Speakers
Returning to London on 28 January 2025 – Construction Productivity Conference is a one day conference and supporting pop-up exhibition that will bring together a host of industry leaders to discuss strategy, opportunity, and the future of productivity in the built environment.
The conference will interrogate the issues affecting productivity but most importantly, will also analyse success stories.
View the full speaker programme here!
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Meet our speakers below!
Conference Chair: James Rowbotham, Head of Workplace Development – Landsec
James Rowbotham leads the Workplace Development team at Landsec and is Chair of the Construction Productivity Taskforce (a cross-industry group of senior leaders in commercial construction, committed to working together to improve the sector’s productivity performance). At Landsec he is responsible for the delivery of a £3bn central London office development pipeline that includes Thirty High, Victoria (the refurbishment of a 1960’s tower) and Timber Square, Bankside (the largest commercial development in the UK using timber).
Prior roles at Landsec have included leading the project management teams working within the retail, office and regeneration portfolios; Development Director responsible for Deloitte’s HQ at One New Street Square, the refurbishment of Holborn Gate on High Holborn and Lucent, the recently completed mixed-use development behind Piccadilly Lights, Westminster. Prior to Landsec he held development roles at DTZ, Thornfield and Hammerson, working on major schemes across London and the UK including Principal Place, Smithfield Market, and Bishopsgate Goodsyard.
Katy Dowding, President & CEO – Skanska
Throughout her 35-year career, Katy Dowding (UCL MSc, Interdisciplinary Management of Projects 2006) has been a force for change in the construction industry. Her impact has been felt across commercial, operational, and strategic roles, leading to accolades such as 2013 Women in the City Woman of Achievement and 2016 British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) Leader of the Year. She’s also a Trustee of the Construction Youth Trust and a member of the Construction Productivity Taskforce.
In May 2023, Katy became President and CEO of Skanska UK – a development and construction organisation she’s been a part of for over 20 years. In this role, she has continued to apply her passion for inclusion and diversity and her infectious energy which enables people and projects to thrive.
Anthony Impey, Chief Executive – Be the Business
Anthony Impey MBE is CEO of Be the Business, a not-for-profit organisation established improve business productivity. He is a serial entrepreneur and experienced business leader with a track-record in starting, building, and operating businesses and not-for-profit organisations in the tech and skills sectors. After starting his first business at school, he went on to build several businesses including Touchbase Network and Technology House. As founder and chief executive of Optimity, he built one of the UK’s leading providers of fixed-wireless internet services and a multi award-winning apprenticeship programme. He also founded TechCity Stars and Tech Up Nation; not-for-profit organisations that helped disadvantaged young Londoners kickstart their careers in the tech sector. He was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s 2018 New Year’s Honours for Services to Apprenticeships and Small Business.
Jaimie Johnston MBE, Head of Global Systems – Bryden Wood
This session will cover dramatic advances in business outcomes that are now being made by combining design automation, industrialised construction, use of robotics, and on-site automation. This combination is already demonstrating how schedules can be halved using far fewer operatives, achieving higher quality and safety, with lower carbon. However, this has required new relationships and procurement strategies. As well as showing real-world examples, this session will also consider how roles, business models, incentives, and value propositions will need to adapt if the industry is to make the necessary change.
Sam Ward, Technology & Innovation Operations Leader – Laing O’Rourke
A Civil Engineer, Chartered with the Institution of Engineering and Technology. I am passionate about innovation — having worked for Laing O’Rourke for 15 years, spanning operational delivery across a multitude of sectors before transitioning into our Digital Engineering team in 2012. Here, I focused on growing and industry leading capability across the Group, providing innovative Digital solutions for pre-construction and delivery teams, eventually leading the UK pre-construction Digital Engineering team. Since 2019 I have been working as Operations/Programme Leader for our Technology & Innovation function, responsible for developing, commercialising, and delivering truly transformative technology to our industry.
Dick Clerkin, Managing Director – Clerkin Consulting
With over twenty years of experience, working with many of Irelands and the UK’s leading companies and brands, Dick Clerkin, Managing Director of Clerkin Consulting, is one the leading voices in the Building Products Manufacturing and Offsite Construction industries.
With extensive experience and proven industry credentials in areas including Strategy Deployment, Operational Excellence, New Product Development, Project Management, Leadership Coaching and Organisational change, Clerkin Consulting provides their clients with a broad range of skills and competencies, which are vital when supporting improvement projects, that often encompass a wide range of disciplines.
Allied to his professional credentials, Dick is one of Irelands best known GAA pundits, working with both the Irish independent and Sky Sports GAA, following a 17-year career playing senior intercounty football with Monaghan. Dick was also a member of the GAA Covid Advisory group that helped navigate the association through the challenges posed by the Covid pandemic. Such experiences have developed Dick into an accomplished and trusted communicator with a strong team-centred approach when working within organisations.
As chairperson of MMC Irelands Education and Awareness working group, along with endorsements and partnerships with organisations such as Lean Construction Ireland and CP Skillnet, Dick is very well regarded and respected in the wider built environment community.
Graham Winch, Professor of Project Management – The Productivity Institute, Alliance Manchester Business School
Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) are widely advocated as the solution to the construction productivity problem, particularly in housing, with a special emphasis on volumetric modules (Cat 1 MMC). This advocacy – supported financially by government – inspired many start-up module suppliers across the country, but over the last year or so, these innovative suppliers have gone down like skittles. What has gone wrong?
This talk will present the findings from research at The Productivity Institute, Alliance Manchester Business School over the last two years to provide an answer to this very important question for the future of our industry.
