Pegasus Radio

Is the construction industry doing enough to prepare its next generation of leaders? In this episode, Paul Micallef speaks with Luke Turner, Managing Partner at Playle and Partners, about succession planning, consultancy ownership, AI, leadership and the future of construction. From completing a management buyout to embracing new technology, Luke shares practical lessons for consultancy leaders lo...

What does it take to lead one of the UK's fastest-growing specialist consultancies? In this episode of the Growing Consultancies podcast, Paul Micallef is joined by Victoria Head of Archus, to explore how the business has grown from a specialist healthcare consultancy into an international organisation operating across the UK and Canada. Victoria shares her journey from studying sociology and...

What happens when a Quantity Surveyor decides to build a consultancy around systems, automation and AI rather than traditional ways of working? In this episode of Growing Consultancies, Paul Micallef sits down with Tom Haley, Managing Director of Quantik, to discuss how his business has automated a significant proportion of its internal administration and why he believes AI will fundamentally chan...

What does it take to go from leaving school at 16 to leading a team of more than 50 construction professionals across one of the UK's largest regions? In this episode of Growing Consultancies, Paul Micallef is joined by Gemma Prior, Head of Cost Management at AtkinsRéalis, for an honest and inspiring conversation about leadership, career progression and the future of the construction industry....

Nick Wdowczyk, Director of GWB Consultants, joins Paul Micallef to discuss how the business grew to £1 million turnover within two years of launching. The conversation covers Quantity Surveying, Project Management, consultancy growth, leadership, recruitment, company culture, AI in construction, modern methods of construction and the future of the industry. Nick also shares lessons from starting a...

In this episode of Growing Consultancies, Paul Micallef is joined by Ben Elsey, founder of Macen, to discuss his journey from Chartered Quantity Surveyor to consultancy owner. Ben shares how he made the leap into self-employment in 2020, building Macen from a one-man operation into a growing consultancy supporting both clients and contractors across the construction industry. The conversation expl...

In this episode of the Growing Consultancies Podcast , Paul Micallef is joined by Josh Hanson and Liam Clarke, founders of Validity. The conversation dives into the world of 4D planning, digital construction and project delivery, exploring how better visualisation, programme sequencing and collaboration can dramatically improve outcomes across construction projects. Josh and Liam explain what 4D p...

What does the future of Quantity Surveying and construction consultancy really look like? In this thought provoking episode of Growing Consultancies, Paul Micallef sits down with Sunny Ahonsi, founder of FiveThirds Construction Consultancy and Five Thirds Living, for one of the most fascinating conversations yet on the future of the construction industry, AI, consultancy growth and modern business...

In this episode of Growing Consultancies, Paul Micallef is joined by Nathan Spencer, Managing Director of UKREiiF, the UK’s largest real estate, investment and infrastructure event. What started as an ambitious idea during COVID has grown into one of the most influential events in the UK built environment, bringing together investors, developers, councils, government, consultants, contractors and...

In this episode of Growing Consultancies, Paul Micallef is joined by Chris Jones, Founder of Echo Project Services. Chris discusses his journey into Quantity Surveying, from an unconventional start in government and tech roles, through major consultancies including Davis Langdon, EC Harris, Bollingbrook, Colliers and PBC, before launching his own consultancy business in 2025. They discuss the real...

Want to win more work in construction? This episode breaks down how to improve your bid success rate, win better clients, and grow a profitable construction consultancy. Most consultancies don’t have a bidding problem. They have a focus problem. In this episode of Growing Consultancies, Paul sits down with Jeremy Brim, founder of Growth Ignition, to unpack what actually drives growth in a consulta...

What does it take to grow a 185-person consultancy while keeping your people genuinely engaged? In this episode of Growing Consultancies , Paul sits down with James Morgan of Heyne Tillett Steel (HTS), a structural engineering consultancy known for its strong growth and even stronger culture. From daily team lunches to company-wide trips, HTS has built a business that puts people first and sees th...

