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!

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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 year and speculate on what 2025 might hold. Listen on to hear their thoughts on the exciting potential of AI, their worries about the technology and their advice on what you should be doing to get to grips with this work revolution.

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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 moving on from imposter syndrome. 

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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. They are:

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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, mediation and employee engagement, for which she has won several awards. Sophie is an experienced facilitator and partner at Make Happy, a consultancy that helps teams unlock their full potential, solve complex problems and find new ideas.

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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 Elizabeth Nolan, Roselyn Unegbu, Sarah Outterson and Ali Parish as they share their top three things that make for an inclusive workplace, before taking questions from the audience.

Register your interest for the 2025 Women in Project Management Conference (2 October 2025) at this link: www.apm.org.uk/apm-wipm-conference/register-of-interest-form-2025/

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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 book, How to Do the Inner Work, is available as a book, e-book, and audiobook. We often think the answer to our personal and professional problems lie outside of us, she says. But many of the answers we're looking for can be found within.

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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 this interview, Ros shares how to get the often difficult art of explaining right. We don’t just mean explaining the ins and outs of a project to your team or stakeholders, but how to communicate everything that matters to you with both clarity and confidence so that you can do what you set out to achieve.

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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 edition of Project journal.

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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 professional and career experience it brings.

2024 APM Trustee elections: find out more at https://www.apm.org.uk/news/2024-apm-trustee-elections-nominations-now-open/

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