Hannah Vickers, Global Head of Advisory and
Productivity & Net Zero Lead – Mace and Construction Leadership Council
Hannah joined Mace in 2021 from the Association for Consultancy and Engineering where she served as Chief Executive and prior to that she was an advisor to Ministers at HM Treasury in the UK.
In her new role Hannah will lead the Advisory consultancy, responsible for the creation of strategies, business cases and delivering transformation for clients, investors and sponsors across the world.
Hannah will retain membership of the Construction Leadership Council where she leads on productivity and net zero.
Trudi Sully, UK and Europe Lead – Industrialised Design & Construction – Mott MacDonald
Trudi is the Region Lead for Industrialised Design & Construction at Mott MacDonald, where a rapidly growing team is delivering integrated utilisation of DfMA, MMC, and platform approaches to unlock greater social, economic, and environmental outcomes. She has had an eclectic career working across a broad range of industries, but largely with a common theme of engaging with leaders – from SMEs to multi-nationals and government departments – to tackle challenges and support transformation.
Prior to joining Mott MacDonald, Trudi spent 4 years as a director of the Construction Innovation Hub, working with government and industry to develop tools and approaches that enable improved productivity, performance and resilience. She now champions the transition of this work from research and development into deployment, with a vision for the future of construction as a more diverse, inclusive and progressive industry.
Mark Worrall, CEO – BBI Services
As CEO of BBI Services, Mark utilises his years of business improvement experience to support clients in realising their strategic goals through practical improvement strategies and programmes. Mark has built a wealth of experience having worked across a variety of construction environments and other sectors including automotive, aerospace and manufacturing and supports the BBI team in the drive to enhance the sector.
As the lead of BBI Services, Mark focuses on developing the BBI team to deliver our expert services to enhance client’s performance. The work with clients includes translating their organisation’s strategic goals into strategy deployment driving business performance, the engagement of teams and long-term sustained success. Mark has worked with clients, contractors and supply chains for many years to drive practical programme improvement, productivity and quality, certainty and betterment with real Return On Investment and improvements at the project / programme / supply chain level.
Mark engages with various organisation across the sector to support change at a sector level to realise benefits for leads teams to deliver client value and engage of everyone.
Campbell Middleton, Laing O’Rourke Professor of Construction Engineering – University of Cambridge
Over the last 5 years the University of Cambridge has undertaken a detailed study of construction productivity which has resulted in a new framework for measuring productivity on construction projects. This research has demonstrated the value of adopting a standardised set of metrics and collecting more granular data on, for example, cost, program and manhours, which allow projects to be compared and benchmarks of performance established. An alternative method for visualizing progress and performance will also be presented.
Martin Plant, Associate Partner – McKinsey & Company
As the construction industry faces a pivotal growth phase, with global spending expected to soar from $13 trillion in 2023 to $22 trillion by 2040, the imperative to enhance productivity has never been more critical. This session will explore why improving construction productivity is essential in meeting the economic and societal demands of the future, including infrastructure development, and achieving net-zero environmental targets. We will delve into the challenges that stagnate productivity and discuss strategic approaches to overcome these obstacles, ensuring the construction industry can efficiently tackle essential projects and support sustainable development.
Cliff Smith, Executive Director – GIRI (Get it Right Initiative)
GIRI executive director, Cliff Smith, is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and has more than 40 years’ experience in the construction industry, 38 working with contractor Sir Robert McAlpine and subsequently as a consultant offering specialist engineering and technical support, project and design management and strategic quality leadership.
He has been a director of the Get it Right Initiative since its’ formation and was involved in the development of the Guide to Improving Value by Reducing Design Error and a number of research reports on the use of technology in the construction industry – all of which are available to download from the GIRI website.
Cliff leads an agile GIRI delivery team covering administration, communications, finance and research.
Grant Findlay, Executive Managing Director – Sir Robert McAlpine
First joining Sir Robert McAlpine in 2012, Grant has a decade of history with the company, having formerly run the London business then, latterly, as Director of Strategy where he was responsible for innovation and improvement, and leading strategic sector activity. Grant is also a co-founder and Director of the Construction Data Trust, a not-for-profit entity using data to accelerate the transformation of the construction industry.
Brian Morrisroe, CEO – Morrisroe Group
Brian Morrisroe is the Chief Executive Officer of the Group. He is responsible for overseeing the long-term success of the Morrisroe Group, providing entrepreneurial leadership and setting the Group’s strategic aims. He is supported by a team of Managing Directors appointed to handle day to day matters and ensure that the necessary financial, technical and human resources are in place to meet the Group’s objectives.
Simon Rawlinson, Head of Strategic Research and Insight – Arcadis
Simon Rawlinson heads the Arcadis multi-disciplinary strategic research and insight team. He is also a member of the Construction Leadership Council responsible for strategy, communication and thought leadership; and is also a member of the CIC Executive.
He has held business roles in connection with collaboration and innovation since 2000 and has been closely involved with the evolution of Information Management over this period.
Simon has 20 years’ experience in construction and built environment research and innovation. He is a well-known commentator in the construction industry, having worked with leading industry publications in the UK and overseas for many years. Simon’s research interests include market forecasting, construction productivity and procurement.
As part of his innovation remit, Simon has a long track record of working on industry change initiatives. He has been a member of the UK Government BIM Task Group since 2010, has been involved in the development and implementation of the UK National BIM strategy, and continues to contribute to the development of the Digital Built Britain Strategy.
