In today's podcast we talk about how modern engineering consultancy really can change lives by creating sustainable infrastructure that focuses relentlessly on delivering creative, value-led solutions for the benefit of people, places and planet.

I am deliberately quoting from the values page of engineering design firm Buro Happold in honour of the fact that my guest today is Paula Gough, the newly installed UK Development Director for Infrastructure responsible for bringing, as she puts it, “some exciting new thinking into the UK infrastructure market”.

It is quite a challenge. Given the scale of infrastructure ambition set out by the Chancellor in last month’s budget and the unbelievably tight financial, social and environmental constraints that come with this ambition for growth, we will need every ounce of new thinking to make it all stack up.

But of course, Buro Happold is synonymous for innovative thinking around difficult problems from the moment the extraordinarily gifted engineer Ted Happold left his successful career at Arup in 1976. Legend has it that he headed to the University of Bath to became professor of Architecture and Engineering Design and then found Buro Happold after Arup refused to allow him to start an office in Bath.

The firm remains the forward thinking, design and people focused business today. Famous for tackling some the globe’s trickiest engineering projects and for doing so with a focus and attention on driving the absolute best community, environmental and economic outcomes

Which is why Paula’s new role caught my attention. I first interviewed a very young and ambitious Paula Farshim - as she was then - for NCE back in 2007 when she was just starting her glittering career as Hyder Consulting’s graduate of the year. She was certainly bent on creating change back then.

So a few decades on and with this new role, how can she help a firm like Buro Happold drill deep into this world of infrastructure to rethink our approach and deliver those vital creative solutions to our global challenges

Well let’s find out


Resources
Buro Happold website
SATRO - about the charity
The Budget - Nov 2024
NCE interview - a glittering career (behind paywall)
Being a DE&I and Fairness Inclusion and Respect (FIR) Ambassador