelligence (AI) to assist with brainstorming, roadmap planning and report generation, among other tasks.
The pair consider the rapid developments in AI over the past
Lessons on reaching the C-suite with Babcock International Group’s Donna Sinnick
Emma meets Donna Sinnick, Chief Delivery Officer at Babcock International Group, a defence, aerospace and security company, about her rise to the top of the profession and the valuable career and project management lessons she's learned along the way. Donna shares her advice on everything from creating simplicity in programmes and projects to being a woman in a male-dominated environment and movin
Diverse routes into the profession: career stories from APM’s Women in Project Management Interest Network
Emma meets four project professionals who volunteer for APM's Women in Project Management (WiPM) Interest Network. They have all found their own unique path to a career in project management. They share their experience of switching sectors and coming to project management from a non-traditional career path – and give plenty of advice on how to successfully find your own way up the career ladder.
How to have difficult conversations
Emma meets Marie Coombes and Sophie Paton to explore how to have difficult conversations as a project manager. With their advice, learn how to approach these conversations without feeling daunted – and why we shouldn't even describe such conversations as ‘difficult’, but rather reframe them as ‘essential’.
Marie is the director of We Restore Calm and a seasoned expert in conflict resolution, media
How to be an inclusive leader
Recorded live at APM’s Women in Project Management Conference 2024, this episode brings together four project professionals to discuss what inclusivity means to them. Being an inclusive leader, they said, can strengthen relationships with colleagues by creating a more supportive and collaborative workplace culture. But is it easier said than done? And how do you bring people with you?
Join Elizabe
Secrets to leadership success with career coach Susanne Madsen
Emma meets Susanne Madsen, an executive coach for business leaders, particularly those working in the project profession. She is the award-winning author of The Power of Project Leadership and a regular contributor to Project journal. Susanne is known for her transformational leadership programmes and has coached hundreds of individuals from high-profile organisations across the globe. Her new boo
Episode 100: the BBC’s Ros Atkins on how to be a better communicator
To celebrate our 100th episode, Emma meets Ros Atkins, the BBC’s News Analysis Editor, who has presented and reported on some of the biggest stories around the world for 20 years. He’s also the creator of the critically acclaimed Ros Atkins On… video series, where he explains complex stories in a truly masterful way.
His new book, The Art of Explanation, is out now in paperback. In it, and in this
Inside the UK space race: behind the scenes at Nammo Space
Emma travels to Westcott, Buckinghamshire, to meet the team at Nammo Space, who work on propulsion systems for space rocket engines and thrusters. Their cutting-edge products are used on international space programmes, whether they’re satellites or missions to the moon or Mars. The business is growing rapidly, with around 100 people, and 12 project professionals. Read more in the autumn 2024 editi
How to be a project influencer, with APM Trustee Emma Carroll-Walsh
Emma meets Emma Caroll-Walsh, Director of Customer Programmes at Aqua Consultants and Deputy Chair of APM’s Built Environment Interest Network, who is also an outgoing APM Board Trustee.
She shares her top tips on how to be an effective project influencer and why it really matters to hone your influencing skills – plus what it's like to step up to being a Board Trustee and the valuable profess
Bring people with you: lessons from APM’s Project Professional of the Year
Emma meets Jimmy Nguyen, APM’s Project Professional of the Year 2023 and Associate Director at Turner & Townsend. Jimmy worked on the Bromford and Castle Vale flood risk management scheme for the Environment Agency. He was praised by APM’s awards judges for successfully dealing with stakeholder pressure, garnering support from the local MP and forming a high-performing team to deliver the proj
Navigating tomorrow: 5 things we learned at the 2024 APM Conference
We take a deep dive into the future of the project profession, with a compilation of some of our favourite insights from the 2024 APM Conference.
Held in Coventry in June, the theme for this year’s APM Conference was ‘Navigating Tomorrow: Future Skills for Project Professionals’. The event invited project leaders and experts on future trends to unpack the rapidly changing landscape that projects a
UK Parliament: building a community of engaged project professionals
Emma meets Algy Ayson, Head of Project Delivery Centre of Excellence and Profession at UK Parliament, who works on projects and programmes across both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Emma spoke to him in June, just a few weeks ahead of the UK general election. Algy gives some great advice on how to create culturally competent project teams where diverse perspectives are welcomed and u
Advising government on radioactive waste, with Sir Nigel Thrift (CoRWM)
Professor Adam Boddison in conversation Sir Nigel Thrift, Chair of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management, or CoRWM.
CoRWM’s role, as Sir Nigel describes it, is to give independent scientific and technical advice to UK Government on all aspects of the management of radioactive waste.