In this episode of Growing Consultancies, Paul sits down with Mike Lally, founder of Cadence Projects, to discuss what it really takes to grow a construction consultancy. From launching during COVID to scaling a team across Birmingham, Manchester and London, Mike shares honest lessons on cash flow, decision-making, hiring and building a business that doesn’t rely on one person. A practical convers...

In this episode of Growing Consultancies, Paul Micallef is joined by Dan Whittingham, founder of Opera, a specialist project management consultancy delivering major commercial projects across London. Dan shares his views on what makes a great project manager, how Opera has grown into a high-performing construction consultancy, and why leadership, culture and standards are so important when buildin...

Welcome back to Growing Consultancies In this episode, I sit down with Annie Buckley, Co-Founder of Fourth Wall Building Consultancy, a growing building surveying practice operating across the UK. What makes this conversation different is Annie’s journey. She did not come from a building surveying background. Instead, she started her career in PR and corporate affairs before stepping into the cons...

In this special episode of Growing Consultancies, we’re joined by Melanie King of ADP Consulting. Mel’s career has taken an interesting path across recruitment, business ownership, and now into a unique business development role within a global engineering consultancy. She shares her journey from starting out in recruitment to running her own business for nearly eight years, before making a delibe...

In this episode of Growing Consultancies, Paul sits down with Rianne Scott from Atlas Facilities. This one’s a little different. Recorded in Cannes at MIPIM, this episode focuses on something that many people in the industry think about, but don’t always feel confident tackling… how to actually make the most of events. Rianne brings over 20 years of experience across the built environment, from ru...

In this episode of Growing Consultancies, Paul sits down with Matthew Jones, co-founder of Jones Hargreaves. Starting a business in 2009, right in the aftermath of the financial crash, wasn’t exactly perfect timing. But nearly 15 years on, Jones Hargreaves has grown into a 56-person, multi-disciplinary consultancy with seven offices across the UK. Matthew shares the journey from those uncertain ea...

In this episode, I sit down with Ross Hamilton of Dome PM. Dome are a growing small business in the Northeast, led by Ross and his business partner Andy, specialising in project management and cost management. This is a really honest conversation about building a consultancy the right way, learning as you go, and staying grounded through the ups and downs of growth. We discuss: - The early growth...

In this episode, I sit down with Peter Adeleye, Co-Founder of Vidos Solutions a consultancy building with real intention from the ground up. This one’s a proper “pause and think” conversation: tech, AI, the future of consultancies, and what happens when one brilliant person can do the work of five. Agree or disagree with Peter’s predictions, you’ll finish this episode with a few new questions ratt...

In this episode of the Growing Consultancies podcast, I speak to Shaun Harris of Harris Associates. Shaun is a proper “been there, done it” business owner, there are plenty of pearls of wisdom in this conversation. We talk about doing things the traditional way for a long time, then recognising when it’s time to modernise. We also get into leadership, wearing multiple hats as a business owner, and...

In this episode, I speak to Colin Wood, founder of EthosEQ, a growing Quantity Surveying business just over a year old, focused primarily within the commercial space. Colin shares his journey from corporate consultancy life to launching his own partner-led business, and what he’s learned in the first year. We discuss: • The difference between working in a large corporate organisation versus a smal...

In this week’s episode of Growing Consultancies, I sit down with David Watts, Managing Director of Childerstone Project Management. David shares his view on how a modern consultancy should be built and led. Childerstone have grown quickly, and it is not by accident. It comes down to leadership, culture and doing the simple things properly. We discuss: Developing people properly and investing in fu...

In this episode of Growing Consultancies, I’m joined by Jamie Hanson of CODA Studios . CODA are a small architectural practice headquartered in Sheffield, with a growing presence in Manchester, and this turned into a really honest and insightful conversation. Jamie and the team completed a management buyout, buying out the original founder just as Covid hit, which meant taking over the business du...

Twenty five episodes Countless stories One simple idea. That growing a consultancy is about people first. In this special episode of Growing Consultancies, we take a moment to look back on the first 25 conversations. From brave beginnings and bold decisions to hard lessons, people problems, and the steady work of building something that lasts. These episodes were never about perfection or polished...