Project Podcast

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...

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 bigg...

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...

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...

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...

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 appr...

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. Conta...

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...

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...

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...

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 gues...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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!...

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...

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...

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....

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...

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...

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...

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 thi...

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...

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...