WSP Anticipate Podcast

In today's fast-paced, high-stress work environment, it's more important than ever for organisations and individuals to priotise mental health. However, for many of us, this is easier said than done. We often put the needs of our jobs ahead of our own well-being, leading to burnout, anxiety, and depression. Organisations find it difficult to address mental health issues because of the st...

While environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) is still in its relative infancy, it has been growing rapidly in recent years. As more healthcare organizations adopt an ESG-minded stance, it is important to consider the motivations behind this shift, the limitations to its growth, and how to accelerate the rate of its adoption. In this episode of the WSP Anticipate Podcast, Sophia Kee,...

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are playing an increasingly important role in the development of social infrastructure in the Middle East. As governments seek to address the region's growing infrastructure needs, PPPs offer a flexible and innovative way to finance, design, build, operate, and maintain vital infrastructure assets. From hospitals and schools to water and sewerage systems, PP...

Global warming, climate change, ecosystem damage, and pollution are all linked to our current take-make-waste production model. In line with the ethos of the 2020 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26, many organisations and governments started to integrate circular economy and sustainability targets into their agendas. However, a lot has to be done to move from pledges and planning to a...

The world is undergoing widespread transformation in response to the climate emergency, with decision makers in almost every sector reimagining how to innovate, mitigate, and adapt to a changing world. In the retail sector, industry leaders such as Majid Al Futtaim are working to address challenges specific to retail in energy transition, adaptation, and resilience, alongside an overarching ambiti...

The concept of digital twins is not new, but the ability to create accurate digital replicas has been limited by the availability of data and computing power. With the advent of the Internet of Things, big data, and cloud computing, it is now possible to create digital twins that are virtually identical to their physical counterparts. In this episode of the Anticipate podcast, Sherif Bialy, our Di...

Water is the basis of life on Earth. However, this precious resource is drying out as climate change impacts the availability of vital freshwater resources. As temperatures rise and weather patterns become more extreme, the amount of water available for consumption is decreasing. This is particularly true in areas that are already water-stressed, such as the Middle East. In this episode, Omar Saif...

The need for better industry approaches to physical, mental, and behavioural health in the contemporary context has irked a response across many sectors to nurture better working environments for people. In this episode, Matthew Jackson, Head of HSE at WSP in the Middle East is joined by Jimmy Quinn, President Institution of Occupational Safety & Health (IOSH) to discuss the future of health a...

Until recently sustainable investing inevitably meant sacrificing returns. But the evidence is mounting that proves this is no longer the case… Hosted by WSP’s Katherine Bruce, this episode explores Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) risks and engages industry insights from First Abu Dhabi Bank’s Head of Corporate Sustainability, Belinda Scott, and MLW Consultancy’s Michele Wong. Want to...

Given the speed and immediacy of the digital world in which we operate, the way we design and engineer urban spaces is changing at a rapid pace. While digital tools are facilitating a new era of capabilities and efficiencies how can we can ensure that we do not lose the skill of freehand sketching and the benefits it can bring to any project? Andy Veall, Technical Director for WSP Middle East asks...

As population density increases within the world’s urban centres, a macro transport problem is arising due to shortages of space and a lack of sustainable, equitable, and feasible transit solutions. However, with global e-scooter usage booming, micro-mobility modes are providing people with more choices and options to move than ever before. Hosted by John Gillespie, Transport & Mobility Engine...

The ability to create and maintain high performance teams is critical for any organisation or project in today’s complex and competitive business environment. The question “What makes a great team great?” has been a hot topic in business and academia for many years. In this episode of the WSP Anticipate podcast, Paul Ebbs, Lean Specialist with WSP Middle East is joined by Dave Umstot, Lean Coach,...

Digital innovations are set to revolutionise the world’s industries, society, and make citizens’ lives more seamless, efficient, safer, and economical. Adding to this, real-world applications of emergent technologies such as artificial intelligence are beginning to illustrate just how effective the convergence of physical and digital worlds can be. In this Anticipate Podcast episode, Dr. Mohamed N...

From Berlin to Bogota, and everywhere in between, cycling has flourished in the wake of recent global events and the renaissance for alternative modes of transport is showing no sign of hitting the brakes. In Dubai, and many other Middle Eastern cities, recent shifts in thinking are also changing up a gear to promote cycling as a mode of eco-friendly transit. In this episode, we discuss emerging m...

The shift towards a net zero world is gathering pace as we accelerate efforts to counter the adverse impacts of human-influenced climate change. As momentum grows towards driving net zero commitments, it’s clear that a move to designing, building, investing, and thinking greener is crucial if we’re to avoid a climate catastrophe and to mitigate irreversible changes before they happen. In this epis...

Concrete has been the building block of the world’s civilisation. But the production process of cement, the main ingredient of concrete, leads to considerable carbon dioxide emissions which makes a strong case for finding and using more sustainable alternatives. In this episode of the WSP Anticipate Podcast, Laith Haboubi, Associate Director at WSP, is joined by Dr. James Aldred, Adjunct professor...

The engineering and construction industry has witnessed a slower rate of innovation compared to other industries such as aerospace and automotive. In this episode of the WSP Anticipate Podcast, David Kimmerly, Operations Director at WSP Middle East, and Don Ward, CEO of the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction discuss how trust can help de-risk  innovation...

The topic of wellness is nothing new, however the way in which we approach it is continuously evolving. As we celebrate the tenth annual Global Wellness Day, this WSP Anticipate podcast episode aims to question and critique the role organisations need to play in empowering people to thrive both physically and mentally. This special Global Wellness Day episode is hosted by Caroline Parsons, HR Dire...

With COP26 – one of the most important climate change conferences take place in years – coming to a close, questions remain about whether countries can maintain their pledges and beef up commitments towards mitigating climate change. Despite bringing parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, a lot of climate di...

As fundamental transformations in the education sector emerge, digital breakthroughs and blue-sky thinking are helping us reimagine learning ecosystems in an evolving world. This is evident in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where world-class education projects aren’t just changing the way knowledge is taught; they’re changing the paradigm altogether and giving new meaning to the interplay between st...

Following numerous schools and universities around the world pivoting to online classes in the wake of the global pandemic, there’s now equally as much attention being placed on the return to in-person lessons. With this latest shift in the continuously evolving education landscape, the education sector must now look to adapt their current spaces to new requirements and factor in new challenges –...

The growing interest in smart cities has been coupled with questions on how to use technology in an efficient, ethical and inclusive way to achieve the public and government’s best interests and to ensure that the needs of local communities are met. In this episode of the Anticipate podcast, Iftikhar Zubair, Head of Building Technology at WSP in the Middle East is joined by Yousef Khalili, General...

The energy transition is well underway, with renewables gradually becoming more cost-effective and prevalent. The role of green hydrogen in this transition is still being explored, but there are many potential benefits that could make it a key part of the future energy mix. In this episode of the Anticipate Podcast, Richard Lappin, Power Generation Technical Director at WSP in the Middle East is j...

Delivering large-scale programmes is no easy feat. It requires careful planning, a well-coordinated team, and an understanding of the various factors that can influence success. In this episode of the Anticipate Podcast, Akram Ashour, Head of Supervision at WSP in the Middle East, is joined by Eng. Mooza Al-Sowaidi, Head of Doha City Section at Qatar’s Public Works Authority, to examine some of th...

As technology advances, so does the way we approach infrastructure design and management. One of the most promising new technologies in this domain is digital twin; a technology that provides an unprecedented level of detail in predictive modelling. In this episode of the Anticipate podcast, Dr Mohamed Nazier, Managing Director of Transport & Infrastructure at WSP in the Middle East, is joined...