Breaking Ground

Breaking Ground

Breaking Ground is the voice of the geotechnical industry, and is supported by Ground Engineering Magazine and The Ground Forum. Hosted by Steve Hadley, Chair of the Federation of Piling Specialists, the podcast covers a wide range of topics including sustainability, design, commerce and STEM. If you're in the industry - or if you're thinking of joining - there will be something here for you! To find out more about Ground Engineering Magazine, visit www.geplus.co.uk. To find out more about The Ground Forum, visit https://ground-forum.org.uk

Episodes

May 12, 2025 74 mins
In this episode of the Breaking Ground podcast, Steve Hadley and Ciaran Jennings are with Natalie Bews (Managing Director at Skelair International Ltd), discussing her journey in the geotechnical engineering sector. Natalie shares her early passion for geology, her career progression from an assistant geotechnical engineer to a business development role, and the importance of proactive marketing strategies in securing projects...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
In this episode, Steve Hadley and Ciaran Jennings are discussing the journey into a Geotechnics career with some recent graduates from the Ground Forum undergraduate mentoring program discussing their journeys into the field of ground engineering. They share their educational backgrounds, experiences in the industry, and insights into the challenges and opportunities they face.

Hadley hosts the episode together with Fed...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
In this episode, Steve Hadley and Ciaran Jennings are discussing CFA piling, the potential of machine learning in the industry and the impact of regulations on pile design. They explore insights from a survey on AI's role in the piling industry and the future of automation in construction jobs.

Our guests on this podcast are John Hopkins (Project Manager, Expanded Piling Ltd) and John Chick (Former FPS Chair and Techni...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
In this episode, Steve Hadley and Ciaran Jennings are discussing one of our Ground Forum members, the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining, also known as IOM3. Specifically, they focus on the Ground Engineering Subgroup (GES) of IOM3.
 
Our guests on this podcast are David Waring Senior Geotechnical Engineer at BP, Emily Wood who is Engineering Manager at BAM and Paul Skerry, the Director of Membership at IOM3. ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 6, 2024 64 mins
In this episode, Steve Hadley and Ciaran Jennings chat with Dr Paul Beetham of Nottingham Trent University, a Chartered Civil Engineer specialising in geotechnical design and ground improvement.

Hadley hosts the episode together with Federation of Piling Specialists (UK) and European Federation of Foundation Contractors secretary Ciaran Jennings.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
In this episode, Steve Hadley and Ciaran Jennings chat with Luisa Hendry, who you might know from the world of social media as the Scottish Geologist.

Hadley hosts the episode together with Federation of Piling Specialists (UK) and European Federation of Foundation Contractors secretary Ciaran Jennings.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
January 29, 2024 56 mins
In this episode, Steve Hadley and his guests discuss social mobility and pathways into the ground engineering industry.

Hadley hosts the episode together with Federation of Piling Specialists (UK) and European Federation of Foundation Contractors secretary Ciaran Jennings.

They are joined by Ramboll design engineer Palak Shukla, Atkins Réalis senior geotechnical engineer Tony Bowerman, and Mott MacDonald senior g...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
December 18, 2023 43 mins
In this episode Steve Hadley meets Skevi Perdikou from Geofem. The company is a leader in the application of remote sensing and visualisation technology for monitoring infrastructure and geotechnical assets. This is becoming an increasingly important tool to use along with traditional and complex geotechnical models when assessing events such as dam, slope and cliff failures. Listen to hear more about the science behind these ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Hock Liew and Javier Marti join Steve Hadley to explore the history and current implementation of the observational method in basement construction. They explain how better instrumentation and monitoring can help inform decision making that can save time and money, as well as managing risks to workers, the public and surrounding assets.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
September 19, 2023 73 mins
Dinesh Patel is a world renowned expert in geotechnical engineering. He has produced innovative solutions for landmark building projects and written papers that continue to be referenced decades after their release. Tune in and enjoy the second of two episodes exploring his career journey.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
August 12, 2023 80 mins
Dinesh Patel is a world renowned expert in geotechnical engineering. He has produced innovative solutions for landmark building projects and written papers that continue to be referenced decades after their release. Tune in and enjoy the first of two episodes exploring his career journey.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
In this episode Steve Hadley is joined by Keller’s newly installed group sustainability manager Luke Deamer; sustainability expert and Russell and Dawson senior consultant Erica Russell; and Arup geotechnical and sustainability engineer Alice Berry, who is returning to the podcast. 

We explain some of the terminology being used in discussions around carbon and look into how the ground engineering sector can transition t...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
LQM’s Paul Nathanail, Atkins' Carrie Rose, and Ian Evans from Arcadis join host Steve Hadley to discuss the topic of contaminated land. 

The guests review some common sources of it, as well as methods of investigation and containment. The panel also provides insights into contamination within popular culture by referencing films such as Deepwater Horizon and Erin Brockovich.

If you would like to be featured on th...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
March 7, 2023 47 mins
In this episode of the podcast host Steve Hadley meets Carla Martín Clavé. 

Carla, who moved to an engineering geologist role at Jacobs after completion of her PhD, won the prestigious Glossop Award in 2022 and gave a presentation on the role of engineering geology in the energy transition at the Engineering Group of the Geological Society’s Glossop evening. 

The conversation covers the use of salt caverns for ga...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Host Steve Hadley is joined in this episode by Rebecca Penn of Balfour Beatty, Martin Griffin of Knight Piésold and Gary Evans from Plowman Craven to discuss neurodiversity. 

The group explains some of the conditions, their experience of being neurodiverse and working in the construction industry, and how having a neurodiverse team can make your organisation more effective.

If you would like to be featured on the...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
January 9, 2023 47 mins
In this episode Steve speaks to Alex Petty, a geotechnical engineer from the UK, now leading teams in Western Australia. 

Alex talks about some of the exciting projects and unique geology in that part of the world. He explains how good geological knowledge can help provide clients with cost-effective solutions.

If you would like to be featured on the podcast - this call is especially to our overseas listeners - p...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
November 29, 2022 43 mins
Tarmac geotechnical manager Katherine Evans has set up Bold as Brass, a new network for women in construction, quarrying and mining on LinkedIn. 

It was created so that women could have a place to network and support each other. In addition, there is a group for allies, as all genders are responsible for culture change within the industry.

“I wanted to give women a place they felt safe to discuss issues an...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
In this episode of Breaking Ground, host Steve Hadley chats to Jim Williams who works for Historic England, which advises the government on the historic environment. 

Williams helps to carry out Historic England’s mission to “champion heritage to improve people’s lives” by managing a team of science advisors across the country.

It is their job to help local authority archaeologists with the scientific aspects of ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Steve Hadley meets Yuli (Chaido) Doulala-Rigby, Chief Engineer at Tensar. They talk about Yuli’s journey into geosynthetics, product types and applications. Yuli promotes geogrids as playing a key role in sustainable temporary and permanent works geotechnical solutions. 

She also goes on to bust some myths about women in engineering and offers an inspirational tale for others to follow.

Tensar wish ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
On this episode of Breaking Ground Steve Hadley chats to George Tuckwell, Director of Geosciences & Engineering at RSK, and Richard Pidcock, Joint Managing Director at Central Alliance, to talk about geophysics and the range of techniques available to ground engineers. 

Steve admits that he has been more used to more conventional ground investigation techniques during his career, and of course this technology is evo...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    Betrayal Weekly

    Betrayal Weekly is back for a new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal Team by emailing them at betrayalpod@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.

    The Joe Rogan Experience

    The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.

  • Help
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • AdChoicesAd Choices