Black Cat Chat: The Building Podcast

In this episode of Black Cat Chat, Andy Clow sits down with Nick Goss , founder of Goss Consultancy and one of the UK's leading voices on accessibility, inclusive design and disability inclusion. Drawing on both professional expertise and lived experience, Nick shares how organisations can move beyond compliance and create buildings, places and services that genuinely work for everyone. The conver...

Sandon Global: Building a World-Class Manufacturing Facility In this episode of Black Cat Chat, Andy Clow is joined by Rich Millington, Managing Director of Sandon Global, and Peter Fearon Brown of 2M2 Studio to explore the story behind one of the UK's most impressive advanced manufacturing facilities. Together, they discuss how a long-term vision evolved from an ageing industrial unit into a...

Black Cat Chat returns for Series 2 with a fascinating conversation between Andy Clow and London Fire Commissioner Jonathan Smith BA MSc. In this episode, Jonathan shares the scale and complexity of leading London Fire Brigade, the UK’s largest fire and rescue service, and explains how London’s unique built environment creates challenges unlike anywhere else in the country. From high-rise and ultr...

Andy Clow sits down with Ben Pountney, Associate Director at Black Cat, to explore his career path, his promotion just weeks after joining the business, and the niche project management expertise he brings to large-scale development projects. Ben shares insights into working on complex regeneration and masterplanning schemes, the differences between corporate and independent consultancy life, and...

We’ve taken Black Cat Chat on the road (and into a proper recording studio for the first time) for an episode with the Birmingham team. Joined by Birmingham lead  Rob Green  and Director / Building Surveyor Mack Argent , Andy Clow explores how the Birmingham office has grown, how Rob and Mack’s different specialisms complement each other, and the kinds of work keeping the team busy, from retail re...

In this episode of Black Cat Chat: The Building Podcast, Andy Clow (Marketing Director at Black Cat) is joined by Ruth Moorhouse and Tim Cornford to introduce BCAM – Black Cat’s new Asset Management offer. Ruth joins as Director & Head of Impact, helping to strengthen the foundations for Black Cat’s next stage of growth, while also driving BCAM’s development. Tim leads our London office, bring...

In this episode of Black Cat Chat: The Building Podcast, Andy Clow sits down with our first non-Black Cat guests – Joseph Russell and Ian Fairweather, the founders of Allegro Real Estate. Fresh from launching their new consultancy, they share the excitement, pressure and practical realities of stepping out on their own. From early wins to tough lessons and the evolving demands of the commercial pr...

Professional Indemnity (PI) insurance might not be glamorous, but it is business-critical. In this episode of Black Cat Chat , Andy Clow sits down with Stephen Barnes , Director & Founder, to unpack what PI Insurance really is, why many firms misunderstand it, and how Black Cat sets a higher bar. Stephen explains: Why exclusions and sub-limits (fire, basements and more) matter What “adequate a...

In this episode of Black Cat Chat: The Building Podcast, two rising Black Cats from our Southampton team join Andy Clow to talk about their careers, their differing routes into surveying, and how they ended up working at Black Cat. Will Spriggs started his career on the tools as a trained carpenter, but soon moved to a Building Surveyor degree and APC success. Joe Merrett, however, took the Degree...

Black Cat Chat: Brett Lee on Sheds, EPC wins and building a Liverpool hub In this episode, And Clow sat down with the Director & Liverpool Lead Brett Lea to discuss his passion for buildings and Black Cat. From bonfire-night inspiration to leading our Liverpool office, Brett Lee shares how a teenage site visit set him on the path to building surveying. We cover why he is a self-confessed shed...

In this episode of Black Cat Chat, we take a career deep-dive with Ollie Folkes – our Bristol Office Lead and one of the longest-serving Black Cats. From a 15-year-old’s first site visit to leading Black Cat’s Bristol office, Ollie shares lessons on cautious growth, team culture without bureaucracy, and why collaboration wins on major projects. Ollie brings a somewhat different approach to his way...

Black Cat Chat: Building Regulations, Risk, and Responsibility with Tony Threadgold In this episode, I sat down with the brilliant Tony Threadgold — our in-house expert on all things Building Control – to explore the changing landscape of regulation and the role of the Principal Designer. Tony's journey spans from major projects like the Trafford Centre to founding and running a national Appro...

In this episode of Black Cat Chat , Andy Clow welcomes Joanna Whitear , ESG Lead & Director at Black Cat Building Consultancy, to explore how sustainability is reshaping UK commercial real estate. Joanna shares her journey from early ESG consultancy to leading a team of specialists, offering insights into carbon-led asset strategies, ESG-integrated due diligence, and authentic, actionable repo...

In this episode of Black Cat Chat: The Building Podcast , Andy Clow speaks with Rob Mowat, Finance Director at Black Cat Building Consultancy, about how a unique and transparent financial model is driving rapid growth, employee satisfaction, and long-term success in UK commercial real estate. Discover how Rob transitioned from external accountant to leadership, and how Black Cat’s open-book approa...

In this first episode of  Black Cat Chat , founders Ben Golby and Stephen Barnes sit down with Marketing Director Andy Clow to discuss how the business came into being, how it’s grown, and what the future holds. We’ll be publishing episodes every fortnight, sharing more insights into the world of commercial real estate from colleagues across Black Cat.