Sir Nigel is one of the world’s leading human geographers and previously served as Vice-Chancellor and Presi
The APM President handover: reflections on project trends and future ambitions
APM CEO Professor Adam Boddison invites outgoing APM President Sue Kershaw and her successor Yvonne Thompson CBE to hand over the baton.
Sue shares her reflections on the biggest project management trends over her time in the hotseat, from managing greater project complexity and going from megaprojects to gigaprojects, to being able to deliver on promises and the need for greater connectivity.
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The future of human behaviour, with an APM Conference keynote speaker
Emma meets Thimon de Jong, founder of WHETSTON / strategic foresight, a think tank specialising in future human behaviour and societal change and the implications for leadership and business strategy. The pair discuss where society and all of us are headed in the near future, and what project managers and leaders need to think about when it comes to the people they're managing, the projects th
The Golden Thread: What is the economic contribution of the project profession?
What is the true value of the project profession to the UK economy and society? That is the question that APM seeks to answer in its new research report, The Golden Thread. Expanding on research first published in 2019, the new report provides updated data on the contribution of the project profession in the context of the global disruptions of the past five years.
In this podcast we share an edit
A world first: Decommissioning a nuclear fusion machine
Emma meets Steve Gilligan, a programme manager who’s playing a critical role in the world's first decommissioning of a nuclear fusion machine. He works at Culham Campus, just outside Oxford, home to the Joint European Taurus, or JET, a tokamak machine where some of the world’s most important nuclear fusion experiments have taken place.
But now JET’s days are over and Gilligan is tasked with ta
Leading the government property profession, with Lynda Rawsthorne
Professor Adam Boddison in conversation with the Head of the Government Property Profession, Lynda Rawsthorne. Sitting within the Cabinet Office, Lynda is responsible for the strategy for the whole government estate, which covers everything from hospitals to courts and offices. She describes her role as engaging, encouraging and motivating the 7,000-plus professionals who make up the property prof
National Trust, part 3: What’s it like to be a project management apprentice?
In the third and final part of our series on the National Trust, Emma is back at Dyrham Park near Bath to meet three project management apprentices who all started at the Trust in October 2022 and are nearing the end of their 18-month apprenticeship programme after sitting APM’s Project Management Qualification. So, what’s it like to be an apprentice in an organisation that puts project management
National Trust, part 2: Managing urban and net-zero programmes
In episode 2 of our three-part series on the National Trust, an APM Corporate Partner, Emma finds out about the Trust’s urban programmes and its work in renewables. As well as visiting Stoneford Community Garden in Dagenham, East London, she meets Jo Dmitri, a Senior Programme Manager leading a team of nine project professionals as part of the strategy work the Trust is doing in London to connect
National Trust, part 1: Project management at the heart of conservation
In our three-part series on the National Trust, an APM Corporate Partner, we find out how the charity has brought project management close to its organisational heart. In episode 1, Emma goes behind the scenes at Dyrham Park, a 17th-century mansion near Bath, which recently underwent a multimillion-pound transformation project. She meets Mike Hudson, Head of Strategic Planning, Project and Program
The BBC’s Rachel Baldwin: From documentary maker to portfolio director
Rachel Baldwin is Head of Programme and Project Delivery at the BBC, where she leads a team of 115 people tasked with a huge variety of IT and technology programmes – including a brand‑new home for the Beeb in Birmingham and creating the largest orchestral recording space in Europe in East London.
But while Rachel is now a seasoned project professional, she started her career as a documentary film
Why high-risk medical research needs strong project management
What’s it like to deliver life-changing medical research projects that address health problems facing communities, change health options and outcomes for patients, and improve the lives of people living with disease? That’s the remit of Dr Karen Skinner, Chief Project and Portfolio Officer at not-for-profit Life Arc. Join us as she sits down with Professor Adam Boddison, Chief Executive of APM, fo
How to get to the top (and be yourself): Tips from an ex-CEO
Emma meets Dame Inga Beale, portfolio director and former CEO of global insurance giant Lloyd’s of London. Dame Inga was keynote speaker at APM’s 2023 Women in Project Management Conference.
Contact us: apmpodcast@thinkpublishing.co.uk
The 15-minute conference: Top tips from APM’s Women in Project Management Conference
Ever wondered how to balance work and family, how to strategise your career and how to network effectively? In this episode, we’ve compiled some of our highlights from APM’s Women in Project Management Conference 2023. These sessions focused on how project professionals – women in particular – can take their career to the next level.
Contact us: apmpodcast@thinkpublishing.co.uk
Levelling up and lessons from major projects, with Baroness Valentine
Professor Adam Boddison meets Baroness Valentine. Having started out working in corporate finance in the City in the 1980s, in recent years Baroness Valentine has had what she describes as a “portfolio career”. Her current roles include Chair of Heathrow Southern Railway and Co-Director of Place at Business in the Community. As of 2005, she also sits in the House of Lords as a cross-bench member,
5 things we learned in 2023
We look back at our favourite moments from the podcast in 2023.
It’s been another action-packed year in which we’ve welcomed guests from across the international project management community. We kicked off 2023 with an episode on bringing empathy into the workplace, and since then we’ve covered topics ranging from the rise of artificial intelligence to the can-do mindset of Icelandic project mana
What artificial intelligence means for the future of project management
In this episode, Emma meets three project professionals with a deep interest in artificial intelligence (AI) to consider what impact this technology is having right now on projects, what it might hold for the future and what project managers should be doing to adapt to this brave new world. Joining Emma are:
Professor Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, Founder of the Strategy Implementation Institute and
The origins of agile project management
In this episode, Emma is joined once again by Professor Darren Dalcher of the University of Lancaster. Few people have studied project management as closely or for as long as Darren. In a career spanning more than 25 years, he has become very interested in the reasons for project failure. When it comes to agile, Darren was there from the start when it was being experimented with in software develo
How to manage menopause in the workplace
Emma meets three women to talk about menopause in the workplace. Two of them are project professionals – Rachel Jackson of Anglo American and Jo Roberts of the DfT – while the third, Aly Dilks of Simply Menopausal, is a nurse specialising in menopause.
The guests share experience and advice for those wanting to find out how to best deal with being menopausal, and how to support colleagues going th
Launching a career in the space sector, with the UK Space Agency’s Martina Blake
Professor Adam Boddison meets Martina Blake of the UK Space Agency. Martina heads up the agency’s Office for Project and Programme Management, which she set up in November 2021. She explains that you don’t have to be an astronaut or scientist to work in the space sector – there is a huge variety of roles in project delivery and beyond. And as with other government departments, the UK Space Agency
Modernising defence through projects, with Army Portfolio Director Kris Baldy
Professor Adam Boddison (APM Chief Executive) in conversation with Kris Baldy, Army Portfolio Director at the UK Ministry of Defence.
Kris shares his journey through the ranks of the civil service, including his rise from admin assistant to portfolio director, and how he, in his own words, "stumbled into project management".
Projects and programmes, Kris says, are central to tackling the
State-of-the-art risk management in projects: What you need to know
Emma meets Peter Simon, a Director at Lucidus Consulting and a member of the APM Risk SIG Committee. He is co-author of a new APM report looking into opportunity management as part of the overall project risk management process. The findings reveal notable areas where what is defined in textbooks and standards do not match what’s happening in practice.
Contact: apmpodcast@thinkpublishing.co.uk
The 15-minute conference: What you may have missed at APM’s Change Changes event
In June, APM held its annual conference in Birmingham under the heading of ‘Change Changes’. The event explored how the project profession must adapt to the changing nature of change itself in a world of increasing uncertainty and complexity. It emphasised the enormous contribution that projects can, and do, make to forging a cleaner, safer, more prosperous and more inclusive society.
In this pod
The female CEO leading the East West Rail project
Emma meets Beth West, CEO of East West Rail, a transport project that will open up a corridor from Oxford, through Milton Keynes and Bedford, to Cambridge and connect the UK’s two leading life sciences and tech hot spots.
Contact us: apmpodcast@thinkpublishing.co.uk
How to tie in sustainability and data analytics to deliver successful projects
In this episode, Emma meets Jo Jolly, Deputy Director and Head of Project Futures at the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, who recently spoke at APM's Change Changes conference. Everything is touched by projects, Jo told the audience. The UN Sustainable Development Goals should be actions for all our projects: we can do these things if we want to. Listen to hear Jo share how project deliv
Setting up a PMO from scratch in a media agency
Emma meets Dan Jennings, who recently established a project management office at the UK wing of global media agency Wavemaker. His team has worked on everything from Evian campaigns tied to the Wimbledon tennis tournament to delivering product placement within Married at First Sight on Channel 4. As those creative projects have become more complex, whether through multi-platform content partnershi
Project management and change activism with Magic Breakfast founder Carmel McConnell
Emma meets Carmel McConnell MBE – a change activist and keynote speaker at the upcoming APM Conference on 8 June in Birmingham. Carmel founded the charity Magic Breakfast; she is a tech entrepreneur, mentor to CEOs and best-selling author of Change Activist: Make Big Things Happen Fast.
Find out more about the APM Conference at www.apm.org.uk/apm-conference/
Contact us: apmpodcast@thinkpublishing.
